Helix Dawn Review: In-Depth Analysis of Comfort and Durability

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So, you’re a back or stomach sleeper looking for the perfect mattress! 

You may have found that many mattresses do not offer much support. If this is you, you’ll be interested in this Helix Dawn review! 

We’ll delve into this best-selling mattress and discuss the pros and cons as well as the cooling features, cover, and quality of the mattress. 

Read on to find out more about: 

  • An overview of the Helix Dawn mattress
  • Construction and material analysis 
  • What customers think of the Helix Dawn mattress
  • Comparing the helix dawn with other popular models.

Let’s get into it!

Firm Support
Helix Dawn Mattress
  • Designed For Back & Stomach Sleepers
  • Firm Build 
  • Quality Materials: Cooling Cover And Helix's Own Foams
  • Pocket Coil Support For Breathability, Stability, And Superior Edge Support
  • 100 Night Sleep Trial

Helix Dawn Mattress Overview

Helix Dawn Review - Staged

Helix Dawn Mattress Overview

At A Glance: 

  • Price: From $936.30 before discounts, but my links will always get you a discount.
  • Shipping: Free across the USA with contactless delivery.
  • Trial Period: 100-night free sleep trial
  • Warranty: 10 Year 
  • Manufacturer: Hand-assembled and custom-built entirely in the USA.
  • Firmness: Firm
  • Best For: Warm sleepers, back sleepers, front sleepers, people who are above average weight 

The Helix Soft Touch Design cover is made from a soft fabric that feels natural against the skin. It has high breathability and increases the airflow of the top comfort layers to eliminate heat buildup and sweating. The mattresses are therefore a popular choice amongst hot sleepers. 

A Quick Glance at its Construction

The 12-inch high mattress has the following comfort layers:

Helix Dynamic Foam: A latex-foam hybrid layer with exceptional firmness and contouring qualities. The bounciness of the latex keeps your body well-supported whether you’re of average or above-average weight.

High-Grade Polyfoam: This high-grade polyfoam transition layer insulates the dynamic foam layer at the top from the coils below. It also provides good quality pressure relief to sleepers with back or joint pain and aching.

Best For 

Before I move on to analyzing the construction of the Helix Dawn in detail, I want to pause here to discuss its suitability for different sleeper types and body types. As I said, the mattress is designed for back and stomach sleepers in mind. Its extra firm and highly supportive structure and 7.5 firmness score make it ideal for people who expect a lot of support under them. 

Stomach sleepers would also appreciate the responsiveness and structure they get from the mattress. It keeps their spine aligned and, most importantly, helps keep their lower back supported to prevent the detested mid-section sag that makes stomach sleepers wake up with back pain in the morning. 

I also got great feedback from sleepers weighing 230 pounds and more. They found the mattress quite supportive no matter what sleeping position they tried.

Construction and Material Analysis

Helix Dawn Review - Layer By Layer

Cover

The cover of the Helix Dawn plays an integral part in providing some extra comfort to an otherwise extra firm mattress. Since the comfort layer is geared more toward offering support than comfort, it’s up to the Helix Soft Touch Design cover to soften the mattress’s firm image and give your body a welcoming reception. 

The Soft Touch Design is a proprietary fabric that is especially soft with an extra focus on breathability. It feels natural against the skin, while it channels the heat coming off your body through the latex-foam hybrid layer below. This promotes a cool surface that eliminates sweating at night. 

People who tend to sleep hot will enjoy this cooling cover. You’ll find this cover across other mattresses in the Helix range, too.

Comfort Layer

The comfort layer is made of Helix Dynamic Foam. This is also proprietary material designed and manufactured in the company’s headquarters in New York. This is a hybrid material that combines the best features of latex and foam. 

Latex provides cooling and bounciness along with robust structure, while the foam offers contouring and comfort qualities. Together they create a unique material that keeps your body balanced on top of the mattress without sinking into its surface.

Under this hybrid layer, there’s another layer made of high-grade polyfoam. It further adds more comfort to the top layer and support to your body. It also offers pressure relief to the shoulders and hip joints. 

Support/Base Layer

The support layer in the Helix Dawn is made of pocketed coils. The coils are responsible for the firm feel of the mattress and the excellent support it provides. You get reinforced coils around the edges for superior edge support (upgrade to the Dawn Luxe for zoned support through the core). The coils also help to encourage air flow, and help keep you cool and fresh in the night. 

