IKEA Vågstranda Pocket Sprung Mattress reviewed

The IKEA Vågstranda is a 28 cm pocket sprung mattress with a two-layer spring unit and seven comfort zones, sold rolled and vacuum-packed. IKEA quotes 498 springs per square metre in a 90x200 cm mattress, twice the 249 it gives for the 24 cm Valevåg. This review covers the firm version. IKEA lists a medium firm version alongside it.

How the Vågstranda is built

IKEA calls the spring unit an S-core: two tiers of pocket springs arranged in a wave, so the upper springs react to small movements while the lower ones carry the load. The springs run edge to edge and the edges are reinforced, so you can sit on the side of the bed. Above the springs sits polyurethane foam at 33 kg per cubic metre, then a quilted polyester stretch cover with extra wadding. The full material list is on the IKEA Vågstranda product page.

How firm it is

IKEA sells this version as firm, but with 33 kg/m³ foam and extra wadding over the springs we list it as medium, 5 out of 10 on our scale where 10 is firmest. That is not necessarily a drawback. A randomised trial of 313 adults with chronic low back pain, published in The Lancet by Kovacs and colleagues in 2003, found better pain and disability outcomes after 90 days on medium-firm mattresses than on firm ones.

Sizes and prices

The Vågstranda comes in the four UK standard sizes. Prices below are IKEA’s regular prices at the time of writing (September 2026).

IKEA covers the complete mattress with a free 10-year guarantee. Its ‘Sleep on it’ scheme lets you exchange the mattress once within 365 nights, and the IKEA UK return policy charges £25 if IKEA collects it rather than you taking it back to a store. It is an exchange, not a refund, and the returned mattress must be clean and undamaged.

The weak points are practical. The cover cannot be removed or washed, so a protector is essential. The Vågstranda travels rolled, but IKEA gives the packed weight as 46.5 kg for a Double and 53 kg for a King and recommends two people to lift it. The Vågstranda averages 4 out of 5 stars from 1,643 reviews on IKEA’s own page, and several of the reviews shown there report sagging within the first two years.