Christeli Lux Estate

[phoenix]

Hi gcrain,

Thanks for the initial feedback about your new mattress … I appreciate it.

I bought a very thin cover from Christeli. It feels like the allogenic cover but I was surprised it didn’t zip and enclose the whole mattress, instead it attaches like a mattress pad.

This is the most common type of mattress protector and a mattress encasement isn’t usually necessary unless you have significant allergies to dust mites. It will protect your mattress against the body fluids that we all release each night as well as stains (which can void a warranty) and accidents and because it can be easily removed and washed it will do a much better job of keeping your sleeping surface in a clean and hygienic condition than a mattress encasement which isn’t meant to be removed on a regular basis.

I used a high quality bamboo mattress pad on top of it for the first 2 night and had some cramping in my middle back this morning. I’ve taken the mattress pad off to see if that helps.

Removing your mattress pad is a good idea because memory foam is temperature sensitive and needs body heat to soften when you lie on it and a mattress pad will affect the amount of body heat that reaches the memory foam and can reduce or slow down the ability of the memory foam to soften and contour to your body and can make it feel firmer.

I’m thinking I might prefer the Grand Palais which is also similar to the Grand bed but a little softer. One thing I noticed is the 6pd foam on top does not feel anything like the Tempurpedic Tempur HD 7pd foam. I found that a little disappointing because I like that feel a lot but I’m not sure if it actually contributes in anyway to comfort. Christeli has suggested taking the mattress off and walking around on it to help it break in. I’m a little hesitant to do that because while I am sure it will make it softer it may also dramatically lower lifespan.

There will always be an initial break in and adjustment period with any new mattress as the cover stretches and loosens a bit and the foam layers lose any of their “false firmness” and your body will also need to get used to a sleeping surface that is different from what it is used to. I would generally wait for a few weeks before considering any changes to your mattress (which is the reason for the 30 days before you can exchange a mattress) because it can be surprising how much your experience changes over the course of the first few weeks of owning a mattress. Don’t forget that the mattress you tested in the store would have already been broken in so it would feel softer than it did when it was new.

In the meantime there are some suggestions that may help in post #2 here and one of them is walking on your mattress which can speed up the break in period and is actually a good suggestion that won’t harm the mattress or affect its durability.

Phoenix