What Is A Luxury Mattress? Definitions, Prices, And Options Explained
All mattress companies want you to believe their mattress is the best and try to sell you “luxurious” sleep. But what is a luxury mattress really, and how can you define one? A luxury mattress is made from high-end materials and is precision crafted. It may even have hand crafted touches. It will have thick comfort layers and will be taller than your average mattress.
Here’s an exact definition of what a luxury mattress should be, what you can expect to pay, and your questions answered.
What Is A Luxury Mattress? Definition
Exactly what is a luxury mattress? These are the criteria, broken down layer by mattress layer, which set luxury mattresses apart from the rest.
- Mattress Height: Should be at least 13 inches. This is 30% taller than a standard mattress in a box.
- Cover: Should be soft, premium materials. Look for natural materials such as cashmere, tencel, bamboo, and high GSM organic cotton. These are all incredibly soft to touch, highly breathable, and moisture wicking.
- Comfort Layers: These should be thicker than in your average mattress in a box, which will usually have 3 inches. Demand at least 5-6 inches from your luxury mattress. Luxury mattresses not only have more foams in their comfort layers, they should also be premium quality. If the mattress contains memory foam, then good durability and good cooling innovations are a must. If the mattress uses latex foam then it should be organic (or natural at the very least)
- The comfort layers will probably be made of several different foams, carefully layered to give you the best sleep experience.
- Support Core: This could be a strong high density foam or a coil system. If you’re buying a hybrid with coils, make sure there is reinforcing at the edges of the coils for superior edge support. Your luxury mattress may or may not have zoning in the core for even more targeted support.
Other features that define a luxury mattress:
- Sleep trial: AT LEAST 100 nights, if not longer. Some companies offer a year, or even a year and a half for you to try their mattress in the comfort of your own home.
- Warranty: Since we’re expecting top end materials here, I’d want to see at least a 10 year warranty, but probably longer as 10 years is a pretty standard offer.
- Firmness Options: When you choose luxury, you want to have as much choice for your money as possible. Several top brands offer you soft, medium, or firm rather than making you choose a “one size fits all” mattress.
Luxury Mattress Feel
When you’re buying a luxury item, you get to make more choices to get exactly what you want.
Rather than offering just one firmness option, many luxury mattresses give you the choice of soft, medium, or firm. Medium is the best selling firmness because it does suit a wider range of people (and is a good compromise for couples who don’t agree or have different needs).
Your luxury mattress will feel soft to the touch thanks to the premium cover it will have.
No matter which firmness level is right for you, your luxury mattress should feel supportive for your back yet plush and comfortable. These mattresses have been carefully designed to maximize support where you need it the most without compromising on comfort.
You shouldn’t ever feel hot sleeping on a luxury mattress, thanks to the cooling technology that is often infused in every layer, but if this is a concern for you, make sure you choose a hybrid instead of an all foam mattress (air flows better through coils than foam).
Luxury Mattress Prices
A luxury mattress does not have to cost as much as you might think. If you’re prepared to take advantage of the 100 night or more sleep trial an online retailer offers you (this is the best way to test a mattress: actually sleeping on it in your own home), here are some example prices of Queen Size luxury mattresses.
Generally, you can expect to pay $1000 – $2000 for a Queen size luxury mattress, with prices varying by a couple hundred dollars for other sizes. Here are some examples using Queen size prices:
- The Saatva: $1299
- Haven Boutique: $1299
- Avocado Mattress + Topper: $1848
Read More About My Top Luxury Mattress Picks Here
Luxury Mattress FAQ
Are They Worth It?
The short answer: YES. Why?
When you buy a luxury mattress from an online retailer, you save huge amounts of money. In fact, you won’t be paying much more than you would for a standard mattress, and you certainly be paying less for an equivalent mattress from a store.
As you can see above, all the luxury mattresses I recommend range from around $1000 – $2000 for a Queen size.
This is excellent value for money when you consider the extra details a luxury mattress has. Standard online mattresses that are of decent quality start at around $600 for a Queen, so the price jump up to the luxury category does not have to be huge for those luxury details.
If you go to a store, expect to pay more than $3000 for an equivalent luxury mattress you can’t try at home.
What Mattresses Do Luxury Hotels Use?
Luxury Hotels use mattresses that fit in with my definition of a luxury mattress above. They choose mattresses that have a plush feel without compromising spinal support, and go for luxurious feeling materials.
For example, the Ritz-Carlton Mattress features:
- A soft cover that contains cashmere
- Plush feeling pillow top with memory foam
- Pocket coil base
Luxury hotels will also use high quality bedding so your entire sleep experience is enhanced with a great pillow (they may even have a pillow menu) and crisp linens. Don’t forget these touches when recreating your own luxury bed at home if you want the full experience.
Which Is Better, Foam Or Hybrid?
Each has its pros and cons.
- Hybrids have better air flow and stronger edge support
- All foam mattresses are better at motion isolation
- Hybrids will have more bounce than all foam mattresses
- All foam mattresses are typically lighter, particularly in the luxury category where mattresses are thicker
My personal preference is for a hybrid mattress but there are some truly luxurious and amazing all foam mattresses out there too.
What Is The Most Luxurious Mattress?
There is no one answer here. For one person, luxury may mean a pillowy soft feel with the highest quality cover. For someone else it may mean choosing only organic, and hand crafted touches. Iv’e compiled a list of the best luxury mattresses that each have their own special features, I gave a sneak peek earlier in this article.
Click Here To Reveal The Best Luxury Mattresses
