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Aug 17, 2023

Panda London Hybrid Bamboo Mattress review 2023: bamboo isn’t just for pandas

Packed full of environmentally friendly materials, the Panda London Hybrid Bamboo mattress will suit most sleepers straight out of the box. Its supportive structure makes it particularly suitable for

Packed full of environmentally friendly materials, the Panda London Hybrid Bamboo mattress will suit most sleepers straight out of the box. Its supportive structure makes it particularly suitable for back and stomach sleepers, although I felt that lightweight side sleepers might find it a little too firm.

Extremely supportive

Excellent temperature regulation

Plush and luxurious feel

Too firm for some, particularly lightweight side sleepers

Off-gassing lasted nearly a week

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Panda London shares a love of bamboo with its furry namesake, with its only mattress using the natural benefits of bamboo to provide comfort and great cooling properties. Like many of our best mattress picks, the Panda is a hybrid mattress, which means it’s made from a combination of foam and coils.

Panda rates its mattress at a 7 out of 10 but both my husband and I felt it was nearer to a 7.5 on the firmness scale. This is mainly down to the combination of Panda’s proprietary OrthoAlign foam, designed to support pressure points, and the seven zoned spring layer providing spinal support. It’s not like sleeping on a rock though, thanks to the soft bamboo cover and the proprietary BioCell foam infused with bamboo. Both these layers give softness and gentle contouring.

The Panda is a great choice for back and stomach sleepers, who will find their spine is aligned and pressure points supported. Heavier sleepers should also enjoy the slightly firmer feel of the mattress, which will prevent them from sinking too far in and resting on the coils. However, lightweight side sleepers might find the Panda a little too firm as this is a mattress you lie ‘on’ rather than sink into.

I felt the Panda mattress really excelled when it came to temperature regulation, with the bamboo doing a great job of keeping sleepers cool at night. This is combined with open cell foam and individually encased springs – both of which combine to help promote airflow through the mattress. Motion isolation was also surprisingly good for a firmer mattress and, as you might expect, edge support was also excellent. Our one bugbear was the off-gassing, with the Panda smelling for almost a week.

I looked at all the major areas of performance with the Panda, rating it on pressure relief, motion isolation, edge support, cooling and ease of set up. I’ll expand on all these points in the rest of the review.

The Panda mattress is a luxury item, sitting in the middle of the luxury bracket. But I do think it’s worth the money, particularly as there are often generous discounts available. The brand is currently only available in the UK, but you’ll find an impressive number of sizes available including EU options and even an Emperor for those who want a really big bed. However, it’s worth noting that, even with good discounts, the mattress still sits at the lower end of the luxury bracket with these applied.

Here's the current pricing for all UK sizes of the Panda mattress, alongside the usual discounted price:

Our mattress sales page will keep you up to date with all the latest offers.

Panda offers free white glove delivery with the mattress and it will be delivered to a room of your choosing. The company will also take away your old mattress free of charge and you get free returns if it’s not the mattress for you. Speaking of which, Panda offers a 100-night trial to test out the mattress, which is at the lower end of trial times these days but still, in my opinion, more than enough time to ascertain if you enjoy sleeping on it. There’s also a 10-year warranty.

The Panda is a luxury mattress and, like many of the best hybrid mattresses, it’s made up of multiple layers – six in total. At the top, the cover has a zip off top meaning that you can remove and wash it. It’s amazing how many luxury mattresses don’t have a removable cover, so I was really pleased to see this. The cover is made of bamboo and is naturally hypoallergenic as well as temperature regulating.

Underneath the cover is Panda’s proprietary BioCell foam layer. The foam is open cell and infused with fresh bamboo, both of which help to make this layer breathable and keep air circulating. The bamboo also helps with odour resistance. Next up is Panda’s other proprietary design, OrthoAlign foam. The clue’s in the name here – this is an orthopaedic layer that’s designed to optimise spinal alignment and provide pressure relief. It works in conjunction with the multi-zonal spring layer, which has seven zones of full size, individually enclosed springs to support pressure points and provide structure to the mattress.

Below the springs is a high-density memory foam layer that absorbs movement but also helps to distribute body weight. Underneath this is an anti-slip base so that the mattress stays in one piece while you’re sleeping.

