Buying a mattress is one of the least glamorous, yet most important purchases you can make. Although it’s completely covered by layers of linens, the mattress is your foundation for years of restful sleep so you want to get it right. Unfortunately, the shopping experience is a bit like buying a used car or bargaining in the souk. The price seems to depend on your willingness to walk away. And unless you’re ready to spend a few nights at the mattress retail store, you can’t really get a true sense of how a mattress feels just by laying down on it for a few minutes (of course, if you lay down and it folds you up like a taco, you’ll know to move on).
Enter the blissfully easy and affordable option of the mail-order mattress. The idea of a comfy and durable luxury mattress that arrives in a box at your front door sounded too good to be true but with the help of the folks at Leesa Sleep (Leesa.com), we gave it a try. The assurance of a 100-night in-home trial period, backed by a no-hassle, full-refund policy, means there’s no reason to worry that the product won’t meet expectations.
We ordered a queen-size mattress and a metal foundation that can fit inside an existing bed frame. Check-out on the Leesa site was a breeze, shipping is free, and our boxes arrived a few days later. We purchased the well-rated foundation separately from Overstock.com.
First, set up the platform that will support your mattress (plus 3,000 pounds according to the manufacturer! You know, in case you’re expecting a Clydesdale as an overnight guest). Our foundation comes out of the box in two folded pieces.
Putting the base together was easy-peasy—no tools required. Lay the pieces upside down and unfold the legs.
Move the braces into place and tighten the wing nuts to stabilize the legs.
Pop the two slotted halves of the foundation together and you’re set.
Now for the important part. Place the shipping carton on its side and pull the mattress out of the box. Place it on the foundation, carefully open the plastic bag, and remove it from the mattress.
Rolling out the mattress was rather fun—like watching those sponge animals grow in the tub when you were a little kid. The 10-inch-thick 100% American-made Leesa mattresses come in all traditional sizes. They’re made of three layers of high-quality foam and a 2-inch layer of Avena foam, offering a medium firmness overall that sleeps cool.
Within an hour, you’ll see a significant difference in the thickness of the mattress. After about 24 hours, it will be completely expanded. Our mattress plumped up like a dream and felt more comfy than memory foam beds we’d tried – plus it springs back more quickly.
If you have a bedstead, the foundation will sit right inside the headboard, footboard and rails, completely disguising the metal frame.
We dressed our new mattress in red and white sheets and shams from Coyuchi, Target pillows, foundation linens from The Company Store, and an antique quilt from a local shop. All set for a blissful night’s sleep. And you can snooze well on the knowledge that Leesa donates one mattress for every ten they sell so that even folks less fortunate have a comfy place to lay their heads.
Here are some more tips from the Leesa folks on how to get an even better night’s sleep.
Temperature: Turn down the thermostat to a cooler temperature at bedtime.
Light: Shut off the lights and draw your curtains. The darker, the better.
Technology: Unplug and put your technology to bed, too.
Nutrition: Avoid heavy meals and caffeine at night. [We say watch those fizzy drinks, too!]
Exercise: Exercise regularly to keep the stress away.
© Caruth Studio