Selecting your Hästens is an experience in itself Mattresses starting at $28/month2 0% APR for 48 Months1 $300 in free accessorieswith the purchase of a mattress set 25% off bedding & pillows or $31.23/mo. for 48 months1 or $43.73/mo. for 48 months1 or $27.07/mo. for 48 months1 or $64.57/mo. for 48 months1Key details:Competitors: None, really. But for that price you could also get a Mercedes AMG GT S (from $131,200); Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Day-Date & Power Reserve watch (from $150,000); Tiffany Circlet Diamond Necklace ($150,000)Price:Why It's Worth It: The Hastens workshop in Köping, Sweden.The Hästens Vividus bed does not come with a guarantee to quiet crying babies. It does not vow Peter Pan-like trips to Never Never Land every night. The tooth fairy does not leave $100 bills under its extraordinarily comfortable pillows—although given its nearly $150,000 price tag, that would be a nice perk. What it does promise is more in line with the recent wellness science: With a good night's sleep, you live longer, learn faster, function better, stay in better shape, and look younger.
For the cost of a high-end Mercedes or a collectible timepiece, you can take a dip in an all-natural fountain of youth every evening. Or so the thinking goes. I went to the company showroom in New York's Chelsea neighborhood to check it out in person. The price intrigued me the same way that pictures of exploded Ferraris do: How can something that looks so ordinary be so valuable? And on first glance, the Vividus looks like a typical bed. There's no wide-screen TV that emerges from underneath the box spring, no built-in refrigerator. It doesn't spin in circles like a jewel on display beneath a decadent mirrored ceiling.Layers in a Hästens box spring, mattress, and topper. But before I can crawl beneath the covers, Hästens's vice president of global retail, Bob Cooper, walks me through the history. The first Vividus came out in 2006, a version that took 160 hours to create and cost $112,900. In the 10 years since, the company has researched how to regulate body temperature and provide support to create what it calls a "perfect night's sleep" without using any heat-trapping rubber or plastic materials.
They ended up doubling the amount of time it takes to build the bed—now 320 hours—and the company uses just four certified craftsmen at Hästens's dedicated atelier in Sweden to make them. Each Vividus is built to order and takes a minimum of 10 weeks before delivery. How does this all add up to $149,000?It starts at the bottom. The wooden frame is made from slow-growing northern Swedish pine. On top of that sits a box spring, called the base, that has pure steel springs and multiple layers of flax for soundproofing. Above that is the mattress, which holds more springs, layers of cotton and wool batting, and horsehair lining, stacked the way you might make a lasagna. The mattress pad, or "topper," has its own layers of cotton, wool, and horsehair. Horsehair is critical: The hair is braided by hand, then unwound, to give it even more bounce. Every single curled strand functions like a tiny spring, providing support and pliability. And because each horsehair strand is also a hollow tube (unlike human hair), the material acts as a miniature airway to wick moisture away so there’s no sweat buildup.
The cumulative effect of all these layers is that when you lie down on the bed, you feel as if your legs are slightly raised, which, as doctors will tell you, is better for circulation and overall heart health. I get in, and I start to see what they mean. Articles such as this one typically describe luxurious mattresses as "sleeping on a cloud," but the Vividus is not that soft. My feet are supported unlike any other mattress I've ever slept on. It gives and holds in unusual, but always comfortable, ways. It takes me awhile to settle in, and Cooper says that the longer I stay in it, the more it will respond to my body, depending on whether I'm a side sleeper or prefer staying on my back. Will it cure my Jimmy leg? The longer I'm here, even the price-tag guilt starts to melt away. The whole thing is constructed in the Swedish style, meaning dovetail joints instead of screws or nails, and the springs are connected to the mattress interior using a step-stitching process, accomplished by hand with a needle about 18 inches long.
