April 10, 2016
Disclosure: This site receives a payment from GhostBed when you purchase a product using any links to that company in this article
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.
Construction
The GhostBed is an 11 inch memory foam and latex mattress. The top 1.5 inches is latex, followed by 2 inches of 4 pound density gel memory foam (which is stronger than average), and 7.5 inches of high-resiliency poly foam.
This is a fairly typical construction for these direct-to-consumer mattresses. The latex on the top layer will be more temperature-neutral than memory foam (meaning it won’t get as hot while you sleep) and it provides a little “bounce” in the top layer so you don’t feel like you get “stuck” in the mattress, which is a common complaint with memory foam mattresses.
The GhostBed as seen in my living room.
The memory foam underneath is designed to contour to your body and relieve pressure. Though, the memory foam is fairly firm, so you won’t sink very far into it.
How it feels
The more important thing is how the mattress feels. The mattress is pretty soft on the very top layer, but gets much firmer below that. On a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being concrete and a 10 being a marshmallow, this is about a 3.5. It doesn’t transfer much motion from side to side because of the memory foam layer, yet you don’t get “stuck” in the mattress because of the latex layer on top.
The Ghost Bed should be good for:
- People who like a medium-firm mattress. If you’ve tried mattresses that were called “luxury firm” or something similar, you may like this one
- Back sleepers. The soft part is only in the top 1.5 inches, and that’s all you really need a mattress to contour to if you’re on your back.
- Light to medium weight stomach sleepers. If you are very heavy and a stomach sleeper, this might end up being too soft. But if you’re average to skinny, and sleep on your stomach, this is fine
- Side sleepers without broad shoulders or wide hips. If you have really broad shoulders or wide hips, this might not contour enough to your body to keep you in alignment. Otherwise, it’s fine for most side sleepers.
Warranty and return policy
The Ghost Bed comes with a 10 year full warranty plus a 10 year prorated warranty. What that means is for the first 10 years, if it sags an inch from the surface or has any other structural defects, you get a new mattress for free. In years 11-20, you don’t get much back, but it’s a little added bonus if something goes wrong and you still have the mattress after so long. To protect the warranty, I recommend getting a mattress protector, because stains will void the warranty (not to mention human bodies are kinda gross, and you can’t wash your mattress).
It also comes with a 101 night return policy. The return policy is the main reason I am alright with the idea of buying a mattress online without trying it first. There’s no charge to return the mattress. The only restriction is that you have to keep it for 30 days to get used to the mattress and allow the foams to “break in.” (The mattress tends to be firmer at first). Ghost Bed will arrange for the pick up of the mattress, so you don’t have to worry about putting it back into a box or anything.
Price
The GhostBed is a bit lower priced than most direct-to-consumer mattresses on the market. Most end up being around $850 for the queen size. The GhostBed retails for $795 (but my readers get $50 off when you click on my link, automatically applied at checkout). Unlike most of these mattresses, the GhostBed has the option of coming with its own boxspring for $200. (More on that below). Instead of a boxspring, you can also get a platform bed or adjustable foundation.
This is one of the better values for a direct-to-consumer mattress out there. It’s about $50-100 less than a lot of its competitors, and for that you get a solidly-built mattress from a 15 year old company.
Boxspring
The GhostBed can come with its own matching foundation, but beware: it does not come assembled, and building the boxspring is not a pleasant experience. The queen comes in 7 pieces with 40 screws and a cover. I would not recommend attempting to build this boxspring unless you have an electric screwdriver and a friend willing to help you. It took me about 90 minutes to assemble alone.
This is how the boxspring is delivered. Quite a bit of assembly is required
The good news is it’s pretty sturdy. I know it uses real wood based on the pine tar that was all over my hands as I was trying to build it. This isn’t Ikea pressboard.
If you’re handy with an electric screwdriver and like building things, putting this together won’t be an issue. If you’re not handy and don’t have any friends that are, I’d recommend getting a platform bed. Some are easier to assemble and many places offer a furniture assembly service as part of their delivery.
Here’s what it looks like fully assembled. Steps included installing ~40 screws and flipping it over twice.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the GhostBed is a good choice for a direct-to-consumer mattress. At the $750 price range, I don’t know of any others that beat this one. If you’re willing to spend hundreds more, there are others out there that may be a bit better, but I don’t know of any other $750 mattresses that are this high quality.
Click here to buy a GhostBed and get $50 off
Disclosure: This site receives a payment from GhostBed when you purchase a product using any links to that company in this article
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Should you buy a mattress online or in store?
MattressNerd Says
May 6, 2018 at 7:10 pm
Groupon? I don't talk about Groupon at all. Certainly you don't think I'm responsible for what third-party sites do.
Gary vance Says
May 4, 2018 at 10:07 pm
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 .
DO Says
January 5, 2018 at 10:47 am
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
MattressNerd Says
February 20, 2017 at 12:26 pm
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.
JD Says
February 19, 2017 at 9:02 pm
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.
MattressNerd Says
February 10, 2017 at 5:40 pm
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.
James Says
February 9, 2017 at 9:52 am
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.
MattressNerd Says
November 3, 2016 at 4:38 pm
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.
MattressNerd Says
November 3, 2016 at 4:37 pm
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.
Heather Says
November 2, 2016 at 2:44 pm
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.
Tiffani Says
November 1, 2016 at 1:48 pm
Can you use regular boxspring?
Chris Says
October 18, 2016 at 7:54 pm
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.
MattressNerd Says
October 4, 2016 at 12:39 pm
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.
Jason Alexander Says
October 3, 2016 at 8:29 am
On a mattress like the Ghost, is it safe to flip it over regularly, still? We like to rotate ours, and wasn't certain that you can do that with the Ghost.
MattressNerd Says
September 19, 2016 at 12:33 pm
As long as your boxspring is a rigid foundation (i.e. no springs) and as long as it's in good condition, sure.
April Says
September 17, 2016 at 3:32 pm
Can I use my box spring I already have and just replace my mattress with the ghostbed?
MattressNerd Says
August 9, 2016 at 2:01 pm
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.
Erik Says
August 9, 2016 at 9:49 am
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.
MattressNerd Says
August 8, 2016 at 10:02 pm
I'm partial to the Leesa, mainly because that's the one I sleep on. I also like Spindle, but it is not the traditional mattress in a box... it's more of a higher end latex mattress and it doesn't have a free return policy. The Ghost Bed is also good; I like it almost as much as the Leesa and it's slightly cheaper. But overall, I've had my Leesa about a year and a half now, and it's been good so far.
Joshua Sanders Says
August 8, 2016 at 5:03 pm
What your favorite online Bed-In-A-Box? I need a King. We're both ~180lbs, and I'm a side sleeper.