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GhostBed Mattress Review

GhostBed is yet another one of the latest direct-to-consumer, mattresses-in-a-box to hit the market. I was skeptical about this one at first until I realized that it is made by Nature’s Sleep, which is a respectable company that’s been around for 15 years. This was not just another marketing company trying to get in on the new mattress-in-a-box fad; it is an established mattress company taking advantage of the new distribution model.

Nerd Score: 4.7/5

Our Verdict: The GhostBed is an affordable and versatile mattress. If you are looking for high-quality without breaking the bank, this could be the perfect bed for you. A medium-firm feel and cooling gels make this bed great for sleepers who tend to heat up at night and are looking for a balance of support and comfort. 

WHO THE GHOSTBED MATTRESS IS BEST FOR

Best For…

May Not be Best For…
✅Sleepers who tend to get hot at night

✅People who change sleeping positions frequently in their sleep

✅Stomach & Back Sleepers

 ❌ Sleepers looking for traditional memory foam feel

❌Side sleepers may need a softer bed for more pressure relief

GHOSTBED MATTRESS IN-DEPTH REVIEW

At first glance, the GhostBed could appear to be just one of many direct-to-consumer, bed-in-a-box mattress companies to come on the scene in recent years. The GhostBed is a new mattress, but it’s manufactured by Nature’s Sleep, which has been around for some 15 years. In the mattress industry these days, 15 years qualifies you as a veteran.

That’s a good place to start when you’re looking to improve on and produce a latex foam mattress for the masses. The GhostBed, named in honor of the company owner’s childhood fear of ghosts hiding under his bed, was meant to be a mattress that any type of sleeper would like.

That’s a big ambition.

The medium firm latex foam GhostBed does deliver a mattress that quickly responds to your movements and will keep you cool enough to stay comfortable throughout the night. It’s not made of eco-friendly materials, but it is affordable.

If you have liked the feel of a foam mattress in the past, but still want something with the latest technology at a good price, the GhostBed will serve you well.

HIGHLIGHTS

The GhostBed is known for the following:

  • Responsiveness & cooling benefits of latex with the contouring of memory foam.
  • Not completely “green” but does use 100% CertiPUR-US certified materials.
  • On the firmer side of “medium-firm” so better for stomach and back sleepers.
  • Above-average cooling and response time compared to similar mattresses.
  • A 20-year warranty feels like two mattress lifetimes compared to others
  • Works well placed on nearly any flat surfaces (floors, flat bases, etc.)
  • Easy to order and return if you send it back before the end of a 101-night trial.

Ghostbed Mattress by Sleeping Positions

Back Side Stomach Combination
✅Firm enough to give proper back support.

✅Super soft top layer provides contouring when lying on back

❌Heavier back sleepers might find the bed too soft

 ✅Latex and foam combo helps the bed contour to your body

❌Side sleepers may want a softer bed to cradle their pressure points

❌Doesn’t have the sinking feeling of traditional memory foam so won’t cradle your body as well

 ✅Medium-firmness helps to keep spine aligned and prevents hips from sinking into bed.

 

 ✅Latex promotes responsiveness so you stay supported even as you toss and turn

❌Doesn’t limit motion as well as traditional memory foam.

Side Sleepers

When people sleep on their sides, they require a softer mattress that will cradle their hips and shoulders and relieve these pressure-heavy spots. Since the GhostBed is on the firmer side of medium-firm, side sleepers may want a more plush mattress that can conform to their body when lying on their side, but the mattress isn’t so firm that side sleepers can’t get a good night’s rest on it.

Back Sleepers 

The best mattresses for back sleepers support their lower backs, necks, legs, and hips. The Ghostbed’s firmness and dense memory foam layers provide great support, helping to keep the spine straight throughout the night. The soft top layer also gives added contouring when lying on your back.

