Why You Can Trust CNET Helix Plus Mattress Review 2024: Putting a Bed for Plus-Size Sleepers to the Test
Bigger people need more supportive options. The Helix Plus mattress is designed to handle much heavier body types. We cover everything you should know about this ultradurable hybrid mattress.
- Certified Sleep Science Coach
Helix Plus
Score Breakdown
Like
- Durable steel coils provide the bed with enhanced support
- Neutral comfort foams above offer nice pressure relief
- Ideal for much heavier body types
- Available with cooling cover upgrades
- Excellent edge support
Don't like
- Not for those on a tight budget
- People under 150 pounds might not need the added support
- Not ideal for fans of memory foam
Product details
- Type Hybrid mattress
- Firmness Medium-firm
- Trial 100 nights
- Warranty 15-year limited warranty
Helix Sleep is one of those online brands that we've come to know and love. Every bed from this brand is different and targeted for specific sleeping preferences. The brand's core lineup consists of quality hybrid mattresses at an affordable price -- but as a brand, it doesn't stop there.
It also has two other lines of mattresses, the Luxe and Elite beds, and there are six beds to choose from in both of those collections. And that's where they stop, right? Nope.
Helix Sleep also has a sub-brand called Birch that offers more premium, natural and organic beds, and lastly, the more supportive hybrid bed for heavier body types dubbed Helix Plus. In this review, I'll cover everything you need to know about this particular online offering and who it might be most ideal for.
First impressions
In the past, we tested a few different iterations of this mattress. The previous model to this one felt like a neutral hybrid bed with lots of support, but it was around a medium firmness on our scale. It also had the standard cover, but this time we opted for the cooling pillow top.
Once it arrived at our space in a large box, we unboxed it, which took no time at all, and the process itself was really easy and fun to do. Ripping off a bunch of plastic and cardboard kind of makes you feel like a kid again, tearing into your presents on Christmas morning.
After we let the bed properly inflate and off-gas, it was ready to be tested. Upon feeling the bed, I immediately noticed the cooling pillow top to be cool to the touch and thought it made the bed look and feel more comfortable. When I hopped on, though, I thought the bed felt firmer than where we originally had it pegged, at around a medium.
Since the bed is designed for heavier people, who sink into beds more and perceive them to be softer, bigger body types could find this bed to be more in line with a medium firmness. That said, if you're an average-sized person, this bed might feel a bit too firm for your liking. The bed does provide an ample amount of support, though. I'd say it stacks up to the likes of other ultrasupportive options like Saatva HD, Big Fig and WinkBed Plus.
Video: Helix Plus mattress review
Helix Plus mattress firmness and feel
What does the Helix Plus feel like?
The model of Helix Plus that we tested exhibited more of a pillow-top feel. Since we opted for that GlacioTex Pillow Top upgrade, it does add a good amount of cushion and pillow-top comfort to the bed. However, if you get the standard version of this mattress, I think you'll find it has more of a neutral hybrid feel.
Beds that have pillow-top feel or neutral hybrid feel are often safe choices. They just provide a general level of comfort that should be able to accommodate almost anyone. Unless you know you want a dense memory foam option or a super responsive latex foam feel, I think the feel of this Helix Plus mattress will work just fine for you.
How firm is the Helix Plus mattress?
I mentioned that the Helix Plus is a bit firmer than a medium nowadays, but how much firmer is it? Well, our team thought it was now right in between a medium and a medium-firm on our scale, so the new model has gotten firmer.
This firmness makes the bed most suitable for back and stomach sleepers. If you're a side or combination sleeper, you could get by on this mattress, but only if you prefer sleeping on something much firmer. If you're the type of side sleeper who prefers a softer bed, this may not be the right mattress for you.
Keep in mind that this bed is not designed for the average-sized person. Much heavier people tend to sink into beds more than average-sized folks, finding beds to be softer than medium body types. So, if you're a heavier individual, this bed might be right around a medium when it comes to firmness.
Helix Plus mattress construction
The Plus is an enhanced hybrid bed that's constructed with high-quality materials. It's comprised of the following layers:
1. On the bottom, there's a layer of base foam. This is a thin, dense foam that acts as a foundation for the rest of the bed's layers.
2. Then you have the bed's main support system of TitanCore steel coils, designed to be extra durable and withstand a lot of weight.
