Vaya Mattress Review

Vaya is a mattress in a box brand with the goal of providing pure comfort at an affordable price. Vaya designs its mattresses with a balanced feel, ensuring their beds are a comfortable choice for almost any sleeper.

Every Vaya mattress is made in the USA, ensuring their beds meet strict manufacturing standards and health guidelines. Vaya is headquartered in Arizona and ready to deliver mattresses across the country.

Overview

The Good

• Vaya advertises its mattresses as suitable for any sleep position, thanks to their well-crafted blend of support and comfort.
• Aerated foams and a ventilated mattress cover encourage a cool sleeping surface, excellent for hot sleepers seeking an inexpensive mattress.
• Most Vaya mattresses cost under $1000. If you want to upgrade your bedroom with a plush yet supportive mattress, you can do so without exceeding your budget.
• Vaya includes two free pillows with every king and queen size and one pillow with their twin and full size mattresses.
• A CertiPUR-US® certification ensures the mattress emits little to no “new mattress smell.”

The Not-So-Good

• No-frills design means the mattress is light on added features and lacks a transition layer.
• Vaya is a relatively new online mattress brand, so it’s not as well-reviewed as more prominent brands like Amerisleep or Zoma. If you’re interested in doing more research, there’s only so much you will find.
• Vaya sells their mattresses only online. They have no showrooms and haven’t partnered with any brick-and-mortar mattress stores. Some shoppers don’t like the perceived risk of buying an online mattress they haven’t tried.

Vaya Mattress Similarities

Vaya believes in keeping things simple when it comes to mattress design. Their mattresses have two or three layers, each made with high-quality materials. A breathable cover encases the bed for protection and comfort.

Mattress Cover — The Vaya Mattress cover is a mix of polyester, rayon, and spandex. The cover’s weave promotes airflow through the fabric, ensuring heat and moisture is pulled away from the sleeper.

While the cover is removable, Vaya does not recommend taking it off to clean it. The cover isn’t designed for machine-washing, and dry-cleaning the fabric can get expensive. Plus, it can be a struggle to slip the cover off then on again.

Vaya Comfort Foam — Vaya’s top foam layer cushions the body and responds to movements. The second you lie down, the material contours to your body’s shape.

Vaya designed its comfort foam to be lightweight and “ultra-porous.” Traditional memory foam has the problem of collecting body heat without allowing the heat to escape. When the heat builds up, the mattress’s surface tends to grow overly warm. Vaya’s ventilated design makes it easy for air to circulate and remove body heat.

Vaya Comfort Foam also has a slight bounce to it that’s not unlike latex foam. Many sleepers love this responsiveness, though others may find it impacts the bed’s ability to prevent motion transfer.

Vaya Base Foam — The Vaya Mattress has a thick layer of low-density poly-foam underneath the comfort layer. This Vaya Base Foam is designed to support sleepers and evenly distribute their body weight. The base layer’s supportive stability prevents pressure points from accumulating in the body.

Like the Vaya Comfort Foam, the Vaya Base Foam has an aerated design to promote a cooling mattress.

Pocketed Coil System — The support system of a Vaya Hybrid mattress is a series of individually wrapped coils. These pocketed coils keep movements from rippling across the mattress. The motion isolation of the coils ensures anyone who shares a bed won’t jar their partner awake when they toss and turn or get up to use the restroom.

The sides of the Vaya Hybrid have extra firm coils to create uncompromising edge support. All-foam mattresses often feel soft at the edges, with the material yielding to a person’s body when they sit down. The Vaya Hybrid instead offers corner-to-corner support, making it simple for sleepers to move in and out of bed.

People with movement difficulties may especially enjoy the bed’s edge support. Anyone seeking an affordable mattress for arthritis or a similar condition might want to consider a Vaya Hybrid.

The Basics — Every Vaya Mattress is CertiPUR-US® certified and includes a 100-night sleep trial and a 10-year warranty.

• 100-night sleep trial: The sleep trial doesn’t start until the mattress arrives at your door, ensuring you have all the time you need. Vaya asks that you try your mattress for 60 days before you ask for a return.
• 10-year warranty: Under the 10-year mattress warranty, a mattress owner is eligible for a full repair or replacement if their mattress suffers from a manufacturing defect. Sagging over an inch is covered by the company.
• Free shipping and returns: Shipping is free to the 48 continental states. You will need to reach out to Vaya to find out how much you have to pay to deliver a mattress to Hawaii or Alaska. Vaya is currently only available in America.
• Certifications: A CertiPUR-US® certification means the foams are made without harmful chemicals and heavy metals.

