Why choosing a mattress is hard, and how an hour-long sound bath helps

Most people choose a mattress they will sleep on for years after lying on it for a few minutes. That is not much to go on, and it is why so many people end up unsure whether they picked the right one. At our showroom in Atwater Village we have an unusual answer: some evenings, the showroom hosts sound baths, and guests spend an hour lying on our mattresses. If you are shopping for a bed, that hour tells you more than any quick test can.

Why a five-minute showroom test misleads

A quick test in any mattress store has the same problems:

• You lie stiffly. Few people relax on a bed in a bright room with other shoppers walking past, so you hold yourself in a way you never would at home.
• You are in street clothes. Jeans, a jacket, a belt and shoes you just took off all change how a bed feels.
• You are thinking about the decision. With someone waiting to hear what you think, it is hard to pay attention to the bed itself.
• You test the first impression. The top layers of a mattress decide how it feels in the first few seconds. What you sleep on all night is the support underneath and how the whole bed settles around you.

Our firmness guide explains this in more detail: firmness is what you feel in the first few seconds, and support is something else.

What you notice after 20 minutes of real rest

Once you stop paying attention to the bed and just lie there, different things start to show up:

• Pressure. Whether your shoulder or hip starts to feel the bed after a while, or whether you stop noticing them at all.
• Temperature. Whether you stay comfortable or start to feel warm where you are in contact with the mattress.
• How you settle. Whether you sink further than you expected, whether your back feels held, and whether you shift position to get comfortable.
• Movement. If you share the bed, whether you notice the other person turning over.

None of that is easy to judge in five minutes. All of it is easier to judge after an hour of lying still.

How the sound bath evenings work

Most sound baths happen on a mat on the floor. Here, every guest gets a bed. Sound baths at Mattress Central are run by Moon Soul Sound Baths, after the showroom has closed to shoppers. Doors open at 6:35 PM, and the sound bath runs from 7 to 8 PM. Arrivals after 7:10 may not be admitted, so give yourself time.

• You check in, pick a bed and settle in.
• Every bed has fresh sheets and pillows, plus a sleep mask to take home.
• Come on your own, or choose the two-person ticket and share a queen bed with a friend or partner.
• Comfortable clothes. You will be lying down for an hour, so skip the belt.

Upcoming dates are Saturday, November 7; Sunday, November 22; Sunday, December 6; and Saturday, December 19. Tickets are sold through Eventbrite; see the events page for tickets, terms and age requirements. If you have never been to one, read what to expect at a sound bath at Mattress Central.

How to make the most of it if you are shopping

You do not need to be shopping to enjoy a sound bath. If you are, a little planning helps:

• Arrive when doors open. The earlier you arrive, the more beds you have to choose from, so you are more likely to get the kind of bed you are curious about.
• Pay attention afterwards, not during. Let the hour be an hour of rest. When it ends, take a few minutes before you sit up and notice how you feel lying there.
• Ask which bed you were on. The bed you rest on is one we sell, so if you want to know which model it was, ask on your way out.
• Come back in daylight. The showroom is open daily from 9 AM to 8 PM. Come in, take your shoes off, and lie on that model again, then try the ones on either side of it in firmness.
• Write down one or two words. Plush or firm, warm or cool, held or sinking. That makes the next visit faster.

You can browse all mattresses before or after your visit to look up the model you rested on.

If you buy

• Free delivery anywhere in the US. Around Los Angeles our own team sets it up and takes your old mattress away.
• 120-night exchange.
• Financing with approved credit, in the showroom and online.

Find us

Mattress Central, 3319 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039, in Atwater Village, on the Eastside. The showroom is open daily, 9 AM to 8 PM, and sound baths run after the showroom closes to shoppers. Call (323) 522-3410 or contact us.