3. Next is a transition layer of Helix Dynamic Foam, which acts as a buffer between the coils and the comfort elements on top.
4. Just beneath the pillow top is a layer of Ultra-Dense Helix Responsive Foam. This is a comfort layer designed to be more durable than your average foam.
5. Rounding the mattress out its ultrabreathable Tencel cover, which should help the bed sleep temperature-neutral. In our case, we have the version with the GlacioTex Pillow Top, which sleeps cooler.
Helix Plus mattress performance
Motion isolation
Compared to other ultrasupportive hybrid options online, we'd say this bed deadens a decent amount of cross-mattress movement. It shouldn't isolate motion as well as dense memory foam options like Nectar or Tempur-Pedic, but I don't foresee your movements reverberating through the bed, causing your partner to wake up or vice versa.
Edge-to-edge support
The TitanCore steel coils in the mattress provide the Helix Plus with a solid amount of edge support. There's no real roll-off sensation if you happen to sleep closer to those edges, and you should feel plenty of support along the bed's perimeter.
The dense nature of the comfort foams used above the coils also help to keep you placed firmly along those edges. If your partner is a major bed hog, you can rest easy knowing this bed's got your back.
Temperature
Like many other beds you can buy online, Helix Plus is advertised to sleep on the cooler side. Even though the version we have has a cover that's slightly cool to the touch, we still think it will mainly be temperature-neutral to most people.
Sleeping temperature often depends on other factors more than the bed itself. Your room's overall temperature is the biggest influence in this regard, but it could also come down to the sheets you're using or pajamas you're wearing. A bed can only do so much, cooling-wise.
Durability
A quality hybrid bed such as this can last for a number of years, sometimes even more than a decade. We've found that coil beds generally last longer than those that have dense support foam. Foam layers can degrade faster over time as you lay on them night after night, whereas coils retain their shape more since they're made of metal. Since the Helix Plus is an ultrasupportive hybrid mattress, it'll likely last you several years to come, especially if you're a heavier person.
Off-gassing
There's no getting around it, sometimes your brand-new bed stinks right out of the box -- and I mean that in the literal sense. Like other products that ship to you in a box, oftentimes, there's a factory smell. Rest assured, nothing is wrong with your new mattress. This smell is a completely normal part of the process and should dissipate after a couple of nights.
Who is the Helix Plus mattress best for?
Though the Plus could work for all body types, it is mainly intended to support folks on the much heavier side, so it might not be right for everyone. Here are the main things to consider about the bed and who it'll work out best for.
Sleeping position
If you weigh well over 200 pounds, you could probably get by on this bed in any sleeping position. Heavier people usually find beds to be softer than the average-sized person, since they have more mass to sink in.
That said, if you're of a medium-sized build, the bed will probably be most ideal for back and stomach sleeping. It might provide too much resistance against your shoulders and hips if you're a side sleeper who's more petite. I'd say this bed is best for much heavier combination sleepers who tend to rotate around at night.
Body type
This mattress is designed to support heavier folks, particularly those around 300 pounds and up. If you're around that weight, you'll likely need a hybrid bed with an enhanced support system such as this one.
If you're an average-sized person, this bed is probably overkill for you. You can get by on a regular hybrid mattress that's more affordable and accommodating for your body type. If you're much smaller, an all-foam bed will likely support you and your wallet more as well.
Helix Plus mattress pricing
| Size | Measurements (inches) | Price |
|---|---|---|
Twin | 38x75 inches | $811 |
Twin XL | 38x80 inches | $936 |
Full | 54x75 inches | $1,061 |
Queen | 60x80 inches | $1,499 |
King | 76x80 inches | $1,811 |
Cal King | 72x84 inches | $1,811 |
For a bed of this caliber, I think the Helix Plus is a great price. After discount, a queen size should run you around $1,200. Ultradurable hybrid beds of this quality can easily cost upwards of two grand, so it's nice to see the Helix Plus at a slightly more affordable value. Helix Sleep also likes to bundle in two free Dream pillows with every mattress purchase. Isn't it awesome getting free stuff?
Helix Sleep typically runs discounts on its beds year-round as well.
