There is a category of mattress that exists completely outside the conversation most people have about sleep.
Not the $1,500 hybrid with cooling gel. Not the $3,000 pillow-top from a department store. Not the bed-in-a-box that arrived compressed in a cardboard tube.
This is the category where mattresses are made entirely by hand, one at a time, by craftspeople whose skills take years to develop. Where the materials, including wool, horsehair, silk, cashmere, and cotton, are chosen not for their marketing appeal but for how they perform over decades. Where the springs are measured in individual units, nested by hand, and guaranteed for twenty-five to thirty years. Where the wait time is measured in weeks because the bed does not exist until you order it.
At this level, three names dominate the conversation in New York City and across the world: Vispring, Hästens, and Savoir Beds.
All three are heritage manufacturers with decades of craftsmanship behind them. All three build their mattresses largely from natural materials rather than synthetic foams, and all three approach sleep as a long-term investment rather than a short-term purchase.
But they are not the same. Understanding those differences, technically and experientially, is what this piece is about.
Most mattress comparisons focus on price or materials. But the question of who makes the best ultra-luxury mattress is ultimately a question about philosophy: what the brand believes a bed should be, how that belief shapes every decision from the spring wire to the warranty, and whether that philosophy matches the way you sleep.
A mattress at this level is not a purchase. It is a long relationship with an object you spend a third of your life on. The quality of that relationship affects your energy, recovery, daily performance, and long-term physical health in ways that a car or a watch or a handbag simply do not.
That is why this question deserves more than a surface comparison of thread counts and spring counts. It deserves an honest look at the three brands that have genuinely earned the right to compete at the highest level of the category.
Vispring's story begins not in a factory but with an invention. In 1899, a Canadian-born engineer named James Marshall developed the pocketed spring, a coil individually encased in its own fabric pocket, capable of moving independently from its neighbours. It was a technical breakthrough that changed how mattresses could support the human body.
Two years later, in 1901, John Nolon and Frederick James acquired the rights to Marshall's patent and founded the company in London that would become Vispring, the original pioneer of the spring technology that is now the global standard for luxury mattress construction. More than 125 years later, every Vispring bed is still handcrafted in Plymouth, England, by craftspeople whose skills are measured in years of practice rather than hours of training.
What makes Vispring distinctive begins at the most fundamental level of the product. Every spring in the mattress is manufactured in-house from vanadium steel, a metal chosen specifically for its strength and long-term resilience.
Vispring does not buy springs from an external supplier. They make them, to their own specification, under their own quality control, in their own factory. When Vispring offers a 30-year guarantee, they are guaranteeing a component they built themselves. Few mattress manufacturers retain this level of control over such a critical component of the finished product.
Each vanadium steel spring is individually hand-nested into a breathable calico cotton pocket, then arranged by skilled craftspeople into a tight honeycomb configuration. This arrangement allows each spring to respond independently to different areas of the body while distributing weight evenly across the mattress, creating precise support without sacrificing stability.
The natural filling materials are selected with the same intention. British Shetland and Cheviot wool for breathability and natural temperature regulation. Long-fiber South American horsetail for additional resilience. Silk and cashmere in the higher collections for softness and warmth.
The engineering philosophy extends beyond the mattress itself. Vispring's sprung divans use the same independently pocketed spring system as the mattress, creating a fully integrated sleep system where the support philosophy is consistent from the base to the surface. This is another meaningful technical differentiator.
Vispring received the King's Award for Enterprise in International Trade Category in 2024, one of the most prestigious honours awarded by the British Crown, recognizing 125 years of consistent craftsmanship, quality, and international reach.
In New York City, Vispring is exclusively available at the SoHo showroom at 459 Broome Street, where nine models are available to experience in person.
Hästens was founded in 1852 in Köping, Sweden. The company began as a saddlery, a trade that also involved working with horsehair-filled bedding. Over time, bedmaking became the family business's primary focus.
The brand is now in its sixth generation of family ownership. The iconic blue check fabric, one of the most recognizable patterns in the luxury world, was introduced by Jack Ryde in 1978 and has since become as much a part of the Hästens identity as the beds themselves. Hästens is a Purveyor to the Royal Court of Sweden, an appointment the company has held since 1952.
Hästens beds are built from horsehair, cotton, linen, and wool using traditional Swedish craftsmanship. Like Vispring, the company uses individually pocketed springs. The difference is that Hästens sources those springs from specialist manufacturers rather than producing them in-house. That distinction does not determine comfort on its own, but it does reflect a different manufacturing philosophy and level of control over one of the mattress's most important components.
What makes Hästens distinctive is the depth and density of its natural filling layers. Each bed contains multiple layers of hand-worked horsehair combined with cotton, wool, and flax. The result is a bed with exceptional loft, buoyancy, and a distinctive warmth that comes from the density of natural materials compressed and shaped by hand.
