Our evaluations and opinions are not influenced by our advertising relationships, but we may earn a commission from our partners’ links. This content is created independently from TIME’s editorial staff. Learn more about it.
I wouldn’t give up my writing career for the world, but spending hours typing on my laptop does not do my neck, shoulders, and back any favors. After doing many hours of research, I stumbled upon Nectar and its most popular model, the Premier mattress, highly rated for its full-body support, durability, and value. The claims that the Premier mattress is one of the best mattresses for side sleepers like myself and was designed with multiple cooling features caught my attention, so between my sore spine and Nectar’s satisfied sleepers, I decided to give this highly-rated mattress a try for myself to see if it lives up to the hype.
I’ve spent ample time snoozing on my own Nectar Premier king mattress, but just a single night on this extra-supportive mattress made a massive difference. I’m not waking up with those nagging back and shoulder aches even after weeks of testing. Although this mattress isn’t for everyone, I recommend it as a rock-solid pick for all sleeping positions and most body types. I’ve pulled together my extensive research and this mattress’s technical stats to help you decide if a Nectar Premier is the best for you.
The Nectar Premier is available in seven sizes. Note these are the prices for the memory foam edition I tested, and that the hybrid mattress is slightly pricier across all sizes.
Thrifty buyers who need pillows, sheets, and a mattress protector should consider taking advantage of Nectar’s frequent bedding bundle sales, as they often include hundreds of dollars of additional bedding for under $200.
The Nectar Premier is a 13-inch memory-foam mattress filled with three different layers of supportive foam and its sides are wrapped in a rugged, yet surprisingly soft polyester lower cover. The first thing you’ll probably appreciate when you lie down is its breathable, soft quilted polyethylene top layer. This cooling cover excels at wicking away excess body heat down into the lower foam levels, particularly the first layer of contouring gel-infused CertiPUR-US® Certified foam* directly beneath it. These upper layers allow your body to sink into the bed just enough to minimize pressure from your joints, while the thicker dual foam layers beneath provide full-body support, stability, and promote spinal alignment.
Its durable side cover does double duty by keeping its foam layers in place, while ensuring that the mattress remains in top condition for years to come.
*CertiPUR-US® certified foams meet and exceed high safety standards, guaranteeing these foams do not incorporate carcinogenic or toxic chemicals such as heavy metals, formaldehyde, or flame retardants.
Nectar rates the firmness level of their Premier mattress as a 6.5 out of 10, with a medium-firm feel, and after many nights of sleep, I wholeheartedly agree with this rating. The Premier has an excellent ratio of firmness and support, and its thicker foam layers worked wonders for relaxing my hips, shoulders, and spine enough to greatly diminish recurring pain overnight. Speaking of my back, I felt all sleeping positions were cozy, but I was most comfortable sleeping on my back and side due to the slightly above-average firmness of this mattress. Its firmer design was a little less accommodating for stomach sleeping, but if paired with a softer and low-loft pillow, the Premier works fine for this position too.
My lightweight body type felt well-supported and comfortable on the Premier, but heavyweight sleepers are likely to feel cozier on a firmer mattress with additional side support, such as the inner-spring reinforced hybrid variant of the Nectar Premier mattress.
Spending quite a bit of time on my laptop every day takes a toll on my neck, back, and shoulders, so I was hopeful that the Nectar Premier mattress would be as great as its many positive reviews suggest. I hoped it would help negate at least some of my recurring body pain—but I didn’t expect it to be this effective. The Premier’s medium-firm level of firmness delivers enough body-cradling pressure relief to comfortably sleep on my side and back, while providing the much-needed support for my hips, back, and shoulders. Just one night on the Premier made a massive difference, and it’s awesome to wake up without those lingering pains.
I was skeptical about how cool the Premier would feel, especially since memory foam mattresses are notorious for retaining heat for an all-around warmer sleeping experience. However, its cooling upper layers were so effective, I was surprised at how quickly I fell asleep on its crisp, cool surface.
As someone with poor posture while writing, and gets a little too toasty trying to sleep through hot and humid Florida evenings, the Nectar Premier mattress was what I needed to relax my strained muscles and stay cool overnight. The Premier’s medium-firm feel easily accommodated my side-sleeping preferences, as its thicker layers of memory foam let my body sink into the mattress just enough to be comfortable. It helped relieve the tension in my shoulders and upper back. There’s a clear difference between an average mattress and the Premier’s cooling features, as its breathable cover and upper foam layers shine at wicking away excess body heat.
It may not be marketed as an ergonomic mattress, but its pressure-relieving properties and medium-level consistency did wonders for my back and shoulders. If you spend a considerable amount of time behind a keyboard and you’re in the market for a long-lasting mattress to help relieve those consistent aches and pains, the Nectar Premier is a top option.