Trial, shipping and warranty
As a brand, Helix backs its beds with above-average policies. Its beds ship to you in a box for free, and once it's in your possession, you get a 100-night trial period to try it at home risk-free. If you happen to not like it within that time frame, you have a return option, but if you decide to keep it, you're backed by a 15-year limited warranty. Just be sure to use the right foundation for the bed. Otherwise, you could void your bed's warranty.
The final verdict
If you're a much heavier person looking for an ultrasupportive hybrid bed, the Helix Plus might be one of your best options for the price. If you don't mind spending up for a durable coil mattress with a neutral feel that's slightly softer than a medium-firm, this could be the best bed for you out of Helix Sleep's extensive lineup.
Also, if you want a mattress with options, like a pillow-top upgrade with a cooling cover for hot sleepers, that's definitely another perk of the Plus.
You might like the Helix Plus mattress if:
- You want a very supportive hybrid mattress.
- You're a heavier back or stomach sleeper.
- You like a bed with some optional cooling cover upgrades.
- You weigh more than 250 pounds.
You might not like the Helix Plus bed if:
- You're looking for an all-foam mattress.
- You're a smaller-sized person who doesn't need extra support.
- You want a soft mattress for strict side sleeping.
- You're on a superstrict budget.
Other mattresses from Helix Sleep
I'm not going to list all the other Helix beds individually, simply because there are far too many to cover. The brand has six core models, six luxe versions of those beds and six more Elite renditions. That's a lot of mattresses.
These options are ranked in terms of firmness. The Sunset and Moonlight are the softer beds, the Dusk and Midnight are the medium options, and the Dawn and Twilight are the firm mattresses. Helix Sleep also has a Plus mattress, which is designed to support much heavier people, and it even has a couple of natural and organic beds to choose from in the sub-brand, Birch.
So many options could present a bit of a challenge when it comes to picking the right one for you. I mean, how are you supposed to navigate your way through such an extensive lineup of beds?
The cool thing about Helix is that it offers an online sleep quiz that runs you through a series of questions. This quiz asks you about your sleeping preferences and body proportions, and then the quiz comes up with the right bed for you based on your answers. This makes finding the right Helix Sleep option for you quick and easy. Feel free to take the Helix Sleep Quiz for yourself.
How does the Helix Plus compare to other mattresses?
Helix Plus vs. Big Fig
Both of these are more supportive hybrid options with heavier people in mind, but who is right for which bed? When it comes to firmness and feel, there's a noticeable difference. The Big Fig is a truly firm bed. We'd say it's quite a bit firmer than the Helix Plus. Since it uses some latex foam and memory foam, the WinkBed has a bit more of a nuanced feel compared to the Helix Plus, which feels pretty neutral overall. Both are plenty responsive and supportive; it just comes down to the firmness and feel you prefer. If you want the more affordable option, though, check out the Helix Plus.
Helix Plus vs. WinkBed Plus
These beds are quite difficult to pick apart. Both are right around a medium-firm and have pronounced neutral feels, but I guess the main difference is that the WinkBed Plus comes with a pillow top by default. You have to spend up for that enhanced comfort option if you decide to go with the Helix Plus mattress. However, even with that upgrade, the Helix Plus is still more affordable than the WinkBed Plus. Both beds offer plenty of support for much heavier people and are viable options for those over the 300-pound mark.
Helix Plus mattress FAQs
What's the weight limit for the Helix Plus?
According to Helix Sleep's website, this mattress can support two people each weighing 500 pounds, so it can handle up to 1,000 pounds of weight at once -- man, this bed's been hitting the gym.
Is the Helix Plus mattress good for side sleepers?
Given its slightly firmer profile, I wouldn't classify this bed as a good option for side sleepers. Typically, side sleepers prefer sleeping on softer mattresses that provide lots of pressure relief for their shoulders and hips. While this bed might provide some of that, we don't think it's enough to move the needle for those sleeper types. If you're the type of side sleeper who prefers a firmer bed, maybe look into it, but it wouldn't be at the top of my list of recommendations.
What is the Helix Plus made of?
All of the materials used in this bed are Certi-Pur US certified, which means they're made in a nontoxic way. Additionally, all the support and comfort elements in the bed are designed to be more durable than your average hybrid bed. Its TitanCore steel coil system is made up of thicker gauge coils, and the high-density foam used above is made to last under lots of nightly weight over time.