7.2

Helix Dusk Luxe

Like

• Zoned Support coils gives you targeted support
• Comfort foams in the pillow top offer pressure relief
• Excellent motion isolation and edge support
• Ideal for most sleeping positions

Don't like

• Not as affordable as the core version
• People under 150 pounds might not need the added support
• Not ideal for fans of memory foam

Helix Sleep has been around for a while. It offers well over a dozen different mattress options, ranging from standard beds to the luxurious Elite line. The Dusk Luxe is a midtier bed, enhanced from the core Dusk model. Like other Luxe models, it has Zoned Support coils and a nice pillow top for comfort.

Besides the Midnight model, the Dusk Luxe is one of the brand's most accommodating beds when it comes to general feel and firmness profile. It's a super comfortable mattress that should work for a wide variety of sleepers. In this review, we'll cover everything you should know about this bed and who exactly it should work out best for.

First impressions

I ordered Dusk Luxe online and it arrived in a large box, similar to many other bed-in-a-box mattresses. I dragged it inside, dumped out the contents and started taking off all the plastic the bed was encased in. 

The bed started to immediately expand once it was released from its compressed packaging. Since it has coils for support, the bed inflated much faster than a normal all-foam mattress. Nevertheless, I gave it some time to sit out on our foundation so it could get to its true form.

By the next day, the bed was ready to be put through CNET's rigorous sleep tests. When I tested its responsiveness, I noted that the bed felt neutral and accommodating. It just felt like a comfy pillow-top bed that you'd find in a nice hotel, something familiar.

This notion of accommodation was further reinforced when I lay down on the bed. I immediately felt supported by the Zoned Support coils, and the neutral comfort foams made the bed feel super cozy. The Dusk Luxe doesn't feel like a body-conforming, memory foam bed, and while it's slightly firmer than a medium, it still feels like it could work for all sleeper types. 

Read more: The Different Sleep Positions and Their Effects on Your Health

Overall, my first impression of this bed was a good one. Pillow top beds are my personal favorite style of mattress, and I could sleep like a baby on this one. I had quite a bit more to say about this mattress, so check out my video review below.

Video: Helix Dusk Luxe mattress 

Helix Dusk Luxe mattress firmness and feel

What does Helix Dusk Luxe feel like?

This bed has a standard pillow-top feel. The comfort foams within that pillow top are soft and neutral, providing a nice amount of pressure relief, but not too much. The Zoned Support coils give the bed plenty of support while keeping your back more neutrally aligned at night.

The Dusk Luxe from Helix Sleep should appeal to a wide variety of sleepers based on its neutral feel. Unless memory foam is your jam and you need a much firmer or softer mattress, this bed will likely work out for most preferences. It feels like a nice mattress that you'd sleep on in a classy hotel, but instead of getting it for a weekend vacation, it's yours to sleep on every night.

How firm is the Helix Dusk Luxe mattress?

The Dusk Luxe is only available in one main firmness level, which is right in between a medium and a medium-firm (around a 7 out of 10) on CNET's scale. This firmness should work for all sleep styles, but it might be slightly better for back and stomach sleeping. 

Helix Sleep offers a plethora of beds, and each one has a targeted firmness level. The Dawn and Twilight beds are the firm models, while the Sunset and Moonlight renditions are the softer ones. The Dusk and Midnight mattresses have the most neutral firmness levels that should work for the average combination sleeper. 

Keep in mind that all beds tend to soften up over time. If you're searching for a bed with a medium firmness, it's always a good practice to get something that's slightly firmer. That way it can come down to your preferred firmness level the more you use it.  

Helix Dusk Luxe mattress construction

Since this is the "Luxe" version of the core Dusk bed, it's made up of some quality materials. Here's what's going on inside the Dusk Luxe:

1. It starts off with a thin layer of dense base foam. This provides a foundation for the mattress.

2. Above that is the bed's main support system of pocketed coils, which have reinforced edges and a Zoned Support design.

3. Then, you have a transition layer of memory foam that acts as a buffer between the coils and the main comfort layers of the mattress.

4. Above the memory foam is one of the main comfort layers for the bed, called Helix Dynamic Foam. It's basically a neutral comfort foam.

5. Then, you have a layer of the proprietary Helix Responsive Foam, which is another comfort layer with a soft, neutral feel.

6. Topping the entire bed is the bed's breathable tencel cover cover, made to provide good airflow and to sleep temperature neutral. This is the standard cover for the mattress, but you have an optional cooling cover upgrade that you can spend up for. If you get the bed with the GlacioTex cover, it could offer you some cooling advantages.

Helix Dusk Luxe mattress performance

Motion isolation

If you sleep with someone who's easily jostled awake by your movements at night, you'll want a bed that deadens a lot of cross-mattress movement. The Helix Dusk Luxe performs decently here. All-foam beds with memory foam typically perform the best for this category, but the Helix Dusk Luxe deadened motion well for a hybrid mattress when I tested it. You might want to consider the Nectar or Tempur-Pedic beds if you're an especially light sleeper. But if you're an average sleeper, you should be fine.