Stomach Sleepers 

Similar to back sleepers, stomach sleepers  need support in their hips, legs, back, and neck. The Ghostbed is firm enough to keep stomach sleepers’ spines properly aligned while also preventing their hips from sinking into the mattress. 

Combination Sleepers 

Combination sleepers frequently change positions while sleeping, so their mattress needs to accommodate their various sleeping positions. The GhostBed uses a combination of latex and foam, making the bed responsive to your movements. However, combination sleepers also need motion isolation, which this online mattress doesn’t do as great of a job with as a traditional memory foam bed would. 

GHOSTBED FEATURES

Type

The GhostBed is a medium firm, latex mattress that also features gel memory foam.

Cooling

Standard memory foam mattresses had a bad reputation for grabbing body heat and letting it raise the mattress temperature throughout the night.

The GhostBed has technology meant to keep the sleeping surface cool. Each cover is stitched with breathable moisture wicking micron fabric. The aerated latex layer—small holes throughout—just beneath the cover will promote airflow, letting warmer air out and bringing cooler air in.

Firmness

The GhostBed is considered medium firm. It’s a popular firmness level because it usually means the mattress will support your body without putting undue pressure on hips, thighs, back and shoulders.

If you’ve tried mattresses that were called “luxury firm” or something similar, you may like this one. Back sleepers may like the super soft top layer. It’s only 1.5 inches, but it’s enough to contour to your body in you’re lying on your back.

If you’re on the lighter side, up to a normal body weight, and sleep on your stomach, the GhostBed should feel comfortable. It may feel too soft to you if you have a bigger figure as a back sleeper.

Side sleepers may not get what they need from the GhostBed. It’s on the firmer side of medium firm. Side sleepers need mattresses that contour to body curves (hips, shoulders) when lying on their sides.

One good thing about the GhostBed is that it won’t eat you alive, meaning you can get up and out of it when you need to. Classic memory foam mattress had that “slow descent into an alternate dimension” feel to them. Not so the Ghostbed.

Edge support

The latex foam used in the GhostBed is strong enough to offer good support along the four edges of the mattress. You won’t go sliding off onto the floor if you sit on the edge and you’ll feel the bed supports your if you sleep on the edge.

Motion transfer

There is some motion transfer, probably due to the latex layer at the top of the mattress. Traditional memory foam mattresses have less motion transfer. Consider the cooling latex a tradeoff. You’re cooler, but you give up a little bit when your partner needs to shift position at night or gets out of bed earlier than you do in the morning.

GHOSTBED CONSTRUCTION

The GhostBed is an 11-inch latex and foam mattress with three layers that work to give great support to the sleeper.

The cover is soft, breathable fabric that wicks away heat and moisture.

The 1 1/2-inch top layer is aerated synthetic rubber latex that absorbs pressure. You won’t sink or get loss in the mattress either, since the latex bounces back.

The 2-inch middle comfort layer is memory foam (4-pound density) infused with a cooling gel that relieves pressure on hips, thighs, back and shoulders.

The bottom layer is a thick, 7 1/2-inch piece of high-density foam. This support foam layer is very resilient and supports the rest of the mattress, giving it a great chance to gracefully withstand years of use.

SPECS FOR THE GHOSTBED

Here is a breakdown of the GhostBed specifications:

Dimensions

  • Twin: 39″ x 75″
  • Twin XL: 38” x 80”
  • Full: 54” x 75”
  • Queen: 60” x 80”
  • King: 76” x 80”
  • Cal King: 72” x 84”

Weight

89 pounds for a queen size

Thickness

11 inches

BUYING EXPERIENCE

Trial

You will be able to road test, or bed test, the GhostBed for 101 nights. That’s three months. You can return it for free during your trial period after sleeping in it for at least 30 nights, to get used to the mattress and allow the foam to break in. (The mattress tends to be firmer fresh out of the box.) You will get a full refund of the purchase price during the sleep trial, but only if you placed the order directly through GhostBed.

