Believe it or not, the mattress we just bought for our guest bedroom was the first one either of us had ever really shopped for in person. Up until now we’d slept on hand-me-downs from family, or picked up inexpensive mattresses from thrift stores—two daybed mattresses came from Goodwill back in the pre-bed-bug-days—and our organic mattress was purchased online. Buying a mattress face-to-face felt unfamiliar and a little intimidating at first.
We wanted to do enough research to make a thoughtful choice without turning it into a months-long quest. Since this mattress will be for occasional use by guests rather than daily sleep, we aimed for a solid, comfortable option that would please most people. We had already gathered a few recommendations from friends and readers after mentioning our search on a previous post, so we had some good starting points.
We ultimately bought the bed at The Original Mattress Factory after seeing a Consumer Reports ranking that placed them near the top. We decided early on that an innerspring mattress with a box spring felt like the safest, most crowd-pleasing route. Memory foam can be polarizing—some people find it too hot, and experiences vary—so we opted for a classic innerspring setup instead.
What sold us immediately when we walked into the store was how clear and straightforward the process was. There were three things that stood out:
- They only sell their own locally made mattresses; the storefront is part of the actual factory where the mattresses are produced.
- They display cross-sections of all their mattress models (and several competitors) so customers can compare materials, coil construction, filler layers and wire gauge at a glance.
- They do not run short-term sales or complicated promotions. Because they manufacture and sell directly, their pricing is consistent and there are no confusing markdown gimmicks.
That transparency made the decision easier. We still took the time to visit a couple of discount mattress stores and Ikea to compare options. Those other stores felt confusing by contrast: multiple brands, layered promotions and unclear pricing made it hard to evaluate real value. Ikea had a few models we liked, but they couldn’t deliver in our needed timeframe and were actually pricier than the model we chose at The Original Mattress Factory, which also earned positive independent reviews and an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
After comparing options, we returned to The Original Mattress Factory and bought a full-size Classic Luxury Firm mattress set for $379, a price that included the box spring. We chose a model with a bit of extra cushioning to make overnight guests comfortable, but not an ultra-luxury pillow-top. Adding a frame ($50), delivery ($38) and sales tax ($21) brought our total to $488—just under the $500 budget we set for this purchase.
Here’s Burger giving the new mattress a quality-control check. Thankfully he appears satisfied.
We selected a full-size mattress because it fits the room best, works with the bedding and headboard we already own, and matches what most of our family and friends have in their guest rooms. That made the choice practical as well as economical—no need to buy new sheets or a new headboard. Now the task is to finish the rest of the room so it feels like a complete guest bedroom rather than a mattress in the middle of a room. We hope to have it put together in the next couple of days.
Final takeaways for anyone mattress shopping for a guest room: consider whether you want innerspring or memory foam (innerspring tends to be more universally accepted), look for stores that show build quality and materials openly, and avoid confusing, time-limited sales that make comparison shopping harder. A straightforward, well-made mattress that fits your room and budget will usually do the job for occasional use.
Note: We’re also sharing a small giveaway on another site today: a compact video camera we often use to shoot our clips. If you enjoy our video content, there’s a chance to enter that giveaway over there, and we’ll post a new short Clara video featuring a tambourine soon.