Vaya Mattress Comparison

To make it easy to compare and contrast Vaya’s two mattresses, we constructed a table listing their main features. The Vaya Mattress and Vaya Hybrid share many similarities, and the deciding factor may come down to how you want your next mattress to feel.

Firmness is always subjective. What we rate as a medium, other sleepers may see as a medium-firm or medium-soft mattress.

Vaya Mattress

One of the Vaya Mattress’s main selling points is how the bed should feel comfortable, regardless of sleep position. So we decided to examine how the bed is likely to feel in every position.

Back

Back sleepers should find the Vaya Mattress provides an excellent balance of cushion and support. The responsive top layer and sturdy base layer work together to promote optimal spinal alignment. The Vaya Mattress lifts a back sleeper, so they don’t sink too far into the mattress while still offering a plush, relaxing feel.

However, heavier back sleepers should be cautious. Their body weight makes them more likely to sink into a mattress than the average sleeper. Back sleepers over 230 pounds may want to look for a mattress designed to keep sleepers on top of its surface.

Side

The key feature any mattress for side sleeping requires is pressure relief, and the Vaya Mattress provides that quite well. The thick, plush comfort foam molds to a side sleeper’s hips and shoulders, areas where pressure tends to build up. When the shoulders and hips are not supported and cushioned, a sleeper tends to wake up feeling stiff and sore.

Stomach

The Vaya feels soft when a stomach sleeper lies down. The comfort foam should be responsive enough to keep the hips lifted and prevent spinal misalignment. However, if a stomach sleeper feels they are sinking too far into the mattress, they can promote a neutral spine alignment by sleeping with a pillow under their belly.

Plus-size stomach sleepers might want to be cautious about sleeping on a Vaya Mattress. Their bodies are more likely to sink into a mattress that lacks an expressly firm feel. Petite and average-size stomach sleepers should have an easier time resting well on a Vaya Mattress.

Vaya Hybrid

Like the Vaya Mattress, the Vaya Hybrid advertises itself as suitable for all sleeping styles. The buoyancy of the coils and the top foam layer’s responsiveness can make movements easier on the hybrid than on the classic foam mattress.

People interested in an inexpensive mattress for combination sleeping might want to consider the Vaya Hybrid.

Back

The conforming top layer molds to the back’s curves, preventing the pressure build-up that can cause lower back pain. The reactive coils similarly take on the back sleeper’s body weight, ensuring no part of the body experiences discomfort. The heavy hips are cradled while the torso remains lifted, minimizing chances of misalignment and back pain.

Side 

Some side sleepers prefer a bouncy mattress instead of a cushioning one. However, finding a good bouncy mattress can be difficult since traditional innerspring mattresses often don’t conform enough to a side sleeper for pressure relief.

The Vaya Hybrid delivers a buoyant feel with its responsive coils. The coils under the heavier parts of the body retract enough to promote pressure relief, ensuring the mattress can adapt to the body’s position. The foam top relieves pressure in the hips and shoulders, allowing side sleepers to wake up refreshed, not sore.

Stomach

Stomach sleepers who prefer to sleep on top of the mattress might want to consider the Vaya Hybrid. It has a thinner comfort layer than the original Vaya Mattress, which helps to keep a sleeper from sinking too far. Still, the comfort layer is deep enough to prevent a person from bottoming out on the springy coil layer.

The second layer of coils lifts a stomach sleeper’s body and works to maintain their neutral spine alignment. If stomach sleepers want an extra bit of security, they can slip a pillow under their abdomen to ensure gravity doesn’t push their stomach too far into the mattress.

Vaya vs The Competition

Tuft & Needle

• Tuft & Needle is a mattress-in-a-box brand well-known for its budget-friendly prices. They offer three mattress models—two memory foam mattresses and a hybrid bed.
• Instead of outfitting their mattresses with a memory foam layer, Tuft & Needle uses their proprietary Adaptive Foam®. It conforms to the body but quickly regains its full shape once the pressure is gone.
• Tuft & Needle also infuses their foam with graphite and gel beads, creating a material similar to gel memory foam.
• The original Tuft & Needle mattress has prices comparable to the Vaya foam mattress. A queen size mattress is $995. It is 10 inches tall with a medium-firm feel.
• Vaya does not sell a mattress that could be seen as the counterpart to the Tuft & Needle Mint. The Mint mattress has materials to repel microbes, promoting a clean mattress for a healthy night’s rest.
• Tuft & Needle’s hybrid mattress is significantly more expensive than a Vaya Hybrid. The original price for a queen mattress is $1995.
• Tuft & Needle offers a 100-night sleep trial and a 10-year limited warranty, same as Vaya.
• Besides three mattresses and two pillows, Tuft & Needle sells numerous bed frames and a mattress foundation. Their many bedding items include sheets, a throw blanket, a quilt, and a duvet.

