Shopping for a new mattress can be intimidating. Which is probably why I haven’t done it in years. I have no memory of where the innerspring mattress my wife and I have been using for the past 10 years came from. Before that (i.e., pre wife and kids) was the mattress that moved around with me since college, which itself was (I think) from my childhood home. So lord knows how old that was.
Aside from a few years living abroad when I had apartments that came fully furnished, I think I’ve only really had two or three (I could be forgetting one) mattresses in my life. In retrospect, yes, that’s kind of gross. And it’s also not all that surprising that I was intimidated at the thought of buying a new one.
I mean, really, how often do you buy a new mattress? And nowadays, it seems as if mattresses are as high-tech as home electronics. It’s no wonder people seem a little lost when it comes to this fairly major purchase.
(GeekDads Anthony and Ken shared similar sentiments in their reviews for Leesa and Loom & Leaf mattresses. It’s helpful to know I’m not alone.)
I’ve known it was time to trade up and get a new mattress for some time now, but it never seemed to be a priority. So when Brentwood Home – our sponsor today – offered the opportunity to test out a new bed, I jumped at the chance.
After one night, I was questioning why a new mattress had never been a priority. The morning aches and pains I had equated with being in my late 30s were apparently the result of a bad mattress (or poor sleeping habits on a bad mattress; I’m not sure which). In other words, after one night on my S-Bed, my back felt….well, great!
Brentwood Home is based out of Los Angeles, and all of their products (they also make pillows, draperies, pet beds, and candles) are 100% made in the United States – they are designed, developed, and manufactured in their own California facilities. The company is also committed to sustainability and using only safe, natural, non-toxic materials (e.g., bamboo fibers, organic cotton, kapok, organic latex, and soy wax).
All of their mattresses are CertiPUR-US certified, which means they are made without ozone depleters, PBDE flame retardants, heavy metals of any kind, formaldehyde, or phthalates. They also come with a 25-year warranty against manufacturing defects and a 120-day guarantee:
Sleep on your mattress for 30 days. During the remaining 90 nights, if you decide your new mattress isn’t the right one for you, then we will send someone to pick it up and give you a 100% full refund.
They offer a variety of mattress types in different sizes, so if you’re a complete newb at the brand-new world of mattress types, it can be a little overwhelming. We eventually settled on the S-Bed because we wanted to shift away from an innerspring mattress but didn’t want to go entirely memory foam. Each style also comes in your choice of firm, medium, and plush. We opted for firm.
Ordering a mattress online, without the benefit of giving it a “test lie” in the store requires a leap of faith. However, if you already know your preferences, it’s probably a bit easier. We, however, made our choice, crossed our fingers, and hoped we would be happy.
I should note that Brentwood Home does have a showroom in downtown LA, where you can test out their mattresses. If you live in the area, that’s a great alternative.
The S-Bed is a combination of organic latex and gel memory foam. The 2-inch layer of organic latex that tops off the mattress gives uplifting support and reduces pressure points. Beneath that is a 2-inch layer of gel infused memory foam. Millions of gel particles keep this mattress cooler than other memory foam beds, and they’ve also incorporated “open cell technology,” which allows for increased air flow.
Obviously, I haven’t had a chance to test the bed in the summer to really see how cool is sleeps, but I can say that my wife and I are almost total opposites at night. She’s always hot, and I’m always cold. Since switching to the S-Bed, neither one of us has had any complaints about temperature.
The mattress arrived at my door rolled up in a box (measuring roughly 20″ x 20″ x 48″). Honestly, I had never seen this before and was a bit thrown. In its rolled-up state, the mattress was only a bit bigger than a couple sleeping bags laid end to end. (As a side note, whatever machine is capable of doing this scares the heck out of me.)
Remove the plastic, and the whole thing expands to normal size in a matter of seconds. It took a little longer for the corners to fully “inflate,” but we had a queen size bed in less than a minute.
And about 30 seconds after that, the kids leaped up and started jumping. Their immediate reaction was one of disappointment. “This bed isn’t as bouncy as your old one.” Score one for the S-Bed! No more jumping kids. But they quickly discovered how comfy it is.
Brentwood Home recommends any type of base you want beneath the mattress: box spring, platform, slats, or floor. We put ours on top of old old box spring, and it works just fine.
Straight out of the box, the mattress had a bit of a chemical smell and needed some time to off-gas. If you’re sensitive to smells, you may want to let it sit out a few days before sleeping on it. After a few weeks with the bed, I can say the smell is almost totally gone. It’s still noticeable if you shove your nose into the mattress, which might be a problem if you don’t use a pillow, but I don’t even notice it anymore.
Final verdict? We’re both very happy with this mattress and have been sleeping very well on it. It’s leagues above our old mattress (which was to be expected), it leaves my back pain-free and refreshed, and it seems to accommodate both hot and cold sleepers.
And for the price, it simply cannot be beat. If you’re in the market for a new mattress, you’ve very likely experienced sticker shock. Yowza, they can be expensive. The S-Bed retails from $500 (twin) to $950 (king), which is surprisingly reasonable. I should note that it’s available on Amazon, and you’ll save a few bucks, but it’s unclear whether it still comes with the 120-night guarantee.
Happy sleeping!
BONUS REVIEW! (by Ken Denmead)
Turns out Brentwood Homes applies their profound memory-foam experience to pet beds as well. Our older pooch, who is a tripod, and in her elder years is suffering from serious joint pain, has been fussy in the past with her pet beds, but she took to this one readily (as you can see above). While she can’t voice her opinion, it’s clear she’s very happy with the bed. From an objective point of view, the bed seems excellently made, of durable materials, and the free name embroidery is a very nice touch. These are definitely a cut above the pet beds you’ll find in most big box pet stores. Small sizes start at $55.
Thank you for this review. I am looking at replacing my old boxspring & mattress.