When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, one of the most important factors is your mattress. We all sleep on one, but things such as the level of support and the materials used can vary greatly from mattress to mattress. Calgary is home to several high-quality mattress options, whether you’re looking for something with a pedigree or one that’s locally made.
Visit a sleep spa
Goldgrass Home is the exclusive Calgary retailer of Sweden-based Hastens, one of the oldest and best-known mattress companies in the world. During a store renovation in 2015, Goldgrass created a Hastens Sleep Spa in its basement featuring seven different Hastens mattresses ranging in tension from soft to extra-firm.
Those who are serious about buying a mattress can undergo an alignment education session and book the sleep spa for two or three hours to take a nap on one of the mattresses in private. Music, air filters and lamps help create a restful environment, and you can use linens supplied by the store or bring your own.
“Purchasing a mattress of any sort is an investment, whether that’s a dollar investment or not,” says Riva Mackie, co-owner of Goldgrass Home. “Some mattresses don’t cost a lot of money, but you’re still sleeping on a bed eight hours a night. So it’s a really big decision in life, more so than I think people give it credit for.
“What a sleep spa does is it gives the opportunity for someone to experience the bed before they buy it.”
Buy a Calgary-made mattress
High-quality mattresses are also designed and made right here in Calgary. Dean Halstead, who has more than 30 years of mattress-making experience and is the CEO of Calgary Mattress Makers, has made tens of thousands of mattresses over his career. While some people choose a mattress based on its appearance, Halstead stresses the importance of taking other factors, such as the type and even smell of materials used, into consideration.
“A good mattress has great support, good cushioning and great ventilation. And most people give up great ventilation for good looks,” Halstead says. “That’s irrational. [When you sleep] your eyes are closed, you’ve got sheets on it.”
The ability to pick and choose mattress materials and customize the amount of support is what makes going local so appealing. Calgary companies including Sleep Boutique have been making custom mattresses for decades and offer a wide range of material and design options to suit individual sleeping needs and issues.
Calgary Mattress Makers and Black Sheep Mattress Company also offer many customization options and specialize in using natural, non-toxic materials.
What to do with your old mattress
If you’ve purchased a new mattress, you may be wondering what to do with your old one.
Calgary is home to Alberta’s only mattress-recycling facility, Re-Matt. Open since 2014, the facility at 3234 9 St. S.E. accepts mattresses for a small fee and approximately 95 per cent of the raw materials (metal, foam, wood et al) is recycled instead of sitting in a landfill.
Now that’s something that will help you sleep better at night.
Where to go mattress shopping
Black Sheep Mattress Company
4120 8 St. S.E., 403-455-8491, blacksheepmattress.com
Calgary Mattress Makers
1933 10 Ave. S.W., 403-452-9952, calgarymattressmakers.ca
Goldgrass Home
1237 9 Ave. S.E., 403-452-1001, goldgrasshome.com
Sleep Boutique
5010 1 St. S.E., 403-287-1960, sleepboutique.ca