The base layer at the bottom of the mattress gives the mattress its overall structure and adds longevity. It’s made of DuraDense foam, which keeps the mattress in good shape after many years of use. 

Putting a layer of foam under the coils is, to me, an indicator of quality and care for durability of a mattress, so I’m really happy to see Helix using it here.

Motion Isolation and Edge Support

One of the few downsides to this mattress is the poor motion isolation. 

What this means is that any movements will cause the other side of the mattress to move as well.

This is important for couples where one (or both) people are light sleepers! As such, the Helix Dawn may not be your ideal mattress if this is the case. 

As for people who like to sleep on the side of the bed, the good news is that the Helix Dawn has excellent edge support! This means that your mattress will not dip if you sleep on the side of the bed. 

Temperature Regulation Capabilities

When looking for a new mattress, it is important to take a look at how well the mattress regulates temperature as this is one of the defining features of a good night’s sleep. 

This mattress is great for warm sleepers and has above-average temperature control. 

The layer of coils acts as a ventilation tool and helps to disperse body heat throughout the night, ensuring you do not overheat.

Customer Reviews and Feedback

As usual, I turned to comments and feedback from real customers to see what their experience with the Helix Dawn mattress was like. I put a lot of weight on the reviews from real customers, especially when the reviews are in the hundreds and it’s easy to find a variety of opinions on this mattress. 

After perusing the more than one thousand Helix Dawn reviews, here’s what I came up with:

  • The overall score of the mattress was 4.5 stars out of 5 from 1034 users as of this writing.
  • About 90 percent of the comments were positive and rated the mattress either 4 or 5 stars. Interestingly enough, the 5 stars were more than 6 times the 4 stars.

Positive Reviews 

From the positive reviews, the most common themes included: 

  • The firmness of the mattress got the lion’s share of the praise and coverage. Most users were quite happy with the support the mattress gave them. People with back pain and aching joints were more than happy with the quality of pain-free sleep they had with the mattress.
  • Taking the quiz on the Helix website also seemed to help many users find the mattress they needed. 
  • Stomach sleepers also chimed in with praise. The firm Dawn eliminated the back pain that many stomach sleepers wake up to. 

Negative Reviews 

There were also some negative reviews and customers who were not happy with the mattress. Most of the grievances had to do with the mattress either not being firm enough for them, or it’s too firm and heavy. Here’s a summary of the negative reviews.

  • One user thought the Dawn wasn’t as firm as the old models.
  • Another user who gave the mattress 3 stars complained that it was too firm and heavy for their comfort.
  • Some users thought the mattress was too pricey.

Overall Reviews 

Overall, back and front sleepers loved the support this mattress gave them. 

They found that doing the quiz helped them decide on the right mattress for them, and many decided to purchase the mattress after doing the 100-day trial period!

However, those who were unhappy with the mattress cited that the mattress was a little too hard for them. 

Here’s a review from a happy customer: 

 “I’ve had my Helix Dawn for a month now, and it’s been great! I have back problems and need a firm mattress. I was nervous that the Helix Dawn wouldn’t be firm enough for me, but after just a few days, it really firmed up and felt good. Likewise, I trusted the quiz, and I’m glad I did. I just moved into a new place, and I’ve been sleeping peacefully through every night.”

Pricing

Here’s the price breakdown of the different Helix models. The most basic “core” collection mattresses are the cheapest, and as you add in features or layers, the price goes up. In my personal opinion, the Helix luxe collection is the best value, so when we’re talking about the Dawn mattress my top pick would be the Dawn Luxe mattress.

Core-Collection

Helix Core Collection

Queen Price:

$1373

Before Discount

Helix Luxe Collection

Queen Price:

$2373

Before Discount

Helix Elite Collection

Queen Price:

$3436

Before Discount

Helix Mattress Prices

Here’s the price breakdown of the different Helix models. The most basic “core” collection mattresses are the cheapest, and as you add in features or layers, the price goes up. In my personal opinion, the Helix luxe collection is the best value, so when we’re talking about the Dawn mattress my top pick would be the Dawn Luxe mattress.

