Soft Mattress in South Africa: Who Should Actually Sleep on One? (2026)
Soft Mattress in South Africa: Who Should Actually Sleep on One? (2026)
Updated 18 October 2026
The softest feel we make is the Revive Memory Foam, a true medium with a contouring memory foam top over a 65 kg/m3 core, from R4,899 in single. For a cushioned feel at a lower price, Comfort Foam starts at R2,399. We do not build soft-through mattresses, because they sag early.
See the Revive Memory FoamSee Comfort Foam
The numbers behind every Mr Mattress
| Fact | Published figure |
|---|---|
| Foam density | Comfort Foam and Active Foam 50 kg/m3, Revive 65 kg/m3 core, all SABS-approved foam |
| Weight rating | Revive up to 140 kg per sleeper. Ultra 200 up to 200 kg per sleeper, 300 mm deep |
| Home trial | 365 nights, plus a 30 day money-back guarantee |
| Warranty | 10 years on Active, Revive, Ultra 200 and Hybrid, 3 years on Comfort Foam. A fixed written term, never pro-rated |
| Delivery | Free nationwide, a small fee only for extreme rural areas, 3 to 7 working days |
| Track record | Over 25,000 beds delivered. Rated 4.7 out of 5 by 523 Mr Mattress customers on Google |
| Made in | Six South African manufacturing regions: Gauteng, Cape Town, East London, Bloemfontein, Durban and Mpumalanga |
Mr Mattress supplied the beds and mattresses for the Charlotte Maxeke Treatment Centre in Botshabelo, a Free State Department of Social Development facility officially opened by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Freedom Day, 27 April 2021. See our verified track record.
Our softer feel mattresses, live prices
Revive Memory Foam Mattress
A true medium with a contouring memory foam top. The softest feel in our range.
65 kg/m3 core, 10 year warranty.
View Revive Memory Foam
Comfort Foam Mattress
A cushioned surface over a firm core, at our lowest price.
50 kg/m3 SABS-approved foam, 3 year warranty.
View Comfort Foam
Active Foam Mattress
If soft turns out to be too much, this firm all-round mattress is the safe swap.
50 kg/m3 foam, 10 year warranty.
View Active FoamPrices are live Mr Mattress prices checked on 18 October 2026, mattress only. Delivery is free nationwide, with a small fee only for extreme rural areas.
Feel guide to the Mr Mattress ranges
| Range | Feel | Best for | Single from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comfort Foam | Cushioned surface over a firm core | Lighter sleepers and spare rooms | R2,399 |
| Revive Memory Foam | True medium, contouring | Side sleepers and lighter bodies who want a softer feel | R4,899 |
| Active Foam | Firm, all-round | Back and stomach sleepers, heavier bodies | R3,399 |
The short answer: For a genuinely soft feel in South Africa, the Mr Mattress Revive Memory Foam is one of the best-value picks, from R4,899, with a contouring memory foam top over a supportive high-density core, a 10 year written warranty and a 365 night home trial.
A soft mattress genuinely suits three groups: side sleepers, people under about 60 kg, and anyone who wakes with pressure marks at the shoulder or hip. A soft mattress should cradle shoulders and hips without letting the spine sag, which is how the Mr Mattress Comfort range is built. Everyone else usually does better one band firmer.
365 night home trial on every mattress, no minimum hold period
Written warranty: 3 years on Comfort Foam, 10 years on Active, Revive and Hybrid
Free delivery: Free State customers: usually 1 to 3 working days; national orders: 3 to 7 working days depending on your area
Made in South Africa through our own and approved partner facilities in Gauteng, Cape Town and East London
If you searched for the best soft mattress in South Africa, here is the honest starting point: soft mattresses get talked about in two extreme ways, as a luxury cloud everyone deserves, or as a guaranteed backache. Both are wrong. This guide goes deeper than our mattress firmness guide on one specific question: who actually benefits from a softer bed, and who only thinks they do.