Edge-to-edge support

Now, when it comes to how sturdy the perimeter of this bed is, you've got nothing to worry about. The reinforced coils along the edges of the Dusk Luxe provide a lot of support. If you happen to sleep close to them at night, there's not much chance of you falling off the bed. Hybrid beds usually perform the best for this category, and the Dusk Luxe from Helix Sleep is certainly no exception.

Temperature

Unless you decide to get the upgraded cooling cover, The Dusk Luxe doesn't have any real active cooling features. The standard version of the bed should sleep predominantly temperature neutral. The normal tencel cover is breathable, so I don't see the bed warming up on you or your partner too much. Sleeping temperature usually comes down to other factors, not just your mattress. Your sheets, pajamas and even your room's temperature could be causing you to sleep hot, more so than your actual bed itself.

Durability

The average lifespan of a bed is around seven to 10 years. I've found that hybrid beds are usually more durable than all-foam mattresses in the long run. Since metal coils are more supportive than dense polyurethane foam, we typically recommend hybrid beds to heavier people. Since the Dusk Luxe is an upgraded hybrid mattress. It'll likely last you several years to come, regardless of body type.

Off-gassing 

Sometimes when you open up an online mattress, there's a bit of a factory smell. While it may seem weird at first, you should know that this is a completely normal part of the bed-in-a-box process. If your new bed has a strange odor, it probably just needs some time to sit out on your foundation and off-gas. That factory smell shouldn't stick around longer than a couple of nights.

Who is the Helix Dusk Luxe mattress best for?

While the foam Dusk Luxe from Helix Sleep might be a great option for those looking for a neutral feel and firmness profile, it may not be the best option out there for everyone. Here's who we think will be most appropriate for the Helix Dusk Luxe.

Sleeping position

Since it's around a medium to medium-firm on our scale, it should work out just fine for all sleeper types. Hoverever, while all sleeper types can get by on it, that doesn't mean everyone will like it. 

Combination sleepers who tend to favor sleeping on their back or stomach will benefit from it the most. If you're a primary back or stomach sleeper it should work fine, but if you also prefer a much firmer option to support your back while sleeping in those positions, I'd suggest the Dawn or Twilight models from Helix, as they're much more firm. 

Additionally, if you're a strict side sleeper looking for tons of pressure relief in your bed, the Dusk Luxe might be too firm for you. In that case, you'll want to look into the Sunset or Moonlight models which skew towards the softer end of the spectrum.

Body type

This is a pillow top hybrid bed that's designed to provide a lot of support for all body types. Medium or petite sized folks will get plenty of support from the bed, and it should be able to handle you if you're on the heavier side. Beds with pocketed coils are more ideal for bigger body types, just because they provide more support than a dense support foam can. A good rule of thumb is to always go with a hybrid bed if you're much heavier.

Helix Dusk Luxe mattress pricing

Considering the level of quality that's put into the Dusk Luxe, it's offered at a reasonable price. After discount, you can usually expect to pay around the $1,900 range for a queen size. Pillow-top beds of this caliber can easily cost upwards of two grand, so it's nice to see something priced just shy of that mark. Helix Sleep also bundles two free Dream pillows with every mattress purchase. Who doesn't love a couple free pillows?

Helix sleep usually runs discounts on its beds year-round as well. 

Trial, shipping and warranty

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

This has quickly become one of my favorite mattress offerings from Helix. It's a cozy pillow-top option with an accommodating feel and slightly firmer profile. If you're a combination sleeper looking for a new mattress from Helix Sleep, this one would be at the top of my list of recommendations.

Also, if you want a bed with a Zoned Support Design in that coil system, or you just want an optional cooling cover upgrade for hot sleepers, I'd say go for it!

You might like the Helix Dusk Luxe mattress if:

• You want a premium pillow-top mattress
  
• You want a neutral-feeling bed
  
• You like a bed with an optional cooling cover
  
• You weigh more than 200 pounds
  
• You're looking for an hybrid with a Zoned Support design
  

You might not like the Helix Dusk Luxe 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 memory foam feel
  
• You're on a strict budget
  

Other mattresses from Helix Sleep

To be frank, 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. Woof -- 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 while 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 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. I mean, how are you supposed to navigate such an extensive lineup of beds? 

Helix 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. Feel free to take the Helix Sleep Quiz for yourself. It should help narrow down the bed that'll suit you best.

How does the Helix Dusk Luxe compare to other mattresses? 

Helix Dusk vs. Helix Dusk Luxe

When it comes to comparing the core model to the Luxe version, there are several notable differences. Both have coils on the bottom for support, but on the Luxe the coils are reinforced along the edges and have a Zoned Support design. The pillow top also gives the Luxe model a comfort advantage, and a bit more pressure relief compared to the core version. If we're talking about price, though, the core model is considerably more affordable than the Luxe version. So it could be right for you if you're on a tight budget.

Helix Dusk Luxe vs. Helix Midnight Luxe

The main difference between these two comes down to the specific firmness level they're each at. Both are right around a medium, but the Dusk is intended to be firmer than the Midnight. This makes the Dusk Luxe more appropriate for back and stomach sleepers, while the Midnight is more suitable for side sleepers. 

Helix Dusk Luxe mattress FAQs