When I was a teen, my mom sent me to Taiwan to attend a culture camp for the children of Taiwanese expats (note to all the 台美灣人 reading this: not Love Boat). I remember getting to my room, putting my stuff down on the bed, and thinking they had forgotten the mattress and somehow put the sheets on the platform. But then I realized this hard slab was the mattress, and I went outside and cried for myself, thinking how much I was to suffer at this foreign boot camp. Then I proceeded to have the best six weeks of my life and fell in love with Taiwan and also the cool, comfortable, firm sleep I got on that economical bunk.
Taiwan’s climate ranges from subtropical to tropical, and the summers are exceedingly hot and humid. The firm bed provided support without stuffiness, a sense of comfort without a sink-in. I have a clear memory of feeling spinally aligned, though I didn’t have that vocabulary at the time. Throughout my life, I’ve pined for that specific bed, testing mattresses marked “firm” in the store but already resigned to disappointment.
Sleepy Tofu, a direct-to-consumer mattress company out of Taiwan, has realized that the Taiwanese diaspora in the U.S. is missing that indulgently ascetic sleep, and in its recent expansion to the U.S., it’s specifically speaking to people homesick for the mattresses of their motherland. Translated from the brand’s site: “In the dead of night, the Taiwanese flavor will make you fall asleep with tears in your eyes.”
It sent me one of its mattresses to try, and it wasn’t kidding about the tears. Obviously, not all Taiwanese people sleep on extra-firm mattresses, but this one ticked the boxes for me. This mattress is joyfully firm. Firmer than a western-facing mattress company would dare to go. Instead of sinking in, you float on top. It’s like Savasana all night long. A hard reset for the day to come.
Taiwanese cuisine celebrates food with a texture described as “QQ,” which means something like bouncy, elastic, and al dente. Firm but with a bit of a give. This is a QQ mattress. For me, the perfect bed. Other members of my family also tried it out. My parents loved it (my mom grew up in Taiwan), my husband did too (he did not grow up in Taiwan); my sister I think preferred something a bit softer for her side sleeping (though I’ll side-sleep on that thing all day). Like any mattress, you really have to try it out — and like many mattress brands, Sleep Tofu offers a 100-night trial.
As a testament to the utterly different mattress expectations of consumers in Taiwan, the Sleepy Tofu mattress I’m describing is listed as only moderately firm. The brand sells an even firmer one called Sesame Tofu, with more coils and a denser foam. You could probably do yoga on it.
The mattresses are 11 inches thick and constructed in a hybrid style, made of pocketed coils and a 2.36-inch-tall polymer foam layer (both made in Taiwan). Graphite is mixed into the foam to wick away heat, and the firm, elastic support keeps you from sinking in and accumulating heat and sweat. The fabric cover is made from 100 percent Tencel, which is known for being breathable and soft.
Sleepy Tofu hasn’t made its full U.S. debut yet. Its aim is to sell Taiwanese mattresses to expat Taiwanese people longing for the sleep they are used to. The site is only in Chinese, and it is taking preorders in waves, shipping in batches a few times a year. Don’t let that stop you — especially if you’ve never been able to find a mattress firm enough for you. It’s easy enough to use the online site with a translation app. Or email them at [email protected], and an English-speaking rep can help you out. They can easily process a return if it’s too much float for you. I’m keeping mine and ordering a Sesame Tofu mattress.
[Editor’s note: The next order deadline is September 23 and will be delivered in January 2025. If you need a firmer mattress in the meantime, we’ve included a few options available Stateside below.]
Our favorite firm mattresses (available in the U.S.)
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