What "soft" really means on a mattress
On the 1 to 10 firmness scale, soft is roughly 1 to 3: deep sink, strong contouring, and a surface that visibly wraps around you. But there are two very different ways to build that feeling. A soft-through mattress is soft all the way down, surface and core alike. A soft-surface mattress pairs a plush comfort layer with a dense, supportive core underneath.
The difference matters more than the label. A soft-through bed lets your hips sink until your spine bows, and it does so more every year as the foam relaxes. A soft-surface bed gives your shoulders and hips somewhere to settle while the core keeps your spine level. When people say they love a soft bed, the feeling they love almost always comes from the surface, not the core.
Who genuinely benefits from a softer feel
Side sleepers. On your side, your body weight funnels through the two widest points, the shoulder and the hip. On a surface that is too firm, those points cannot sink, so the waist hangs unsupported and the shoulder takes the load all night. A softer, contouring surface lets the shoulder and hip settle in while the waist stays held. Our dedicated side sleeper guide covers this position in full.
Lighter bodies, under about 60 kg. Firmness is relative to the weight pressing on the mattress. A lighter sleeper barely compresses the comfort layers, so a labelled medium already behaves like a medium-firm for them, and a firm can feel like a board. If you are under about 60 kg, going one step softer than the standard advice for your sleep position simply restores the feel the label promised.
People who wake with pressure marks or dead arms. Waking with a numb arm, pins and needles, or a sore point on the shoulder or hip is a classic sign your surface is not giving enough at your pressure points. A softer comfort layer spreads that load over a wider area. If this sounds like you, run through our too firm or too soft self-test before you buy anything.
Who should not buy soft
Stomach sleepers should avoid soft surfaces: the pelvis sinks, the lower back arches, and you wake stiff. Back sleepers usually need medium-firm or firmer to keep the hips level with the shoulders. Heavier sleepers, over about 100 kg, compress comfort layers so deeply that a soft bed bottoms out; a denser, firmer build like the heavy-sleeper options holds its shape far longer. And couples with very different weights are usually better served by a medium-firm middle ground, which is why we call it the safest default choice.
The honest Mr Mattress answer
We do not build a soft-through mattress, on purpose. The softest feels in our range are the Revive memory foam, a true medium with a contouring memory foam top over a 65 kg/m3 high-density core, and the Comfort Foam, which pairs a cushioned surface feel with a firm supportive core, from R2,399. Side sleepers and lighter bodies who want a softer feel almost always land on the Revive, from R4,899. The full construction figures are published on the range specs page.
Because softness is relative to your body, the only test that counts happens in your own bedroom. Every mattress comes with a 365 night home trial, so you can sleep on your choice for months and swap it if the feel is wrong.
What soft and plush mattresses cost in South Africa right now
When we checked pricing at major South African retailers in July 2026, soft and plush-marketed mattresses from brands like Cloud Nine ranged from around R3,800 at the entry level to R15,000 and beyond for premium plush models. The Mr Mattress Revive Memory Foam, our softest feel, costs from R4,899, near the entry end of that range, without dropping to soft-through construction that sags early.
How the Mr Mattress trial compares
Cloud Nine offers a 100 night comfort trial. Mr Mattress gives 365 nights with no minimum hold period, so if a softer feel does not suit you, you find out for certain on your own timeline, not someone else's return window.
Frequently asked questions
Is a soft mattress bad for your back?
Not automatically. A soft surface over a supportive core can keep the spine level, especially for side sleepers and lighter bodies. Problems start when the mattress is soft all the way through and the hips sink below the shoulders. Judge any mattress by whether your spine stays straight, not by the first-touch feel.
Who should sleep on a soft mattress?
Side sleepers, people under about 60 kg, and anyone waking with pressure marks, numb arms or sore shoulders and hips. These sleepers need a surface with enough give to let the shoulder and hip settle in. Stomach sleepers, heavier bodies and most back sleepers should choose medium-firm or firmer instead.
Are soft mattresses good for side sleepers?
A softer surface is usually the right call for side sleepers, because their weight concentrates on the shoulder and hip. The ideal is a contouring top layer over a dense core: soft where you touch it, supportive underneath. A medium feel with memory foam, like the Revive range, does this well.