The GhostBed folks will take care of repacking it. GhostBed also takes care to donate the mattress to local charities and shelters so they don’t go to waste.

Warranty

The GhostBed comes with 20-year limited warranty that breaks down to two chunks of 10 years each. The first 10 years is a full warranty. The second decade is a prorated warranty.

During the first 10 years, if the mattress sags at least an inch from the surface or has any other structural problems, you get a new mattress for free. During years 11-20, you get the same protection except you’ll pay a pro-rated fee for the replacement.

The example GhostBed gave us: Say something fails after the 10th anniversary of your purchase date, that’s roughly halfway through the warranty or 50 percent of the warranty. You’d pay 50 percent of the original mattress price to get the new replacement. If you paid $1000 for the new one, you’d pay $500 for the replacement. After year 15, you’d pay 75 percent for a replacement for any defects, so $750.

Like mattress companies all over the country, they still expect you to play nice to protect the warranty. For example, stains could void the warranty, so get a mattress protector.

Delivery & Setup

The GhostBed is delivered to your door compressed and rolled into a 17” x 17” x 45” box for a queen sized unit. The company ships free to the 48 contiguous states and should expect to see the mattress at your door within 3-5 business days. That almost qualifies as lightning quick in the mattress industry.

To activate your new unit you only need to take it out of the box, unroll it onto a box spring, foundation, or adjustable base, and the mattress will spring to life.

It may take a few hours to a full day for the mattress to fully expand after its trip in a vacuum-sealed plastic covering and box. If the weather or your home is cold for whatever reason, it may take longer for the mattress to fully expand.

You can still sleep on it almost immediately.

Customer service

You don’t need to click anything in order to communicate with someone who can answer questions during business hours. Just visiting the site will earn you a shoutout from a customer service rep eager to answer your questions.

Beyond that, you still stand a good chance of reaching a real person later in the day or evening. One customer reviewer marveled that they had spoken to “live humans after hours!”

We asked a question about the GhostBed 20-year warranty through the chat feature in the middle of the business day and the reply was quick and thorough. The rep even gave an example to help us understand how it worked.

GHOSTBED PRICES

High $ to $$ (See scale below).

SymbolRange
$$0-750
$$$750-1,250
$$$$1,250-2,000
$$$$$2,000 – $4,000
$$$$$$4,000+

The GhostBed doesn’t cost as much as other boxed mattresses sold online directly to consumers. It also offers, for another $200 or so, a box spring built specifically for the GhostBed to help the mattress live a long, structurally sound life.

GET SPECIAL OFFER

CONCLUSION

The GhostBed is a good choice for a direct-to-consumer mattress because of its affordability and how it seeks to appeal to a wide swath of sleepers with different needs.

If you’re willing to spend hundreds more, there are plenty of mattresses that will perform better. But you will pay less and still get plenty of quality with the GhostBed.

The slightly firmer than medium-firm latex foam mattress does quickly respond when you shift positions. It will keep you plenty cool because two layers are infused with cooling gels and the latex layer is perforated to allow air in and out.

Despite the arrival of hybrid mattresses using both coils and foam, memory foam mattresses have fans. If you’re still a lover of the foam, the original GhostBed has the price point and the goods to make you feel right at home.

Other GhostBed Mattresses We Love: GhostBed Luxe Mattress Review, GhostBed Flex Mattress Review 

FAQs: 

Where is the Ghostbed made?

The Ghostbed is made right here in the USA by Nature’s Sleep.

Can the synthetic latex in the Ghostbed mattress cause allergies? 

Luckily, latex foam mattresses do not cause allergies. The latex core of the bed is washed thoroughly and the mattress cover protects the skin against direct contact.

Does my Ghostbed have a weight limit?

When used on a strong foundation, the Ghostbed can hold up to 750 lbs. This is on the higher end of weight limits among mattress companies.