Core-Collection

Helix Core Collection

Queen Price:

$1373

Before Discount

Helix Luxe Collection

Queen Price:

$2373

Before Discount

Helix Elite Collection

Queen Price:

$3436

Before Discount

Differences Between Helix Core, Luxe, And Elite

Apart from the price difference which you can see above, here’s a breakdown of how the three mattress options differ. This will help you understand the upgrades and layers that change with each model.

Helix Core
Helix Luxe
Helix Elite

No Pillow Top

Premium Pillow Top

Premium Pillow Top

4 Layers, 11.5″ Tall

6 Layers, 13.5″ Tall

9 Layers, 16″ Tall

Good Lumbar Support

Better Lumbar Support

Best Lumbar Support

No Enhanced Zoning

Enhanced Zoning

Most Enhanced Zoning

Good Airflow

Better Airflow

Best Airflow

Comparison with Other Helix Models and Competitors

Apart from the price difference which you can see above, here’s a breakdown of how the three mattress options differ. This will help you understand the upgrades and layers that change with each model.

Mattress ModelFirmnessTemperature ControlPressure ReliefEdge SupportMotion Transfer
Helix Dawn Firm Excellent for warm sleepers Great  Above average Okay  
Helix Dusk Soft- Medium Excellent for warm slippers Excellent Great Average 
Helix Midnight Soft Great Excellent Average Excellent 
Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-ProAdaptMediumOkay ExcellentVery Good Excellent
Purple Mattress OriginalMediumExcellentVery Good Okay Excellent
NectarMedium-FirmGoodVery GoodGoodExcellent

Final Verdict and Recommendations

Overall, we can recommend this mattress to stomach, and back sleepers. 

We also think that if you’re someone who tends to get too warm at night, you’ll love the cooling features this mattress has built in. 

Similarly, if you like a firm mattress but need a bit of pressure relief, the Helix Dawn brings in the best of both worlds!

This makes the mattress a popular choice for people who are above average weight. 

We’re happy to say that the reviews speak for themselves on this one, this popular mattress is loved by most users – especially those who prefer a firm mattress.

However, it is important to note that for some people, the firmness of this mattress is not ideal (and this is reflected by the few negative reviews). 

The Helix Dawn may not be your mattress of choice if you are a side sleeper, as side sleepers often find firmer mattresses uncomfortable. 

If this is you, try out a softer mattress! The Helix Dawn may also not be your ideal mattress if you are in a couple with a light sleeper, due to the high levels of motion transfer we mentioned earlier.

It is important to note that the mattress comes with a 100-day free trial, so see for yourself what this mattress can do for you! There’s not much risk involved with a 10-year warranty period that comes with Helix Dawn as well. 

FAQ’s

Are Helix Mattresses Healthy?

Yes, they’re a very healthy mattress option. Why – because they combine memory foam comfort layers with a pocket coil base, which allows for optimal airflow around the mattress to keep it fresh, and great support for your body.

Is Helix Good For Stomach Sleepers?

The Helix Dawn mattress is my top recommendation for stomach sleepers. It has been designed specifically for your needs, with a firm yet responsive memory foam to support your hips and back. Some other Helix mattress models may be too soft for you, but the Helix Dawn mattress is perfect.

Is Helix A Good Brand?

Yes. Unlike other mattress brands who may offer a “one size fits all” mattress, Helix has really thought about what people need and come up with six different mattresses for different requirements. They’re all built with quality materials and have a great reputation. I’m more than happy to recommend Helix as a good brand you can trust and sleep comfortably on.

How Much Does A Helix Dawn Mattress Weigh?

These are the weights for Helix Core Collection mattresses.
Twin: 58 lbs
Twin XL: 61 lbs
Full: 77 lbs
Queen: 95 lbs
King: 110 lbs
CA King: 115 lbs

Helix Dawn Mattress

4.7

Support/Firmness

4.8/5

Quality Of Materials

4.5/5

Value For Money

4.9/5

Pros

  • Firmness Great For Back And Stomach Sleepers
  • Cooling Foam Through The Support Layer
  • Premium Cooling Cover

Cons

  • Too Firm For Light People Or Side Sleepers
  • You Must Upgrade To The Dawn Luxe Mattress For Zoned Support Coils

AUTHOR

Emily Johnstone

Emily is the creator and owner of bestmattressforyou.com. Emily's scientific background gives her an analytical, critical, and discerning eye to bring unbiased, thorough, and helpful content to the site. Your good sleep is her top priority. Find out more about Emily and bestmattressforyou.com here.