All the foams in the Panda are CertiPUR approved, meaning the mattress is lower in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and certified to Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX, meaning there’s no trace of harmful substances. I also really liked the fact that all the foams are 100% recyclable and the bamboo is organic and ethically sourced. Panda’s ‘Circle of Life’ policy means that it only uses ethical and environmentally friendly practices – it'll even recycle old mattresses to prevent waste and landfill.

The Panda mattress feels comfortable straight out of the box (well, after the required 4 hours to inflate it). I actually left the mattress for 24 hours before sleeping on it and was really impressed by how comfortable it felt. Because of the slightly firmer feel of the Panda, there’s not a lot to get used to as the contouring and sinkage is very light.

Panda rates the mattress at a 7 out of 10, but I felt it was slightly firmer at around 7.5 out of 10. This means it’s a great fit for back and stomach sleepers in particular, as both these sleeping styles need a mattress to keep their spines aligned. Both my husband and I mainly sleep on our backs and thought the Panda did a great job in this department, along with cushioning our pressure points extremely well. There were no dips around the lower back and hips, which can sometimes be a problem with hybrid and memory foam mattresses.

The OrthoAlign orthopaedic layer, combined with the springs really help with spinal alignment, but the bamboo infused BioCell foam above these give some gentle contouring and softness. This layer, combined with the bamboo cover, helps to give the mattress a luxurious feel and makes the mattress instantly comfortable.

I think the Panda could be a great choice for heavier weight sleepers as well – those I asked to test it found the mattress supportive and they didn’t feel as if they were sinking onto the coils. Average and heavier weight side sleepers also loved the Panda, feeling there was enough contouring around the shoulders and hips to prevent pressure building up. I’m of a lightweight build but prefer a firmer mattress and found the Panda comfortable while lying on my side. However, I suspect that most lightweight side sleepers would find the Panda a little too firm.

Using our large 20kg weight I tested sinkage in the middle of the bed, with the weight sinking in by 12cm / 4.7in. I felt this was to be expected, because of the slightly softer top layers.

I tested the Panda mattress with a summer duvet (4.5 tog) over a month where temperatures ranged from around 22 degrees to 15 overnight. These were warmer temperatures, but the Panda coped admirably. Hybrid mattresses are, in general, better at keeping sleepers cool and the Panda was particularly impressive.

Bamboo does a great job of keeping sleepers cool, as well as being hypoallergenic and naturally antibacterial. Panda’s bamboo cover is temperature regulating and the BioCell foam layer underneath it is infused with fresh bamboo to keep it breathable. The foam is also open cell, which keeps air moving and the individually wrapped springs are also well-spaced to promote airflow. My husband, who is generally a hot sleeper, felt cool throughout the night and the mattress never felt hot to the touch.

Score: 4.5 out of 5

Motion transfer occurs when one person in bed moves around and causes movement in the bed. Some mattresses are more prone to this than others – those with springs tend to have more motion transfer than an all-foam mattress, where motion is well absorbed.

Despite the springs in the Panda mattress, it performed well in our drop tests. I mimicked movement with a simple drop test using a 6kg weight and an empty wine glass to see how well the mattress absorbed motion. I dropped the weight from around 12cm / 4.7in above the mattress, starting at 65cm / 25.5in from the wine glass. At this distance the wine glass didn’t move. It was also completely stable at 25cm / 9.8in and only fell over gently at 10cm / 3.9in from the weight dropping.

While sleeping on the mattress neither my husband nor I were disturbed by each other’s movements. This was, I felt, down to the thicker layers of foam at the top of the mattress. The Panda doesn’t isolate motion as well as an all-foam offering, but it does a pretty good job.

Score: 4.5 out of 5

Good edge support is important for a variety of reasons. It helps us get in and out of bed and allows you to sit on the edge without sliding off. It also increases the sleeping area of the mattress and helps to prevent premature sagging around the perimeters. It’s also worth noting that if you’re buying a mattress for a child, good edge support helps to limit the possibility of them falling out of bed.

I felt stable while sitting on the edge of the bed, both in the centre and at the corners. There was, as you would expect, some sinkage. We measured this with our heaviest 20kg weight, which sunk in by 11cm / 4.3in. This was actually slightly less than the sinkage in the middle of the bed and this superior edge support makes the Panda a mattress that you can really spread out on and make use of all the available surface area.