Comments (20)

  1. Nowhere do you reveal to the consumers that if they use a groupon, that it voids the trial period & that the mattress cannot be returned. We were not made aware of this policy and now are stuck with a mattress that we don’t like .

    Reply

    • Groupon? I don’t talk about Groupon at all. Certainly you don’t think I’m responsible for what third-party sites do.

  2. JD, I agree with you about side sleepers. I have never had hip pain while sleeping until I started using the Ghost. My wife and I have a king with 2 adjustable twin bases. We love the adjustable base and my wife is sleeping better, but I haven’t had a real good nights sleep since getting this – I have to rotate to often to alleviate my hip pain. I’m not a big man by any means (185 lbs), but I feel like I’m laying on the floor after a few minutes in bed. Adjusting the head up helps a little, but I don’t feel like I should have to do that after spending nearly $1000 on a bed! The bed should cuddle me and put me to sleep!
    I am seriously considering returning this mattress, I’m in the middle of the trial now and as of now I can’t see my mind changing

    Reply

  3. Ghost trial…The ghost bed isn’t for side sleepers in my opinion. Way too firm. The topper they send to make it better is a smaller footprint and is made in China. The mattress case looks and feels low quality and is misshapen. (Not a big deal in itself) Be aware if you buy two twins to use as a split king the trial is worthless. They will site policy and only allow you to be refunded for one twin. A lot of good that does. Now we are stuck with half a bed that we didn’t like.
    Their customer service isn’t anything spectacular. They could have made it right but chose to just refer to their policy. Over all this has gone from an underwhelming experience to flat out frustration. We gave this bed and company every opportunity and I suggest you learn from my blunder. We did lots of research and read 100’s of reviews and this is the review I wish we would have read.

    Reply

    • Thanks for posting, that’s good information. It does say that only one mattress is returnable per household, but it was buried so deep in the FAQ that I missed it.

  4. Please note, if you get one with a “promotional” offer such as the ghost pillows, and decide it is not right for you they will require you return the pillows at your own expense otherwise deduct $85 each from your refund. Promotional does not mean you have to give them back. Their business practices are shady. Order a purple or helix instead, they actually respect their customers.

    Reply

    • That doesn’t sound shady to me. Those are not cheap pillows. I don’t see an easy way to do it other than have you return them. Maybe they could offer to pay the ~10 bucks it would take to send it back, but that seems like a very minor complaint.

  5. Does the company have Black Friday sales? My husband has been putting off buying himself a new mattress for his napping room/mancave, and I’d like to see him quit doing endless research and order a mattress. His daily nap is essential to preserving marital harmony; without his nap he’s quite grumpy.

    Reply

    • The online companies generally don’t have big black friday sales. Some of them might offer an extra small gift card or something (don’t know about Ghost Bed in particular), but these mattresses are generally priced reasonably to begin with, rather than having inflated retail prices.

    • You need a rigid foundation. Most newer boxsprings are. Old boxsprings (say about 10 years old) had springs in it, which doesn’t work well with foam mattresses.

  7. I just bought a Ghost Bed and as a very heavy person who sleeps on their stomach, I actually find this bed to be too firm. I don’t know if this is just me, but the firmness actually seems to press into my stomach/chest and makes breathing a little difficult. I’m glad they have a 100 day trial, it looks like I’m going to have to return it.

    Reply

    • It’s fine to rotate the mattress head-to-foot. In fact, it’s recommended to help even out the wear.

      However, flipping it over top-to-bottom isn’t possible. The Ghost Bed, like the vast majority of mattresses these days, are built from the bottom up, with a support layer on the bottom and comfort layer on the top.

  10. What I’d like to know is: This has an add-on box spring. Is it necessary? I have a platform bed. Adding a box and then 11 inch mattress I’d need a ladder to get in. Same question on your slight favorite the Leesa. Thanks.

    Reply

    • If you have a platform bed with the slats close enough together (no further apart than 3 inches, 2 is preferable), then you do not need a boxspring.

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