Wool batting adds another layer of safety without the need for toxic chemicals: In case of fire, the naturally flame retardant fiber wraps around the cotton, suppressing oxygen. The bed is allergen-free and has a guarantee for 25 years, though Cooper says he has seen some mattresses that are more than 100 years old, often passed down as family heirlooms. Lying here, I'm doing the math, which at that rate works out to a mere 50¢ per hour of sleep. My advice: If you can afford it, buy it. Just don't try it out, as I did, to see what the fuss was all about. Buying a new mattress is a big investment, and knowing where to go to find the best options for your health and for the planet—not to mention for a sound night's sleep— is key. We get the process started with our list of the 10 best sources for organic and all-natural mattresses: Most conventional mattresses are made of petroleum-based polyester, nylon and polyurethane (PU) foam (all of which emit VOCs, especially when new) and treated with flame-retardant (FR) chemicals, such as boric acid, silicone and phosphates.
They can also be wrapped in barrier cloths made from flame-resistant fibers, such as melamine and polyvinylidene chloride. Look for mattresses that are made with: • All-natural, untreated wool, which is naturally fire-and-dust-mite-resistent, and preferably labeled "Pure Grow Wool," which ensures that the wool has come from humanely treated and organically raised sheep.• Organic cotton: used as both a wrapping material and as batting. Organic cotton is not fire-resistant, so in order to company with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the cotton is usually wrapped in wool layers.• Natural latex, derived from rubber trees, which is a better choice than petroleum-based polyurethane. The Top Eco Mattress Sources: 1 Keetsa: If you're looking for an eco-friendly, all-natural and/or recyclable latex mattress, then Keetsa is your answer. Keetsa's latex mattresses are made with non-toxic materials like wool, latex foam, unbleached cotton, bamboo blend and organic cotton fabrics.
Their mattresses are compressed, covered in biodegradable plastic, and packed into 100% recyclable boxes printed with water soluble ink. 2 Hastens: Renowned Swedish mattress masters Hästens make each one of their mattresses by hand using only hard-wearing natural materials like horsehair, flax, wool, steel and pine, and each mattress comes with a 25-year warranty. And all the mattresses come in juicy colors and checkered patterns. 3 Woodstock Organic Mattress: Based in Manhattan and Kingston, NY and featuring mattresses made by WJ Southard, another family-run and family-owned business located in Syracuse, all of Woodstock's mattresses are handmade of 100% natural materials like organic cotton, wool, horsehair, and 98% pure latex. No polyester, polyurethane foam, or other harmful chemicals are used in the making or production of the mattresses. As they say, if they can't pronounce it, they won't put it in your mattress. 4 Pure Rest: Pure Rest is a family company that only sells online, and their mattresses are about as healthy as they come: organic and additive-free wool and cotton, and all natural latex.
No plastic outers, no finishes, no additives. They even have a 3rd party test every year for contamination in their mattresses and disclose the results on their website. Price: $699 and up 5 Savvy Rest: organic mattresses made in central Virginia and available through a national network of independently owned stores. All mattresses are made of natural latex rubber, certified organic wool or certified organic cotton, and are natural, nontoxic, certified and independently tested. 6 Organic Mattress Store: an online retailer carrying a variety of all-natural mattress vendors, including Nature's Finest, WJ Southard, GreenSleep, Royal Pedic, and Sheperd's Dream, all of which carry certified organic cotton, wool and latex mattresses that have met the strict standards of the USDA National Organic Program. Price: Variable depending on brand 7 White Lotus: a great source for healthy bedding, including natural latex mattresses, organic wool and cotton mattresses, all handmade in the US.
Click here for a chart on how their handmade mattresses compare with conventional mattresses, and click here for their detailed FAQ section. Price: Start around $500 8 The Wool Bed Company: all of the wool bedding products products include only materials raised or grown on farmland in the USA. The natural wool mattresses are hand-made, free-form, without any wood, metal, foam or latex. 9 Cozy Pure: claims they are the only bedding company in the world to utilize a trio-system of Wind, Solar and Geothermal on-site in their factory in Norfolk, VA. Feature 7 collections, all made with natural latex, wool and GOTS-Certified organic cotton, no foams, dacrons, formaldehydes or PBDEs, or other toxic chemicals, as certified by third-party safety tests. 10 Heart of Vermont: all mattress components, including coverings, paddings, binding tapes, and insulator pads, are made with 100% organic cotton, grown without pesticides or chemical fertilization. Featuring natural top mattresses, organic innerspring mattresses, and organic mattress sets.