The six-figure mattress Turns out some people will pay $149,000 for a squishy sleep pad. When elite society want to lay their heads down for a lavish slumber, counting designer sheep and drifting into champagne dreams, only the best will suffice. These customers turn to a world of bespoke mattress luxury, and pay in the tens and hundreds of thousands. We talked to the brands that service these high-end clients, and of course engaged in some horizontal quality control testing ourselves... The typical spring mattress varies in price depending on material and construction, but the average cost is $1,520. The luxury mattress market starts at $13,000 and soars to $140,000 per sleeping pad. Most models have customizable upgrades that can drive the price significantly up from there — yes, like a Rolls Royce. Some customers request rare furs, expensive metals or different fabrics. However, none of the mattress companies were able to name their clients, but broadly mentioned wealthy businesspeople, celebrities, royalty, actors, athletes who need custom beds for their large frames and more.
They all have one thing in common: money, and lots of it. So, what's the investment here? Is this mattress made of pillowy gold? Do I wake up looking like Beyonce? These are the couture beds of the mattress world: high quality materials, some all natural. Rare fabrics, stuffings and stitching. The added luxury and amount of "extra" detail are things lower-priced mattresses, the one you're probably sleeping on, just do not have. These companies are quick with the rationalizations: If the average person is supposed to sleep 7-9 hours per night, according to National Sleep Foundation suggestions, we spend a good amount of time in bed. We only spend an average of 46 minutes per day driving; it may be smarter to invest in a mattress than a car. Speaking of test drives, I got to be a real-life Goldilocks, testing out four of today's fanciest mattresses and learning what goes into creating the most extravagant beds. The Kluft Palais Royal The name itself suggests the level of extravagance of this mattress.
Construction takes three days and 10 craftsmen in Rancho Cucamonga, California. The Palais Royal is made with more than 10 layers, 10 pounds of cashmere, mohair, silk and wool from New Zealand. The thousands of springs within the mattress are wrapped in hand-sewn cotton. Two layers of natural horsehair make for a very supportive and comfortable rest experience. The representatives from Kluft said a more expensive model sells for $60,000 but most of the cost increase is due to custom options, such as finer materials. The Palais Royal we looked at was "customization-free" — the base model, if you will. It was a comfortable mattress, springy and supportive without being overly firm. However, this didn't feel much different than the one I have at home (and paid significantly less for). The Vispring Masterpiece Superb From the moment you see the Vispring, you can sense its distinction; if this mattress had an accent it would be British. From the attention to detail, the clean lines and the sense of regality, it's obvious this bed is meant for society's aristocrats.
Made on the rocky coast of Plymouth, England, since 1901, it takes creators over three days to hand-craft this bed. It's made of all natural materials (cotton, wool, horsetail, cashmere, silk, alpaca), three layers and over 4,000 pocketed coils made of Vanadium steel. Vispring design is bespoke. Customers can choose their own spring tension and finish the bed with their choice of fabrics. They can add another layer of rare Vicuna wool, driving the cost of the mattress up to $71,395. Vispring representative Ryan Ingerson alluded to the brand's elite customers, none of whom he would name. One wealthy businessman asked that the coils inside the bed be plated in gold. Unless the mattress were cut open, he would never see these coils. "People appreciate luxury," he says. "You have that benefit of knowing you're sleeping on the finest natural materials in the world." When I tried it, it's what I imagined the princesses in Disney movies slept on. It was the softest, most malleable bed I've ever touched, and truly felt like I was laying on a cloud.
The mattresses come with a lifetime guarantee. Ingerson said they recently recovered one that was 75 years old, at 95% of its original height. The Vividus by Hästens The Vividus was the most expensive mattress we looked at. Swedish company Hästens has been making beds for more than 160 years. The company invented the pocket spring system, was the first to use a top mattress on a continental bed, and introduced the frame bed to the world. The average Hästens mattress in Sweden is 45 years old, and some even get passed down between generations, according to Tim Dillon, Hästens retail director of North America. The Vividus contains 440 pounds of layered cotton, wool, mohair and horsehair. The corners are made from layers of flax, and the frame is constructed of northern Sweden redwood, for strength. The mattress requires over 300 hours to make, hand-stitched by one man and his team who are specially assigned to the Vividus in the Hästens factory. Each is decorated with a custom gold plaque.
As such, there is a long waitlist for the Vividus. Katherine Toukatly, the representative for Hästens who showed me the bed, explained that once people experience their mattress, "they can't live without it" and will buy multiples for their other homes. Some clients seek out hotels that use Hästens. (One such, the Ty Warner suite at the Four Seasons in New York costs $45,000 per night.) I'm not sure what it says about me that the most expensive bed was my favorite, but it was. It was a sinfully accurate combination of firm and soft. I think what really made the difference with the Vividus was the mattress topper, but even the lower-priced mattresses I tried in the store were nearly just as comfortable. The Duxiana DUX 818 Although the Duxiana was the least expensive model we looked at, this "component bed" was so customizable and able to change with the sleeper, the investment might be easier to rationalize — if you can afford $14,000. Produced in Sweden and finished in Portugal, the DUX 818 is made of three inner levels, which vary in densities.
Each side of the mattress can be created differently. Patented by Duxiana, the Pascal Component system is comprised of three firmness layers inside the mattress, ranging from soft to medium to firm. for example, a side-sleeper may want medium support for their torso, but soft for their shoulders and firm for their legs. These can be reorganized by the sleeper whenever their sleeping habits or bodies change, whether via pregnancy, injury, aging, etc. A thick, all natural latex pad zips over the Pascal Components. The DUX 818 features a unique solution to lumbar support controlled via crank at the base of the mattress. When cranked, the bed adjusts its spring system to provide more or less support to the lower back. "It's like a car — you pop the hood, you make minor adjustments, and you should be able to have this bed for the rest of your life," says Paige Davidson, Duxiana representative. Each mattress houses over a mile's worth of one continuous coil, which helps enable movement with the sleeper.
While the Duxiana is made of high-quality materials, there are no luxury or rare materials as found in some of the other mattresses we tried. Their focus seems to be more on performance and longevity, rather than luxury. Duxiana mattresses are guaranteed for 20 years, and with routine maintenance, replacement parts come at a discount. The DUX 818 was firm and supportive, but the ability to truly personalize a sleep system might take some time and several nights of testing. Finally, Hypnos, a UK-based mattress company we were unable to test, provides the beds for Buckingham Palace. Products range up to $15,000. Six-figure mattresses aren't new. Hästens is the oldest of the companies, having started in 1852. Many span over three centuries. But those of us who don't have the money to spare on a fancy mattress may never have considered such extravagance. But the products were so heavenly that we can't help but recommend: If you got it, flaunt it, even if you're sleeping.