Here's What It Takes to Make a $2,500 Mattress
Buying a mattress seems to be more complicated than ever. You can go the traditional route of shopping in a store, or spend hours browsing through more than 30 bed-in-a-box companies online. Then you have to consider whether you want a memory foam mattress, spring and foam combo, or a luxe $30,000 mattress made with cashmere and horsetail.
But when you find the right one, it's a dream come true. Nothing beats sleeping through the night without tossing and turning for hours on end to get comfortable. But what's the magic touch that goes into making a high-quality mattress?
To learn more about the mattress manufacturing process, we checked out the Stearns & Foster facility - owned by Tempur Sealy - in Trinity, North Carolina. I was invited to build a Lux Estate mattress, which retails at $2,499 for a queen.
What goes into making these pricey beds? Here's what I learned.
It takes four people one day to build a single mattress.
Each Stearns & Foster mattress is built by a team of "Master Craftsmen." It takes four people around eight hours to complete one mattress from start to finish.
According to the company, this is roughly twice the amount of time it takes other companies, because they offer extra touches like hand tufting and embroidered borders to increase durability.
They light the beds on fire
Like all mattresses in the U.S. as of 2007, Stearns & Foster beds are fire-resistant. In a special fire lab, the company uses a machine to light the mattress on fire - or it tries to, at least. Although the mattress is engulfed in flames, it withstands the heat. The company randomly selects one of the roughly 30 mattresses made in their facility each day to go through this, and various other tests, for quality control.
They Test Against the Dreaded Butt Sag
You know that annoying body-shaped sag that makes it hard to sleep? Apparently, it's preventable, as Stearns & Foster developed a test to help minimize sagging. I watched a 240-pound weight repeatedly roll over a mattress. The company says this is done 100,000 times to measure how much sinkage occurs. In another test, I watched a computer-controlled dummy get in and out of bed. This occurs roughly 4,999 more times over the span of four days to ensure your bed won't sag in the next 10 years.
Do I need a luxurious mattress to sleep well?
We can attest that a Stearns & Foster mattress will keep you comfy for years to come - if it's your budget.
If not, there's no need to worry: You don't need to shell out several grand to find a mattress you really like. To learn more about the breadth of mattress options on the market, check our guide to modern-day mattress shopping.
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