Luxury Sleep Expert : AMA
I had some fun helping out a few people some months ago and so thought I would try this again. I’ve worked in the mattress industry for over 22 years, primarily as a component supplier to all the major mattress brands. Been in just about every factory in the country and sold just about anything that’s ever been put in a mattress.
I currently own a private luxury sleep boutique where I custom fit guests for luxury sleep systems.
I’d be happy to answer any questions about mattress components, construction, accessories, retail operations or even just sleep (I’m also a certified sleep coach). My expertise is in higher-end brands and components so if you’re looking to ask the “best mattress under $1000” question, I’m not your guy and I don’t care to engage with the “just go to Costco” people.
I’m not here to bash or promote specific brands, but I will give you my honest take on what I see and hear from guests day in and day out as well as from what I know in working behind the scenes in the mattress industry.
All that being said, fire away!
Oh I didn’t comment on further on the Aireloom cause he said they were out of his price range, so I was just trying to give some options.
As far as quality goes, Aireloom is a high-end luxury brand that is famous for quality tailoring and artisan craftsmanship. Of course it is possible that at some point they have an issue that turns a customer or retailer off. But the other thing to consider is that we don’t know what model or collection this came from. Even high end manufacturers offer “entry-level” products to capture certain price points.
In general, I highly recommend Aireloom as a manufacturer.
It’s hard to simply identify a firmness for a person as that can be very subjective and differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. As someone dealing with a chronic condition, what’s most important is you find something that keeps you in a supported comfortable position the entire night and stays that way over time. Look for mattresses with components with high support factor. Latex, coils, microcoils. If it’s hand-tufted, even better.
Avoid all foam or mostly foam constructions. They will not serve your condition well.
Tell me where you live and see if I know a good store with a real expert to send you to.
Look for mattresses with zoned pocketed coils, where the middle third of the mattress has additional support. This will allow you to pick something more plush for pressure relief in your shoulders but still keep your hips and lower back in good alignment. Karpen Luxury Lotus Plush by Aireloom is a go to for that particular need in our store.
What is almost as important is matching the right pillow for yourself. A properly fit pillow can alleviate a lot of pressure off your upper back and shoulders.
I tell every single guest that comes into my store that the gold standard of sleep for two adults is a split king or cal king set up. Meaning two independent mattresses on independent adjustable bases set up next to each other. This allows each partner to pick the exact right mattress for them without compromise. And if in a few years, if one partner doesn’t like their side of the bed, but the other does you only have to replace the one side. As far as temperature goes, before investing in climate control beds, I would encourage people to look at mattresses with all natural constructions. Natural products like cotton wool and natural foam rubber latex. do an amazing job of helping us to temperature regulate when sleeping.
I too, have heard a lot of horror stories about people making investments into climate control tech for their mattress.
I’m going to answer this question in as diplomatic a way that I can because I promised that I wouldn’t brand bash. And full disclosure, my store does not carry Tempur-pedic or really any other memory foam forward brands.
Tempur-pedic is America’s most recognizable brand. They are part of an even larger conglomerate called Somni group, which owns other major brands, such as Sealy, Stearns & Foster and America’s largest retailer Mattress Firm. They’ve also recently purchased the world‘s largest component manufacturer Leggett & Platt. They are likely to acquire Purple in the next few months.
From a product standpoint, I liken Tempur-pedic to Starbucks. They do what they do very well and have positioned themselves through mass marketing as a well-luxury product. And people will pay a premium to be able to say they have a Tempur-Pedic.
Having said that it is my humble opinion that when you compare Tempur products to other memory foam forward products, there isnt a big difference in feel, support and comfort.
And i will tell you that i see on almost a weekly basis, guests come in who are currently on a Tempur-pedic, complaining of back pain, sleeping hot and frustrated because they made an investment that 2 to 3 years in, they regret.
I know that was kind of a lot, sorry.
Yeah, definitely in the right track. The Luxury firm is a good compromise for sure and back sleepers. You might actually like the plush a bit more but that may not be good for you wife’s
From a component and construction standpoint, the M1 would be considered far superior to the Helix elites. Even though they both do have a layer of micro coils, the M1 utilizes latex and other natural fibers cotton wool silk in the comfort layers where the elite is all just combinations of polyurethane foam. The M1 is also hand tufted.
1. Yes the Dusk is a good suggestion. I’ve had great success helping combo sleepers with the Twilight as well.
2. That’s a nice feature of the is the ability so swap out the comfort layer if needed.
3. The helix are well made mattresses but because the primary comfort layers are mostly foam, there is a higher likely hood that it will soften up over the years. Rotating the mattress will help but If you want something that is going to keep a consistent feel for many years, look for a product that has some natural components in it and is hand -tufted. And for the absolute best, find one that’s two-sided.
