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- Uses eco-friendly materials
- Supportive for back and stomach sleepers
- Good motion isolation
- Expensive
- Too firm for lighter weight side sleepers
The Simba Natural Hybrid Escape sits in the middle of Simba’s Natural Hybrid range, a collection that’s all about sustainable and eco-friendly materials. Like Simba’s Source and Apex mattresses we’ve reviewed previously, it contains plenty of wool and plant-derived materials, reflecting a growing trend among some of the best mattresses to go all-natural.
The Hybrid Pro is currently one of our favourite mattresses and our top pick from Simba’s range, so how does this “mid-range” Natural Hybrid compare? I found it to be a good firm option for back and stomach sleepers, even if its upper layers soften over time.
Simba Natural Hybrid Escape mattress: What you need to know
The 28cm deep Simba Natural Hybrid Escape is made up of a grand total of ten layers, six of which are wool. Starting at the top, you have a quilted cover made from plant-derived viscose, underneath which are four layers of British wool for cushioning, breathable comfort and support. And according to Simba, all this wool is farmed in the UK and sourced under the Traceable British Wool Scheme.
Up next is a layer of Simba’s “Aerocoil” micro-springs (up to 1,900 in a king size) that are designed to provide pressure relief and minimise motion transfer. A layer of British wool sits above another Aerocoil spring layer, before a final wool layer and Simba’s “CoreMax” sprung base: this consists of up to 1,000 full size carbon steel springs that are divided into seven zones for tailored support, with a reinforced frame to aid edge support.
I should add that, unlike other mattresses we’ve reviewed (including the Simba Hybrid Pro), the Escape’s cover isn’t removable for washing, so we highly recommend using a mattress protector to keep it free of stains and spills (which you should really be doing anyway). By the way, it’s worth noting that, due to all that wool, the Escape mattress did have a slight smell of the farmyard for a couple of weeks – something we’ve noted before with Simba’s Natural Hybrid range.
You’ll get Simba’s 200-night trial and 10-year guarantee as standard and the mattress also comes with free VIP delivery to a room of your choosing – unlike the brand’s vacuum-sealed bed-in-a-box offerings, the Escape is delivered flat and wrapped in a bag.
You can also pay £50 to have your old mattress taken away. In the interests of transparency, when my sample of the Escape was delivered, the delivery team wouldn’t take it upstairs, which I believe was down to a miscommunication between the delivery company and Simba itself.
Price and competition
As mentioned, the Escape sits in the middle of Simba’s Natural Hybrid range, between the Source (£1,299 in a double) and the more premium Apex (£2,199).
Like its all-natural siblings, the Escape is a luxury mattress using high-quality natural materials, and you’ll pay accordingly. Prices start at £1,249 for a single, rising quite substantially to £1,799 for a double, £1,899 for a king and £1,999 for a super king. In comparison, the Simba Hybrid Pro is £1,299 for a double.
You’re likely to pay more for natural materials, though there are cheaper all-natural options available: the REM-Fit Natural Lux Hybrid mattress, for example, comes in at £950 for a double (not to mention its frequent discounts), while the Happy Beds Annabel is only £659 for a double.
Comfort and performance
Simba rates the Escape as “medium-firm/plush” but I thought it was on the firmer side of medium firm. There’s plenty of support for back and stomach sleepers, with the spine kept well aligned in these positions. However, as a lightweight sleeper who sleeps in a combination of positions, I did initially find the mattress too firm for side sleeping.
By contrast, my husband found it comfortable straight off the bat. But what we both noticed was that, after a few weeks, the top of the mattress began to soften up. Although this resulted in a little more contouring, I still wouldn’t recommend the Escape to lighter weight side sleepers. Instead, I’d recommend one of the best mattresses for side sleepers instead, such as the Emma Original Elite.
I was also a little concerned that the mattress would continue to sag a little on top more quickly than some of its competitors. However, during our testing period, I had no complaints about the lumbar support when sleeping on my back, which is something I often find lacking in mattresses.
The Escape has great motion isolation, making it an excellent choice for those who share their bed with a restless partner, and I also found it comfortable to sit on, with the edges holding up well. My hot-sleeping husband found the Escape a little warm on the first night he slept on it – but after that, he slept comfortably and found it very breathable, keeping his temperature regulated throughout the night.
To back this up, I carried out some temperature tests (see our how we test mattresses guide for more details). During my body temperature test, the surface of the Escape mattress dropped from 30°C to 20.7°C after a couple of minutes, falling to 19.8°C after 10 minutes. The heat pad test saw temperatures drop from 50°C to 25.1°C after three minutes, and to 21.5°C after 10 minutes.
These are impressive results that rival the Dreams TheraPur ActiGel Glacier 3800 Combination mattress, which is one of the best cooling mattresses you can buy. However, the room we tested in was very cold at the time, with a temperature of only 16.1°C, so I’d expect these results to rise in warmer conditions. Nevertheless, I’m happy to recommend the Simba Natural Hybrid Escape as a good choice for hotter sleepers.
I also measured sinkage to see how the surface of the mattress responds to weight. I noted 21mm of sinkage under 10kg, towards the centre of the mattress at shoulder level. At the edge, the same number weight resulted in just a 16mm sinkage: further proof of its solid edge support.
Verdict
This is another lovely mattress from Simba, but it does come with a hefty price tag. I’d argue that the quality of the mattress and the use of natural materials does justify the cost – this is a mattress that both looks good and provides an excellent level of comfort.
However, some budgets simply won’t accommodate it, in which case I’d recommend opting for a cheaper all-natural option, such as the REM-Fit and Happy Beds mattresses I mentioned above.
The Escape is certainly firmer than advertised, and I would recommend it to back and stomach sleepers over side sleepers. The breathable construction, aided by all that wool, also makes this a great choice for hot sleepers. Pair that with great motion isolation and edge support, the Escape is certainly worth investing in if you can.
