Tempur Review
The company that invented this category, and the only mattress brand in Britain whose core material is genuinely proprietary rather than a trademarked name for ordinary foam.
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Verdict
The company that invented this category, and the only mattress brand in Britain whose core material is genuinely proprietary rather than a trademarked name for ordinary foam. It is also extremely expensive, runs warm, and is the clearest example of a brand where you should try before you buy.
Buy it if
You have slept on a Tempur and specifically want that feel, which nothing else reproduces.
Avoid it if
You sleep hot, you want bounce, or you are buying on specification per pound.
See the current Tempur offer
Tempur sells through its own stores, department stores and specialists. Prices vary.
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Tempur on Amazon UK
Widely listed. Confirm the model and the seller, because Tempur naming is complex.
No code needed. Prices on Amazon change frequently, so check the seller and the returns terms before you buy. Opening in a new tab.
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Viscoelastic foam, proprietary TEMPUR material |
| Origin | Developed from NASA-funded research into aircraft seat cushioning |
| Material | Very high density viscoelastic foam, denser than most memory foam |
| Feel | Slow response, deep contouring, minimal bounce |
| Price position | Among the most expensive mattresses sold in the UK |
The scores
A genuinely distinctive product at a price that only makes sense if you want that specific feel.
Very expensive. You are paying for a material nobody else has, which is a real thing to pay for.
High density material supports well and holds its shape longer than cheap foam.
The weakest point. Dense viscoelastic foam traps heat and no cover fully solves it.
All foam. No perimeter reinforcement in the traditional sense.
The best in the category. Nothing transmits through material this dense.
Long guarantees from a company that has existed for decades, which matters.
Why Tempur is different from memory foam
Almost every mattress sold as memory foam in Britain uses viscoelastic polyurethane foam. So does Tempur. The difference is density and formulation, and it is large enough to produce a genuinely different product.
Memory foam density is measured in kilograms per cubic metre. Standard memory foam runs from around 16 to 80, with most comfort layers between 48 and 72. Tempur's material sits at the high end of that range and beyond, which is why it feels slower, denser and more supportive than ordinary memory foam and why it costs what it costs. Foam price is dominated by density.
That density is also why Tempur mattresses last. Low density foam develops body impressions within three to five years. High density foam holds considerably longer, and Tempur has been selling long enough for that to be observable rather than promised.
This is the one brand in this category where I think the premium buys something material rather than something marketed.
The heat problem is real and not fixable
The same density that makes Tempur good makes it warm.
Dense viscoelastic foam has small, closed cells and very little air movement through it. It responds to body heat by softening, which means it is designed to hold warmth at the surface. Tempur has added cooling covers and climate-focused ranges over the years, and they help at the surface for the first stretch of the night.
What no cover does is move air through the mattress, because there is nowhere for air to go. That is a property of the material rather than a design failure.
So the honest advice: if heat is your main complaint about your current mattress, do not buy a Tempur. Buy a hybrid with a deep spring layer, where airflow does the work.
Try it, because nothing else feels like it
Tempur produces a slow, sinking, deeply contoured feel with almost no bounce. People either find it uniquely comfortable or find it unpleasant, and there is not much middle ground.
Because nothing else reproduces it, no comparison helps and no review, including this one, resolves the question. Tempur is sold through its own stores, department stores and bed specialists, so it is one of the easier premium brands to try in person.
Spend fifteen minutes on one before spending anything. This is the mattress where that advice matters most.
A correction worth making
Commonly repeated, and wrong
Tempur is frequently described as memory foam and compared directly against mattresses from brands using the same term, as though the products are equivalent at different prices. Memory foam is a category and density is what separates one from another, with standard memory foam running from around 16 to 80 kilograms per cubic metre. Tempur's material sits at the top of that range and beyond, which is why it feels different, lasts longer and costs more. The word is the same. The material is not.
Should you buy it?
Yes if you have tried one and want that feel specifically. It is the one premium mattress on this site where the price buys a genuinely different material rather than a different brand.
No if you sleep hot. That is not solvable with a Tempur and a hybrid such as the Otty Original will serve you better at a fraction of the price.
Questions people ask
Is Tempur the same as memory foam?
Both are viscoelastic polyurethane foam, and density separates them. Standard memory foam runs from around 16 to 80 kilograms per cubic metre. Tempur's material sits at the top of that range and beyond, which is why it feels slower and denser, lasts longer and costs more.
Do Tempur mattresses sleep hot?
Yes, and it is not fixable. Dense viscoelastic foam has small closed cells and very little air movement, and it softens in response to body heat, so it holds warmth at the surface. Cooling covers help at the surface and cannot move air through the mattress.
Should I try a Tempur before buying?
Yes, more than any other mattress on this site. Tempur produces a slow, sinking, deeply contoured feel with almost no bounce, and people either find it uniquely comfortable or unpleasant. Nothing else reproduces it, so no comparison resolves the question.