It is true that many manufacturers source from the same suppliers. But how they use and how much they use the materials can greatly impact cost/price. One manufacturer may have a cosmetic layer (just enough to say it’s there) of organic cotton or latex or some horse hair in a mattress where another may use it as a foundational part of the construction. And coils vary widely in density or gauge of steel, how many times they’re turned and count.
Looking at the example you cited, those are vastly different mattresses. The McCroskey is a two-sided hand crafted mattress. So it has at least double the amount of natural product (probably more) and the tailoring is much more intensive and hand crafted.
The My Green Mattress is the same height 11” and has an 8” coil, so only 3” are natural products. Not saying it’s not a good mattress or one that wouldnt serve you well, just saying they’re not on the same class of mattress.
Would be like comparing a Mercedes to a Toyota. Both good cars. Both could get you from point A to point B. Very different driving experiences.
Hope this helps!
Yes. I have carried two different Active Pressure Relief systems in my store. Most recently SmartLife by King Koil, which was well-received. I am familiar with your product. I think your company would do well to consider partnering with local specialty sleep stores like mine where you can have a well-trained staff explain the tech and the benefits.
People like the concept of the APR but the comfort layer still has to meet their profile. I have found that the systems that use latex in the top comfort layer are preferred to those with memory foam. It’s more dynamic and responsive to the adjustments the mattress is making throughout the night.
You are correct in assuming that foam is chosen primarily because of cost. It is easy and cheap to produce and most of the major mattress manufacturers i.e. national brands that people are familiar with are actually integrated into their own foam manufacturing. So they are going to market and sell what they produce.
For some younger generation foam might feel a little more modern and advanced then natural products, thus making it feel a little more techy. Also foam is easy to add things to like color and other additives, which make it easier to market as different.
What’s interesting is as you see products and collections move into higher-end luxury categories, you see much less if any polyurethane foams and much more natural components.
I went and tried all the mattresses I could. I haven’t bought one yet but my #1 pick is one of the softer mattresses from Aireloom you can find at furniture row. The next is the most expensive purple mattress. I need good support but a soft plush top so my hip and should can sink in and not be pushed up out of place.
I had a temper for a long time and live in an older building with poor insulation. The temperpedic I had was too firm in winter, too soft in summer and just right in spring and fall it was definitely affected by the weather.
Without sagging try a tufted mattress so the edges and middle have uniform support for a long time. [Why Tufted Mattresses like Aireloom & King Koil are Superior & Last Decades #mattress](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZqVtFBKZVHk) I got the aireloom no sagging so far
Aireloom has been great for my husband for side sleeping. Which made me think I would hate it because I sleep mostly on my back but its been fine for me too. The worst bed we had was a layla i had crazy back pain every morning 9 months into having that bed. Went away when we got Aireloom
If you really want to ensure no sagging you need a tufted mattress, tufted from the top to bottom like a King Koil or Aireloom Im sure there are others. Without tufts you are at the mercy of the springs alone. I have an Aireloom and it does not sink at all its uniform from the edges to the middle. Look up tufting it will explain more
I was there with you. I had a temperpedic for many years but I hated it in warm months it sagged. Then I did tons of research online got a Layla then my back hurt like heck for months and I came to Reddit to find many people had same experience with it. Then I got an Aireloom and everything changed [https://youtu.be/J\_6fBI3iq3c](https://youtu.be/J_6fBI3iq3c) take a watch of this video and you can reach out the guy who made it he will talk you through everything, spent a ton of time on phone with me.
I went down this rabbit hole too many times…
There is a lot of personal preference, but here’s mine—
Never memory foam, make me handicapped, sink in, can’t move bullshit.
Latex is a massive step up— sink onto, not into.
Aerloom’s higher end beds have micro coils (lots of support) with latex on top.
Step up from that— Kluft. Same company, supposedly better product.
Aerloom made my back feel 90% better than the very pricey online bed in a box bullshit I had purchased a few years prior.
Next step up Vispring. No foam. Springs, cotton, wool, horse hair (if you’re fancy). Feels like an 80s bed, but in a good way. Back pain gone.
There is a NY company that makes handmade beds like Vispring, but way less expensive. Didn’t buy because I couldn’t try them out in California. Might be a great mid price option. Google will find them for you.
Remember lots of margin in mattresses. Ignore their “xyz” sale and ask for no less than 33% off .
SleepSommelier-SD