Is Vaya Right for You?

Vaya is on its way to becoming a top mattress-in-a-box brand with its focus on pure comfort at an affordable price. Their mattresses support all sleeping positions, thanks to a mix of bounce and conformability.

If you’re unsure about whether or not the Vaya Mattress is right for you, then check out our guide to the best mattresses of 2023. Some of our top recommendations include the Amerisleep AS3, the Zoma Mattress, and more!

Pros

• Sleepers of all styles can rest comfortably without overspending their money.
• With the discount codes Vaya offers, sleepers can purchase even a thick king size mattress for under $1000.
• Vaya’s mattresses stay cool at night, thanks to their breathable design.
• Every purchase of a mattress comes with a free pillow or two, depending on the customer’s chosen size.
• CertiPUR-US® certification ensures the mattresses are low-VOCs for clean, odor-free sleep.

Cons

• People who enjoy added features like targeted support, gel infusions, and responsive transition layers won’t find these things in a Vaya mattress.
• Vaya sells its mattresses exclusively online, with no storefronts or showrooms currently open. Customers who like the security of trying a mattress before buying it have no way of testing a Vaya Mattress. This also means customers have to wait for their new mattress to arrive.
• As part of the company’s no bells-and-whistle nature, Vaya doesn’t offer add-on services like mattress setup and removal.

FAQs

What goes under the Vaya Mattress?

The Vaya website notes their mattress is designed to work with most mattress foundations, whether they’re flat or slatted. The Vaya Mattress also pairs well with an adjustable bed base.

If you use a slatted foundation, we recommend double-checking the distance between the slats. Slats more than 3 inches apart can’t provide the consistent support that a foam mattress like the Vaya needs.

Can you flip the Vaya Mattress?

No, you should not flip the Vaya Mattress or the Vaya Hybrid. Both mattress models have a designated top and bottom. Flipping either mattress would crush the comfort foam and leave you sleeping on the stiff support foam. The support foam is not designed to conform to your body, so you would likely wake up with stiffness and pains.

What are the different sizes of the Vaya Mattress?

Vaya’s mattresses are available in six of the standard mattress sizes:

• Twin mattresses, which are 38 inches by 74 inches
• Twin XL mattresses, which are 38 inches by 80 inches
• Full mattresses, which are 54 inches by 75 inches
• Queen mattresses, which are 60 inches by 80 inches
• King mattresses, which are 76 inches by 80 inches
• California king mattresses, which are 72 inches by 84 inches

Vaya does not sell a split king size mattress. If you have a king size adjustable base you wish to use with a split mattress, you can improvise and buy two twin XL Vaya mattresses.

How do you care for the Vaya Mattress?

The Vaya Mattress has a durable design that resists sagging and softening with age. Still, you should rotate the mattress every three to six months to even out wear and tear.

Slipping a mattress protector over the Vaya Mattress keeps out the dust mites, dirt, allergens, and liquids that can affect the bed’s comfort. If you need to spot clean a stain on the bed, use warm water and gentle soap. Avoid getting the bed too wet when cleaning your mattress, as too much moisture can damage the mattress’s structure.

To freshen up the mattress, sprinkle an even coating of baking soda across the surface. Leave the baking soda alone for a few hours, then vacuum it up.

Is latex better than memory foam?

Latex has its pros and cons, just as memory foam does. Both materials conform well to a sleeper’s body and ease pressure points. Latex is typically sustainably made, while memory foam can’t be produced without a certain number of chemicals.

Budget shoppers often find a memory foam mattress is more within their means of living. Latex itself is an expensive material, whether it’s produced through the Dunlop or Talalay method. Plus, latex mattresses often contain natural materials like organic cotton and wool, and these materials drive up the mattress’s price.

For more information, check out our memory foam vs. latex guide.

What’s better, a foam or spring mattress?

Spring and foam mattresses have their advantages and disadvantages. A foam mattress often conforms better to a person’s body than a traditional innerspring mattress. Hot sleepers looking for a cooling mattress may find an innerspring design works best for them. Plus, many sleepers just love the bounce of an innerspring mattress.

The exact benefits of a foam bed depend on the type of foam it contains. Traditional memory foam mattresses provide excellent pressure relief at an affordable price, but they also have the reputation of being a heat trap. Natural latex mattresses are known for their durability, but they are also one of the most expensive beds.

Hybrid mattresses like the Vaya Hybrid often provide the benefits of a foam and innerspring mattress. A hybrid is often at least a few hundred dollars more than an all-foam mattress of similar quality. Still, many people prefer the feel of a hybrid and don’t mind investing in a good night’s rest.