You elicit a very particular kind of shock when you tell people you’re going to go test a $189,000 mattress. It’s a mix of confusion on whether you quoted the price correctly, awe that the product exists, and a dash of disdain that anyone would spend such a sum on a mattress of all things.
But of all things to spend that sum on, why not a mattress? The general consensus is that we spend a third of our life in bed, so shouldn’t you invest in it?
That’s the sentiment shoppers must arm themselves with when visiting Dallas Luxury Beds in the Design District, where mattress prices range from $10,000 to $40,000, until this week at least, when Hästens $189,000 Vividus bed entered the Dallas market.
Okay, let’s break down this bed. It takes four certified craftsmen about 320 hours to hand craft the Vividus using nearly 460 pounds of natural materials in Köping, Sweden, where family-owned Hästens has been based since 1852. “Yes, it’s the man hours, and it’s all the detail, but it’s also the materials,” says Mary Pat Wallace, president of Chicago Luxury Beds. “You can get a Mercedes for $30,000. You can also get one for $325,000. These brands that have curated these products for 100-plus years have to push the envelope.”
The Hästens website asserts that “it’s the best and most luxurious bed we’ve ever made,” and I believe them. It also says that “to experience the Vividus sleep is like touching a dream.” I only laid on the mattress for a few short minutes, but that was long enough to feel the sharp contrast between the old mattress I bought from a sorority sister a decade ago and this heavenly, handcrafted work of art.
The magic is in the delicate balance between pressure relief and support. All Hästens mattresses come in extra soft, soft, medium, firm, and extra firm, which should be chosen according to a person’s height, weight, and the way they sleep. Ideally, beds should contour the body, and keep the spine straight no matter what kind of sleeper (back, side, or stomach) you are. “Mattresses should put you in a zero-gravity state,” adds Wallace.
Of course, most of us will never be able to buy this bed, and that’s fine! (I’ve already come to terms with it.) But we can still appreciate a work of deeply functional art. “For 99.9 percent of the world, this is extraordinary,” says Wallace. “But if you’re somebody who buys $500 bottles of wine, spends $10,000 to $20,000 on a vacation, and buys the best of the best of everything, this is well worth the investment. This bed is going to be fabulous forever.”
I believe her.
