I’ve been researching memory foam mattresses for a while and came across Healthy Foundations early on. Their product sounds impressive and their 365 return period and return fee can’t be beaten as far as I can see. They seem to have become the standard against which I’m comparing all other mattresses and retailers.
Has anyone dealt with them? Am I missing something important about their mattress? I’m a side sleeper with a preference for a harder mattress.
Hi Clark,
Healthy foundations is certainly one of the better online options but they wouldn’t be my “standard” by any means. They only have one mattress rather than a range that can be tailored to an individual’s needs and preferences. In other words it’s an all or nothing proposition although their return policy is very good which can minimize the risk of trying them out.
There are some memory foam options in Post #12 here which have a wider range of choices, more versatility, can be adjusted for firmness and support in some cases, and have better value.
Phoenix
Thanks for the links, Phoenix, but those return policies are far too burdensome for me to even consider. It wouldn’t surprise me to discover that their intent is to discourage any thought of attempting a return.
It’s so difficult to make a decision when the reality is that you only know what suits after spending a significant amount of time on a mattress. Twenty or thirty minutes on a mattress in a store doesn’t begin to tell you whether the mattress will suit in real life. Heck, I went shopping and my favorite mattress was the Tempurpedic Simplicity (which I wouldn’t buy for half the price).
If I screw up my courage and pull the trigger on the Healthy Foundations, I’ll post a follow-up.
Hi Rico,
In reality any return policy is a cost that is built in to the cost of a mattress. Shipping and returns of course cost money so each manufacturer builds in a reasonable return rate and the costs involved and then this is “subsidized” by everyone who purchases a mattress. Some choose to “break out” these costs and some choose to add them in to the price of their mattress. Return rates are typically quite low for a manufacturer who is good at helping people make better choices. Local testing on a similar mattress can also help to make sure that what you are buying is somewhat close to your needs and preferences. Most returns or exchanges offered by better manufacturers are there to help in the rare cases that there is a mistake and the intent is to balance the cost added to the mattress to subsidize returns with the cost of returning it and making the risk of an online purchase attractive. There is no such thing as a single mattress that suits the majority of people because everyone’s needs can be very different. Which mattress may be best for a particular individual depends on their height/weight/body shape, sleeping positions, and on their individual preferences. I do like their idea of donating the mattress to charity though and using the receipt to recover some of their lost costs.
Actually this is not the case for the majority of people. If someone knows how to test a mattress in a store (not just for subjective comfort in a managed store environment) … 15 minutes spent on the mattress can give a clear indication of how a mattress will perform in the long term for a large majority of people. Again … this depends on whether the person buying knows what to test for or on whether the person helping them has the knowledge and skill to help them make the best long term decisions.
If a return policy was the single biggest part of my value equation (rather than the construction, value, or suitability of a mattress for an particular individual) … I would probably also be looking at a big box store such as Walmart, Costco, or Sams Club and a few others who often have some very good quality and value mattresses and offer returns and refunds with no cost. In some cases they will also come and pick up the mattress. This way you have a choice of mattresses which can improve the odds of making a more suitable purchase although this also takes some knowledge and/or research into mattress materials and construction to determine the quality, value, and suitability of what you are considering unless someone is OK with random chance and just “rolling the dice” with the protection of the refund policy.
I certainly agree with you that the Simplicity is not worth considering. 2.5 lb memory foam is about the lowest density memory foam you can buy.
If you do decide to go in this direction your feedback would certainly be welcome 
Phoenix
I purchased a Healthy Foundations mattress about a month ago and have had good experiences with their customer service, but a horrible one with the mattress itself.
Full disclosure - I am a stomach sleeper that prefers a firmer mattress, so some might be questioning why I went with memory foam in the first place. That said, I had a memory foam mattress from Selectabed/ReliefMart for 5 years without problems, then switched to the queen sized memory foam mattress from Healthy Foundations.
Specs for the HF mattress: 10" in height made of 4 layers - at the bottom two layers of 3" convoluted 2.3 lb density poly foam (the bottom layer a firmer feel than the 2nd layer), next a 2" layer of 5 lb memory foam on top of this, and a top 2" layer of 4 lb memory foam.
It was between that and the Tri-Pedic platinum offered by Selectabed, as the specs were comparable. I prefer a more supportive mattress, and the most common complaint online about the Healthy Foundations mattress was that it was too firm - exactly what I wanted.
Well, it turned out to have zero support, and the beginning of non-stop back problems that began after the first night and have persisted throughout the month that I’ve had it. After the 3rd night, the muscles in my lower back were so aggravated that I had back spasms for a week, and even sleeping on my side, I have not had a single night of decent sleep on this mattress. I’m used to sinking into a memory foam mattress to a point, but this is like trying to roll over in quicksand.
Their 365 day return policy was what sold me on taking the plunge, since there are no tax or shipping charges, it really is risk free from a financial standpoint (if not a physical one). There is a $75 dollar fee to return it (ie, a junk removal company picks it up), but the owner said they will waive that if the mattress is donated to charity.
As soon as I find a new bed (or even a stopgap if anyone can recommend a cheap inflatable mattress that would hold me over for a week or two), I’ll finish the return of the HF mattress and post an update on how quickly I get the refund.
Hi Daniel,
I think most of my comments are in my reply to your other post but I’m grateful that you are sharing your experiences with Healthy Foundations. Their return policy is certainly good even though their mattresses and in particular the options they offer are not the best value IMO and as you know … the risk of an online purchase where there is limited selection can be higher.
If you are looking for a “stopgap” … then perhaps 4" or so of inexpensive polyfoam from a local foam supplier or a mattress topper would do the trick as long as it wasn’t too soft. A quick search turned up http://www.yelp.com/biz/norms-foam-and-fabric-center-los-angeles near Culver City and a quick call also showed that he has been there for about 45 years and sells some good quality foam (made in the US and he stocks 1.8 lbs and above) and also makes foam mattresses but he was too busy to talk with me further about what he makes and was rather abrupt and kept suggesting that I (or whoever I was helping) just come in and see what he has. I think he thought I was trying to sell him a website or something because the first thing I mentioned was his website http://normsfoam.com/ which only contains two words “now what” which I thought was quite funny :). He said that about 3" of polyfoam would be in the range of about $90 plus tax but again it seemed he was trying to get off the phone (he had some customers in the store) and/or figure out why I was calling more than he was trying to answer my questions. I said I’d call him back later to find out more about what he makes … if he’s willing to tell me without telling me again to “just come in and see”.
Phoenix
Thanks for the great feedback on both posts Phoenix.
Hi Daniel,
One more Santa Monica option to add to the list (and which I didn’t know about before)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/sleep-n-aire-mattress-factory-santa-monica I talked with them very briefly (they had customers in the store) and they are a local mom and pop manufacturer that makes latex mattresses (mostly dunlop cores but will use talalay as well) and traditional innerspring/polyfoam mattresses. They are working on a website but rely on Yelp for now. They also carry some memory foam mattresses (which they don’t make themselves but which use good quality memory foam) and some Simmons mattresses (which I would ignore). Like most smaller local manufacturers, they sell primarily by word of mouth and are happy to tell their customers the details of the materials they use in their mattresses. they certainly fit the profile of a better quality/value manufacturer and would be well worth a visit.
Phoenix