Score: 4.5 out of 5

Panda’s environmental credentials come to the fore with the mattress’ packaging. It’s delivered in a brown biodegradable and recyclable box and the brand only uses LDPE (low density polyethylene) plastic, which is also recyclable.

Once you’ve ordered your mattress, you’ll then receive an email and SMS message once it’s been collected by the courier. This will also include a tracking code and expected delivery date. On the day of delivery you’ll receive a one-hour delivery slot from the courier. You can also choose a date that you want the mattress delivered and standard delivery is 3-5 working days.

Panda offers free white glove delivery and you can have the mattress delivered to a room of your choosing. Even better, the delivery men will take your old mattress away free of charge. The mattress is vacuum packed in a roll – simply place this on your bed, cut open the plastic carefully and let it expand.

The only thing that let the Panda down was its off-gassing. The Panda didn’t perform particularly well in this area, with it taking nearly a week for the smell to fade. And this smell was noticeably stronger than in other mattresses I’ve tested. Although off gassing is totally normal and is just the result of organic chemicals and gases being released from the foam, you will want to be aware of this if you’re sensitive to these smells.

Score: 4 out of 5

Panda’s mattress hasn’t been available for long and, whilst there are lots of reviews for other products that have been sold for longer periods of time, there are only a handful for the actual mattress.

Customers are full of praise for how instantly comfortable the mattress is, describing it as the perfect mix of soft and firm. One or two customers also said how much the mattress had helped to get rid of aches and pains. The only small complaints we found were a few people that hadn’t had a smooth delivery service.

We will update this section as more reviews become available.

I really enjoyed sleeping on the Panda mattress, which felt instantly comfortable from day one. The combination of the gentle contouring foam and firmer orthopaedic support underneath means this mattress suits a wide range of sleepers. All sleeping styles should enjoy this mattress. It’s supportive and firm enough to keep back and stomach sleepers’ spines aligned, but also has enough sinkage and contouring on the top layers to cradle side sleepers and prevent pressure building up at the shoulders and hips. I did think that lightweight side sleepers might find the Panda a little firm. But it’s a great choice for everyone else and supportive enough for heavier weight sleepers as well, who won’t sink down onto the coils.

Temperature regulation is something the Panda does extremely well, with hot sleepers staying cool throughout the night. The bamboo does an excellent job of keeping sleepers cool, in conjunction with open cell foam and well-spaced coils. Motion isolation and edge support were also really good, meaning this is a great all-rounder. One thing we did notice was that the Panda felt slightly firmer on a divan as opposed to a slatted bed.

There’s really very little to dislike about the Panda and I think most sleepers will find it extremely comfortable and easy to sleep on.

Nectar Premier Hybrid MattressThis is a great choice for those on a budget as, thanks to Nectar’s evergreen mattress sales, you can usually grab a mattress for around 40% off the list price. The Nectar Premier is also a good choice for all side sleepers, thanks to its combination of memory foam backed up by a double layer of springs. Read our Nectar Premier Hybrid mattress review.

DreamCloud Luxury HybridIf you’re looking for a slightly softer mattress, the DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid is one to consider. Well suited to back and combination sleepers, the DreamCloud has amazing motion isolation and feels extremely luxurious.Read our DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid mattress review.

Emma NextGen PremiumPick up an Emma mattress in the sales and you’ll get a hefty discount of up to 40%. If you’re looking for a simple mattress that does the job, the Emma NextGen is one to consider. It’s essentially a deep layer of pocket springs held in place by a foam section and works well for most sleepers. Read our Emma NextGen Premium mattress review.

My husband and I slept on the Panda mattress for a month during summer, with temperatures covering the usual gamut of British summertime. This gave us a good all-round impression of the mattress’ performance. I slept under a 4.5 summer duvet, with a mattress protector and cotton sheet.

To gain a wider perspective and views on the mattress I asked friends of various builds and heights to either lie on the mattress in different positions or, in some cases, to sleep on the bed for a night or two. I also ran standardised tests to objectively assess softness, edge support and motion isolation.

Jo Plumridge is a freelance writer and photographer with over 20 years of experience writing for a variety of magazines and websites. She writes extensively on all things sleep-related and also about photography, alongside reviews of home and tech products. Jo is constantly looking for the best ways to get a good night’s sleep, although she’s yet to find any products that prevent the cats she and her husband foster from waking them up at 6am.

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