Hästens also offers meaningful customization. Their signature blue check is available in multiple colorways and the configuration of the continental system, top mattress, base mattress, and box spring, can be adjusted to suit individual preferences. Couples can specify different comfort levels on each side. Lead times vary according to the model, configuration, and location of purchase and should be confirmed with the showroom.
Hästens has a flagship location in SoHo and multiple retail presences across New York City.
Savoir Beds has a distinctive origin story in the luxury mattress world, one rooted entirely in hospitality.
In 1905, the founders of London's legendary Savoy Hotel commissioned a proprietary sleep system for their guests, one that would ensure that everyone who stayed at The Savoy slept on something extraordinary. The bed became so celebrated that The Savoy eventually purchased the factory outright to keep the design exclusive to the hotel.
Today Savoir beds are available across New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Miami, and other major cities worldwide, and their beds are featured in some of the most prestigious hotels and private residences in existence.
Savoir's construction varies by model. Its bed sets can combine traditionally hand tied hourglass springs in the base with pocket-spring construction in the mattress, reflecting methods developed from the original Savoy bed. This is a deliberate heritage choice rather than a technical limitation. The open hourglass coils form a unified, interconnected support network rather than moving independently, creating a different sleep experience: stable, enveloping, and consistent across the entire mattress surface. It is the classic feel of a grand hotel suite, which makes complete sense given where the brand came from.
What makes Savoir distinctive is the depth of its bespoke process. Every bed begins not on a production floor but in a consultation, a trained specialist takes physical measurements, discusses sleeping positions, body weight distribution, and room architecture before a single component is selected. The hourglass springs are then hand-tied into the frame using traditional techniques that have remained largely unchanged since 1905, a process that requires significant manual skill. Build times vary according to the model and degree of customization and should be confirmed directly with Savoir.
Savoir's filling materials are similarly hand-selected and layered, lambswool, cotton felt, and curled horsehair are combined in combinations specific to each client's measurements and preferences. The brand also offers an extraordinary range of upholstery and ticking options, including silks, velvets, and customer-supplied fabrics, making the finished bed as much a piece of furniture as a sleep system.
The New York showroom is at 54 Greene Street in SoHo, walking distance from Vispring.
At this price level, every brand uses premium natural materials. One of the most consequential technical differences is the spring system, together with how the mattress, topper, and base are engineered to work as a complete bed.
Vispring pioneered the pocket spring and has manufactured its own springs in-house for over 125 years. Every spring is made from vanadium steel, individually pocketed in breathable calico cotton, and hand-nested by craftspeople in Plymouth. Because the springs respond independently, they are designed to adapt to variations in pressure across the body and reduce the transfer of movement between sleeping partners. The technical distinction in spring ownership matters because Vispring's 30-year guarantee is supported by a spring system manufactured in-house, to its own specification and quality standards.
Hästens uses the same independent pocket spring architecture but sources springs externally. The finished mattress reflects the quality of the assembly and natural materials, delivering a genuinely comfortable night's sleep.
Savoir's spring construction depends on the model and can include both hand tied hourglass springs and pocket springs within the complete bed set. This produces a different overall structure from a Vispring mattress-and-divan system, but the final feel depends on the specific Savoir model, topper, base, and bespoke specification.
This is the question most comparison articles avoid because it requires spending time on each mattress. Here is how the experiences are distinct.
A Hästens bed has a distinctive buoyancy. The layered horsehair creates a certain lift and responsiveness that feels almost cloud-like on first contact. The blue check aesthetic is part of the experience: the bed is designed to be seen as much as felt, and Hästens leans into that with confidence. The brand's positioning has always been unapologetically aspirational and visible. The sleep experience is real, and so is the strong visual and status-driven identity.
A Savoir bed delivers the unified, stable feel of a traditional five-star hotel suite, which makes complete sense given its origins at The Savoy. The open hourglass spring network creates a consistent surface across the entire mattress plane, enveloping and supportive in a way that reflects the brand's hospitality heritage. If you have ever slept at a great hotel and thought "I need to sleep like this every night," a Savoir bed is the closest approximation of that experience you can bring home.
A Vispring bed feels different in a specific and important way. The support is more precise and body-specific. The vanadium steel springs respond independently to different pressure points with a quiet attentiveness that is difficult to describe in words but immediately apparent the moment you lie down. The natural materials create exceptional breathability. Wool wicks moisture, horsetail hair allows air circulation, and the complete absence of foam means the bed never traps heat the way synthetic alternatives do. Vispring's identity is quieter and more product-led.
Understanding how these brands price relative to each other requires looking at the complete sleep system, mattress plus base, since that is what you sleep on.
