<PAGE>

                                                                       EXHIBIT 5

                          JONES, DAY, REAVIS & POGUE
                              3500 SunTrust Plaza
                           303 Peachtree Street, NE
                          Atlanta, Georgia 30308-3242
                                (404) 521-3939

                                        July 1, 1999

Simmons Company
One Concourse Parkway
Atlanta, Georgia 30328

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     We are acting as counsel to Simmons Company (the "Company"), a corporation
organized under the laws of the State of Delaware, in connection with (i) the
offer to exchange (the "Senior Note Exchange Offer") $1,000 principal amount at
maturity of the Company's 10 1/4% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2009 (the
"Exchange Notes") for each $1,000 principal amount at maturity of the Company's
outstanding 10 1/4% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2009 (the "Private Notes") and
(ii) the preparation of the prospectus (the "Prospectus") contained in the
registration statement on Form S-4 (the "Registration Statement") (No. 333-
76723) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by the Company for the
purpose of registering the Exchange Notes under the Securities Act of 1933 (the
"Act"). The Private Notes have been, and the Exchange Notes will be, issued
pursuant to an Indenture, dated as of March 16, 1999 (the "Indenture"), between
the Company and SunTrust Bank, Atlanta, as Trustee. Unless otherwise defined
herein, terms defined in the Prospectus are used herein as defined therein.

     We have examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to
our satisfaction, of such corporate records, agreements, documents, and other
instruments and such certificates or comparable documents of public officials
and representatives of the Company and have made such other and further
investigations as we have deemed relevant and necessary as a basis for the
opinions hereinafter set forth. In such examination, we have assumed the
genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of natural persons, the
authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to
original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic
copies and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents.

     Based on the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications and limitations
stated herein, we are of the opinion that when the Exchange Notes, substantially
in the form as set forth on an exhibit to the Indenture filed as Exhibit 4.1 to
the Registration Statement, have been duly executed by the Company and
authenticated by the Trustee in accordance with the Indenture and duly delivered
in exchange for the Private Notes in accordance with the Senior Note Exchange
Offer in the manner described in the Registration Statement, the Exchange Notes
will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company enforceable
in accordance with their terms,



<PAGE>

except to the extent enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency,
fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws
relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and general equitable
principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).

     We hereby consent to the use of our name under the caption "Legal Matters"
in the Prospectus forming part of the Registration Statement and to the filing
of this opinion as Exhibit 5 to the Registration Statement.

                                        Very truly yours,


                                        /s/ Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue






                                      -2-