As one of the first brands to sell beds in a box, Brooklyn Bedding has continuously come up with innovative ideas in pursuit of the best mattress.
The Brooklyn Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress is one of the most popular models, combining memory foam and springs for support and comfort. It comes with a lengthy list of features and boasts some pretty impressive patented technology, all of which starts at $999 for a Twin and goes up to $2,265 for a California King.
After testing a $1,865 Queen-sized mattress for myself, I can confidently say it is a worthwhile investment. It resulted in many nights of cool, comfortable, and uninterrupted sleep.
The Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress offers one of the best cooling covers on the market (backed by a hybrid construction for superior breathability). It's available in three firmnesses with a pillowtop option.
What we like
What we don't like
Design
The Aurora Luxe Cooling is a hybrid mattress, which means it has a mix of pocketed coils and foam for support and comfort. There are six layers in total.
At the base is a layer of high-density foam to support the individually pocketed coils, which provide responsiveness and help with motion isolation. These coils are covered with a transition layer of memory foam, and then a layer of foam that adjusts to your body as you move.
The second to last layer is where the real cooling magic happens. This layer is infused with TitanCool, a material that can melt into a liquid or solidify as it draws heat away from the body, helping your skin (and yourself) maintain an ideal sleeping temperature all night long. This material is paired with Brooklyn Bedding's patented CopperFlex material, which also helps create an antibacterial environment. All of this is topped with the cooling cover, which stays cool to the touch.
There are some high tech-sounding materials being thrown around here, but while innovative technology is being implemented in the construction of the mattress, harmful chemicals and materials are not, as the Aurora Luxe Cooling is CertiPUR-US Certified.
All these layers add up to a substantial mattress that is 13.25 inches thick. Though the Aurora Luxe Cooling is on the thicker side compared to other mattresses, it can be used on a variety of different bed frames, including platforms and adjustable bases.
Our review of the Aurora Luxe Cooling mattress
Setup
The Aurora Luxe Cooling comes in three different firmness levels — Soft, Medium, and Firm — as well as the full range of sizes — Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, and California King. It's even available in nontraditional sizes like split California King, Short Queen, RV Bunk, and RV King. You can also choose to add a pillow top to the mattress. I'm a stomach sleeper and my partner tends to sleep mostly on his back, so I decided to go with a queen-sized firm mattress for additional support.
Though this is billed as a luxury mattress, there's no fancy white-glove service, but at least there's free shipping across the continental United States.
The mattress was delivered to our doorstep tightly rolled in a box that we carried up the stairs to our bedroom. It weighs about 100 pounds so carrying it between two adults wasn't too hard, but I'd suggest getting a friend or hiring someone to help if you're doing this alone or are older.
The set-up from there was a breeze. Once the mattress was out of the box and plastic wrapping was removed, the mattress immediately began to expand. One thing I noticed right away was the lack of a strong odor that often comes with bed-in-a-box mattresses. Any chemical smell immediately wore off in less than 24 hours, which made for a relatively short off-gas period. We also allowed the mattress to sit for 24 hours to come to its full size.
At first glance, you can see the thought that went into the design. Nothing about it looked cheap, from the well-positioned handles on the sides that make it easier to move the mattress around to the quilted top, which features a unique honeycomb pattern. The surface of the mattress felt cool to the touch too, already showing the promise of a cool and comfortable night of sleep.
Comfort
I tested the firm version of the Aurora, and there is a definite feeling of resting on top of the mattress rather than sinking down into it. However, thanks to the pocketed coils and layers of foam, you won't feel like you're sleeping on a board either. The mattress is responsive and I never felt "stuck" in it, which can sometimes be the case with foam mattresses.
If you're looking for the traditional supportive feel of an innerspring mattress, but still want layers of comfort that lightly contour the body, a hybrid mattress like the Aurora is ideal. It is also important to remember that both height and weight can impact the feel of the mattress, so while the mattress felt very firm to me, my boyfriend would have described it as more of a medium-firm.
In my opinion, the firm option is great if you share your bed with a partner (or energetic cats or rowdy dogs) as the motion transfer was very minimal. When my boyfriend rolled over, I could barely feel any movement on my side of the bed. The edge support is also great, which I can also personally attest to. I often found myself closer to the edge than I would have liked when our cat adamantly wedged herself between us, but the support of the Aurora didn't waver.
However, this level of firmness may not be for everyone. If you're looking for support that offers slightly more give, I would advise going with the medium firmness, which is also great for combination sleepers. If you find yourself sleeping almost exclusively on your side, the soft firmness will provide you with a more cushioned feel that can help relieve pressure on the shoulders and hips.
If you sleep hot, this mattress is also a great option. After testing the Aurora for myself, I can say that all of that cooling technology does work. I never once overheated or had to kick the blankets off during the night, and even on the nights I forgot to turn our heat down before bed, I still stayed comfortable all night long.
Heat dissipation
Wondering how the cooling technology in the Aurora Luxe Cooling actually works? You're not alone.
Before testing this mattress, I was wondering the same. The secret lies in a combination of cooling fibers and open airways. Each part of the mattress is designed to keep you cool throughout the night.
While I admittedly didn't take a thermometer to bed with me, I can say that this technology isn't marketing fluff — it actually worked for me. I never overheated, and neither did my partner who tends to sleep much hotter than I do.
With the description of this being a cooling mattress, I was also slightly worried that I'd end up being too cold at some point during the night, but that's the beauty of phase change material — it adapts to your body's temperature to help you stay at that ideal "Goldilocks" temperature of not too hot and not too cold.
Trial and warranty
Brooklyn Bedding offers a 120-night trial warranty for their mattresses. If you're not happy with your mattress after testing it out for at least 30 nights, you have 120 nights from the date of purchase to return it for a refund. You'll have to pay $99 pickup fee, though.
The Aurora Luxe Cooling is also covered by a limited lifetime warranty. This warranty covers any workmanship or faults you discover after normal use. For the first 10 years, Brooklyn Bedding will repair or replace your faulty mattress at no cost. After the 10 year period, you'll pay a prorated price for a replacement mattress.
Cons to consider
While the Aurora Luxe Cooling has excellent heat dissipation, edge support, and motion isolation, it's not for everyone. Even though the mattress molds to create a perfect temperature, it's not ideal for people who sleep cold. The main selling point of this mattress is its cooling technology, so it's not the best option if you don't find yourself overheating in the middle of the night.
What are your alternatives?
The Aurora Luxe Cooling is on the higher end of the price spectrum of bed-in-a-box mattresses — a Queen comes in at $1,865. If this is out of your price range, we recommend the Zinus Cooling Comfort Support Hybrid Mattress. The Zinus mattress is the best cooling pick in our guide to the best cheap mattresses. Its motion isolation isn't as good as the Aurora Luxe Cooling, but a queen-size is under $300.
If you're willing to spend a little extra, the Nest Bedding Natural Latex Mattress took the best overall spot in our best cooling mattress guide. This mattress has excellent heat dissipation, plus it's made with natural materials. For more recommendations, check out our guide to the best mattresses.
The bottom line
If you're looking for a high-quality hybrid mattress that'll keep you comfortable all night long, the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling is for you. The special attention paid to the construction of this mattress and innovative technology utilized in its design makes it worth the higher price tag in my opinion.
There are also a lot of logistical upsides too. Not only can you shop the full range of sizes online, Brooklyn Bedding offers a 120-night sleep trial and limited lifetime warranty.
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Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@bjinnox.com.