The complete Vispring Elite King sleep system with divan retails at $11,400. This is still handcrafted in Plymouth using vanadium steel pocket springs, natural fillings, and the same fundamental manufacturing principles that define every model in the collection. The craftsmanship does not begin further up the range, it is present from the first model.
The entry-level Hästens Maranga King continental sleep system is listed at $27,980.
Savoir begins at approximately $8,000 for the mattress alone and scales significantly as bespoke requirements increase.
At the top of each range: Vispring's Diamond Majesty reaches $127,000 and beyond. Savoir's No. 1 Bed Set exceeds $138,000. Hästens' Grand Vividus can surpass $600,000 for bespoke configurations.
Considered over the full length of the guarantee, the picture changes. A complete sleep system at $11,400 with a 30-year guarantee works out to a long-term cost that reads differently once measured against replacing a lower-quality mattress every eight to ten years.
All three brands build to order, but the customization philosophies differ meaningfully.
Vispring offers a structured and comprehensive personalization matrix. Four distinct firmness choices, soft, medium, firm, and extra firm, allow precise calibration to individual comfort needs. Couples can select different firmness levels on each side of the same mattress, with split-tension construction that accommodates different body types and sleep preferences in one bed. The divan base, leg style, height, storage configuration, headboard design, and upholstery are all customizable. Vispring will also work with a client's own supplied material for complete design integration.
Hästens offers similar levels of customization within their product architecture, with their signature blue check available in different colorways and the option to personalize the configuration of the sleep system.
Savoir offers the deepest bespoke process of the three. The personal fitting experience, including measurements, sleep position analysis, and material selection, results in a custom-built bed from scratch. Because of their hand-built frame construction, Savoir can accommodate non-standard dimensions, irregular shapes, and unusual architectural requirements. For clients fitting a bed into a unique space or an antique frame, Savoir's depth of bespoke capability is unmatched.
Vispring offers a 30-year guarantee, the longest of the three brands. This reflects the confidence that comes from manufacturing the most critical component of the mattress in-house. A guarantee is more than consumer protection. It is a brand's public statement of confidence in its own construction.
Both Hästens and Savoir offer 25-year warranties.
Five years is a meaningful difference when considered against the backdrop of what a bed at this level costs and how central it is to daily life.
All three brands have showrooms in SoHo, making it uniquely possible to compare them in a single afternoon, a rare opportunity to experience the most significant differences firsthand rather than on paper.
Vispring New York at 459 Broome Street offers nine models to experience in person, with a team that brings genuine expertise to every consultation. The after-sales program is comprehensive: white glove delivery and setup, old mattress removal and disposal, a loaner bed during the manufacturing period for clients who cannot wait, professional in-home mattress turning service to ensure the natural fibres settle evenly over time, and a Quick Ship program for clients who need faster delivery than a custom build allows. Brian Benko and his team remain the direct point of contact for every client from the first conversation to the last service visit decades later.
Hästens operates its flagship SoHo location and multiple additional New York retail presences, offering guided consultations built around sleep habits and preferences.
Savoir at 54 Greene Street in SoHo, a short walk from Vispring, specializes in long-term design consultations, custom fabric staging, and the personal body-fitting sessions that define their buying experience. An additional design outpost operates at the New York Design Center at 200 Lexington Avenue.
Who makes the best ultra-luxury mattress?
The honest answer is that all three brands have earned their place in this conversation through real craftsmanship, heritage, and a distinctive sleep experience. All three deliver a sleep experience that is fundamentally different from anything else on the market.
Vispring pioneered the pocket spring technology that the entire luxury mattress industry now builds on, and more than 125 years later still manufactures that technology in-house to its own specification. For a buyer who values that kind of long-term engineering commitment, that history is worth understanding before making a decision of this size.
No comparison article, including this one, can substitute for the experience of spending twenty minutes on each of these beds in a quiet showroom.
The feel of the springs, the response of the materials, the way a bed supports the body in different sleep position, these things only become clear through direct experience. And with all three showrooms located within walking distance of each other in SoHo, New York City offers a rare opportunity to make that comparison in a single afternoon.
Vispring New York welcomes private consultations at 459 Broome Street. With nine models available to experience in person and a team that takes a consultative approach, the showroom is designed to help you understand not only how Vispring compares to the other ultra-luxury brands, but which sleep system is right for your body, your lifestyle, and your long-term needs.
To book a private consultation, visit vispringnyc.com/request-an-appointment or call 212-792-7911.
Vispring New York is the exclusive authorized Vispring retailer in New York City. Information about Hästens and Savoir Beds has been presented as accurately as possible based on publicly available information as of July 2026. Please contact each brand's showroom directly for current and confirmed pricing, as figures vary by model, size, configuration, and other factors.
(212) 792-7911459 Broome St, New York, NY1500 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, NH
