I Jumped On (At Least) 34 Different Mattresses, And Here Are My Favorites

BedBedBedBedBedBed (Hillary's Remix)

Sep 02, 2023

Greetings and salutations, friends. It’s been a minute. Glad we’re chatting again.

To the mattresses?

To the mattresses!

(Okay full disclosure: I haven’t seen The Godfather, but I have seen You’ve Got Mail, and I always loved the scene when Tom Hanks’s character references the aforementioned film in an email to Meg Ryan’s character. So yeah, technically the phrase is “go to the mattresses” and it means get ready to go to war, but it makes me laugh in this context.)

But for real: Let’s talk about mattresses because pretty much every brand/store is having a sale right now. Which is great timing for me, as I very recently realized that we are in desperate need of a new mattress. Ours is over a decade old and has become quite sad and lumpy, to put it mildly.

The last time I went mattress shopping, I was still digging myself out of the debt I accrued when starting Who What Wear, and had zero interest in researching, let alone investing in one. So off I went to some sort of discount mattress store, picked whatever was cheapest, and didn’t think about it. I remember when my mattress arrived, it emitted the most insanely toxic fumes, and I stopped the delivery guys on their way out.

This had to be a mistake, right?

No no, they assured me. This was totally normal. Most people just usually let the new mattress “off gas” (their words, obviously) in their garage for a week or so before using it, they said. But I didn’t have a garage. I no longer had my old mattress, as I’d given it to the delivery guys to recycle. What I did have was a quaint one-bedroom apartment, that was now totally filled with chemical fumes.

So I did what any dramatic, silly person would do: I called a friend and went and slept on her couch for a few days.

Needless to say, times are different, and the whole DTC/mattress disruption movement is quite established at this point. Heck, I even have a garage now! Albeit one that’s full of dust and storage boxes. Surely this would be easier.

Easier? Eh. Better? Yes.

Process

As always, I started with a dorky amount of research. I went to Wirecutter and read about their favorite mattresses of 2023, then to The Strategist to read about theirs. (The Strategist has a LOT of mattress content, so nose around if you have a minute.) I checked out what CNN had to say about mattresses, perused Goop for ideas, and nosed around on Architectural Digest too.

I took to social media, and asked everyone for their suggestions and favorites, and honestly was floored by the amount of responses, suggestions, and tips. Just on this little post alone there were a zillion ideas, and I got twice as many in my DMs and texts.

Finally, I sat down and made a list of what I thought we wanted, but also knew that I was making some wild guesses and would need to visit a wide range of retailers to try things in person. Things I was certain about: I wanted a relatively firm mattress that worked for both side sleepers and back sleepers, nothing that ran too hot, and preferably something as non-toxic as possible.

Recommendations

One of the most helpful and comprehensive notes came from the incredible Marianna Hewitt. She went through this process recently and had a number of great suggestions and thoughts (her favorites included the TempurPedic Tempur-Breeze and Lux Breeze), and also sent me a recent episode of her podcast featuring an interview with a sleep posture expert.

Saatva

In terms of most recommended, that honor goes to Saatva, specifically their Classic Mattress (currently $300 off), which is the brand’s innerspring hybrid and their most-sold mattress. Friends and strangers alike rave about the brand’s high quality mattresses that really lasted.

Casper

The brand’s The Wave Hybrid Snow, currently 25% off, was recommended a lot, and also my favorite option at Casper. The incredible celebrity stylist Karla Welch loves the brand, and she is a most discerning Virgo, FWIW.

Parachute

Everyone loves the brand’s single style of mattress, currently 15% off. It runs on the firmer side (which is a plus for me), but that can be tempered with a mattress topper or down mattress pad if you need more squish.

Naturepedic

A 2022 Good Housekeeping bedding awards winner, the EOS Customizable Mattress, currently 20% off, is adored by all who know it, as you can customize each side when you buy it, and then update the internal components as you see fit down the road. Our kids actually have mattresses from the brand, per a recommendation from Kelly Leveque, which is how we got to know the company in the first place.

Tuft & Needle

The Mint Mattress, currently 20% off, is beloved by loads of you, who raved about this style’s edge support, which is key if you like to sit on your bed to put on your shoes. (Also good for sex, according to one thoughtful DM!)

Eight Sleep Pod Cover

While not a mattress at all, there are lots of you who swear by the expensive-but-worth-it Eight Sleep sleep system. The cover, which goes under your bottom sheet, like a mattress pad, lets you set your preferred temperature and then keeps you cool (or warm) all night long with automatic adjustments.

Also worth noting:

Many folks wrote about their love for Custom Comfort Mattresses, which manufactures in Southern California and allows you to customize their natural mattresses. Good Night Naturals also came up quite a bit; this is another great option if you want something quite customized, which is nice if you like a soft bed and your partner wants a firm mattress or vice versa. A friend I trust implicitly swears by the Four Seasons mattresses, which she tested in the hotels before buying, and another pal who is extremely discerning messaged me to recommend the Hotel Collection mattresses that are exclusive to Macy’s (they’re currently on sale at insane levels, we’re talking 50% off and more).

Testing

So with all this info in mind, my husband and I spent a few hours going from store to store and bouncing on mattresses galore.

A few things became clear quite quickly.

We are not memory foam people.

There is a lid for every pot, and if you love memory foam, great, but we decided this wasn’t for us. We like to sit on a bed, not sink into one, which means a more traditional innerspring or innerspring hybrid is a better fit.

Medium firm to firm is the way.

Again, this is highly personal, but for two people who (thankfully) don’t have back issues and tend to sleep in somewhat similar back/side positions, we like a bed that doesn’t cuddle.

It’s confusing.

I took relatively meticulous notes and photos of every mattress we tried because they all run together quite quickly and sometimes it’s hard to remember these very slight differences.

Final Thoughts

Full confession: We haven’t bought anything yet. However! These sales are ending in just a couple of days, so it’s time for us to make a final decision. Right now we are leaning toward one of three options: Parachute, Saatva’s Classic in Luxury Firm, and Naturepedic’s EOS Classic in Cushion-Firm or Firm.

Will keep you updated, and hope this helps you all on your own mattress quest. Let me know if you have any questions (I wanted to be as concise as possible here, but truly tried about 97 different brands and styles) about anything.

Okay friends, that’s it for now. If you want to follow me on @hillarykerr, I’d love it. And if you have anything to say or ask (preferably nothing terribly mean), please drop me a note either via DM or in the comments below.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’m truly so glad you’re here. If you like what you’re reading, please consider sharing this newsletter. All products mentioned are independently chosen, and some may be affiliate links. Your support is appreciated.