Do soft mattresses sag faster?
Soft mattresses built with low-density foam do: the foam is pressed deeper with every night and loses its shape sooner. A soft or medium feel built over a high-density core lasts far longer, because the core carries the load. Always check the published density figures before buying any plush mattress.
What is the softest Mr Mattress?
The Revive memory foam range, rated medium, with a contouring memory foam top layer over a 65 kg/m3 high-density core. It is the closest thing to a soft feel we build, deliberately stopping short of soft-through construction so the spine stays supported. The Comfort range offers a cushioned surface at a lower price.
Soft Mattress by Province
Every provincial guide below covers the same Mr Mattress ranges, with delivery times, store details and buying advice specific to that province:
- Soft Mattress in Gauteng
- Soft Mattress in the Western Cape
- Soft Mattress in KwaZulu-Natal
- Soft Mattress in the Eastern Cape
- Soft Mattress in the Free State
- Soft Mattress in Mpumalanga
- Soft Mattress in Limpopo
- Soft Mattress in North West
- Soft Mattress in the Northern Cape
About Mr Mattress
Mr Mattress manufactures foam and hybrid mattresses in South Africa through our own and approved partner facilities in Gauteng, the Free State, Cape Town, East London, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. Every mattress comes with a 365 night home trial and a written warranty: 3 years on Comfort Foam, 10 years on Active, Revive and Hybrid. Delivery is free. Free State customers: usually 1 to 3 working days; national orders: 3 to 7 working days depending on your area. Visit one of our stores across South Africa, with more opening, or call us on 087 087 1610.
Shop foam mattresses Read the full firmness guide
Reviewed by Andries Taljaard, Founder of Mr Mattress.
Sizes and prices for the Revive Memory Foam
| Size | Dimensions | Mattress only | Base set |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | 91 x 188 cm | R4,899 | R5,499 |
| Three Quarter | 107 x 188 cm | R5,399 | R5,999 |
| Double | 137 x 188 cm | R6,299 | R6,999 |
| Queen | 152 x 188 cm | R7,199 | R7,999 |
| King | 183 x 188 cm | R8,999 | R9,999 |
Live prices checked on 18 October 2026. Extra length is available on selected ranges.
What to check before you buy any mattress
- Published foam density. Active Foam is 50 kg/m3 and the Revive has a 65 kg/m3 core, printed on the product so you can compare like with like.
- Weight rating. The Revive is rated to 140 kg per sleeper, so check the rating for the heaviest person in the bed.
- Trial and warranty terms. Ours is a 365 night home trial, a 30 day money-back guarantee and a fixed written warranty that is never pro-rated.
- The base. A worn or sagging base can undo a new mattress, so a base set is worth considering.
- The pillow. A pillow that suits your sleeping position matters as much as the mattress for neck comfort.
Signs your current mattress is the problem
A visible dip where you sleep, waking stiff most mornings, noisy springs, or a mattress that is more than 8 to 10 years old are the usual signs. A mattress is a comfort product, not a medical treatment, so speak to a doctor about persistent pain.
Rated 4.7 out of 5 by 523 Mr Mattress customers on Google. Over 25,000 Mr Mattress beds delivered across South Africa.
How the 365 night trial worksShop memory foam
What a softer feel is built from
More questions, answered
How much does a soft mattress cost in South Africa?
Our softer feel options start at R2,399 for a Comfort Foam single and R4,899 for a Revive Memory Foam single, mattress only. Queens start at R3,699 and R7,199.
What if the mattress feels too soft when it arrives?
Every mattress comes with a 365 night home trial and a 30 day money-back guarantee, so you can find out in your own bed. Firmer options such as Active Foam are the usual swap.
Which sizes does the Revive come in?
Single, three quarter, double, queen and king, with extra length options on most sizes, and a super king in extra length.
Keep reading
Mattress firmness guide · Best mattress for side sleepers · Soft surface vs soft through · Best memory foam mattresses compared