I should also note the Premier features an impressively tiny amount of motion transfer. If I got up or turned over during the night, my ultra-light sleeper of a dog never reacted to it. This is due to the 3-inch motion-absorbing transition Dynamic Response foam layer. Whether sleeping with a partner or a pet, the Premier mattress is worth considering.
My Nectar Premier mattress was shipped via FedEx, and arrived within two days of my order. Since it was a king-sized model, it was a hefty 123 pounds, but it wasn’t particularly difficult to get inside and onto its frame with a little help.
Setup was a straightforward process, as I simply placed the heavy and tightly wrapped mattress on my bed frame and used the included specialty blade to safely slice through its protective plastic. The Premier unfolded to nearly its full size within a minute or so, and I’m happy to say that there was absolutely no unpleasant off-gassing chemical odor with this mattress. I let the mattress continue to expand for about 12 hours before sleeping on it.
Warm sleepers, those dealing with consistent back, muscle, and hip pain, and combination/ back and side sleepers will get the most out of a Nectar Premier mattress. Its breathable cover and airy gel-infused memory foam will help you to retain a comfortable body temperature and fall asleep noticeably more quickly. Its thick layers of quality memory foam provide a cozy and dependably supportive feel, while promoting proper spinal alignment and relieving pressure from your hips and shoulders.
Although the memory foam edition is perfect for most body types, heavyweight sleepers are likely to feel more comfortable on the Nectar Premier’s hybrid edition. Its layer of individually wrapped innerspring coils provide much more edge support while retaining the body-contouring coziness bigger sleepers will appreciate, without the concerns of eventually compacting the all-memory foam version.
The Nectar Premier combines an especially cool feel due to its breathable heat-wicking cover and heat-dispersing gel-infused topmost memory foam layer, an almost non-existent level of motion transfer for comfortably sharing a bed with a partner or pet, an impressively sturdy construction that should easily endure a decade or so of regular use, and most importantly, a design that caters to relieving back and hip pain with its multiple layers of thick, supportive high-end memory foam. Although the Nectar Premier mattress isn’t conventionally inexpensive when compared to other bed-in-a-box offerings, you get your money’s worth with a top-tier ergonomic mattress that feels pricier than it actually is.
Nectar offers three distinct mattresses, the Premier reviewed here, Premier Copper, and original Nectar mattress:
The core Nectar Mattress may not feature the cooling properties and impressive minimal motion transfer of the Premier version, but this is a budget-friendly ergonomic option that anyone suffering from back, hip, and shoulder pain will appreciate. (See the Nectar Mattress review for more info about this model.)
Named after the heat-dispersing copper fibers woven into its cover, the Premier Copper Mattress is Nectar’s tallest, coolest, and firmest mattress. If you live in a warm climate or need additional support, Nectar’s premium option may be your best bet. (See the Nectar Premier Copper Mattress review for in-depth info about this model.)
Nectar covers the Premier and all other mattresses in its lineup with an impressive Forever Warranty™, but the company charges a $100 fee to ship the mattress to and from their repair services department after the tenth year of ownership.
Since these mattresses are notably well-made and sturdy, I believe that with proper care, a Nectar Premier will easily last over a decade. (To learn how to lengthen a mattress’ lifespan, read up on how to remove stains from mattresses and where to find the best mattress protectors.)
There are a few remarkable differences between these two mattresses, but the most important are how much cooler and more supportive the Premier feels, and the original Nectar mattress is more affordable. The Nectar Premier is an upgrade over the classic Nectar mattress, but if you’re searching for a quality option for sleeping with body pain, it’s worth the investment.
The Nectar Premier is medium-firm. I feel it has a perfect balance of support for aligning a sleeper’s spine and relieving body pressure, and just enough body-cradling give via its softer upper foam layers to feel cozy no matter the sleeping position. Nectar rates the Premier’s firmness level at a 6.5 out of 10, and I agree—it’s not too hard, not too soft—it’s just right.
Yes. Nectar provides an especially generous 365-night trial period for all their mattresses.
Yes, Nectar calls its lifetime warranty the Forever Warranty™, which covers defects and manufacturing flaws.
No, Nectar explicitly designed its mattresses to be used without a box spring. Simply set a Nectar Premier on a suitably sized supportive bed frame, and it’s good to go.
Nectar ships the Premier and its other mattresses via FedEx or UPS Ground. Shipping for new mattresses is always free, and I was pleased at just how quickly my mattress arrived.
I highly recommend Nectar’s Premier mattress for any sleeping position, its trio of thick memory foam layers for maximum full-body support, and the overall value of this fairly priced premium mattress. I was also impressed by its lightning-quick shipping, durability, and lifetime warranty. The perfect balance of pressure-relieving support and body-cradling comfort of this firmer mattress makes it a top option.
The information presented here is created independently from the TIME editorial staff. To learn more, see our About page.
