When does a mattress become an "investment?" When it costs $175,000.
British mattress manufacturer Savoir Beds this week is launching a limited edition "Royal Bed" with a $175,000 price tag at Kensington Palace in London.
Savoir describes its mattress as "an investment" in your well being – presumably since "buying" a $175,000 mattress would just seem ridiculous.
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Ultimately, a "great night's sleep" is what it's all about, said Savoir Beds' managing director Alistair Hughes. "It's an investment that pays off every morning of your life."
Each mattress will require more than 700 hours of labor. It will contain "masses and masses" of curled Latin American horse tail, "mountains" of pure Mongolian cashmere, and enough specially woven silk to be strung from New York to Miami and almost halfway back again (more than 1,600 miles worth).
You can also have your own family crest, initials or favorite emblem embroidered into the mattress. The work will be done by the Royal School of Needlework, which had a significant role in making Princess Kate's wedding dress.
Only 60 of the beds will be made.
"Ultimately what luxury is about, it's exclusive, very much for you," said Hughes. Which is why you won't get your night of royal rest until about 16 weeks after you place your order.
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The mattress is fully customizable in size and support – each side of the bed can be made with a different firmness to make both you and your significant other as comfortable as possible.
But the bedding does have a its own look, which can be personalized but not completely changed. The "Royal Bed," as Savoir Beds is calling it, is inspired by 17th- and 18th- century British beds, when royal bedrooms were the center of palace life and beds were meant to impress anyone lucky enough to get an audience with the monarch in his chambers.
To that end, the Royal Bed will be unveiled Thursday at Kensington Palace, the royal residence and museum, as part of an exhibit of early state beds. (See sneak peek above.)
Does a company whose mattress line previously topped out at $70,000 worry about selling a $175,000 model?
Not at all.
"Of course it's a massive amount of money and it will only appeal to the very lucky and very wealthy," Hughes acknowledged. But "if you're buying Gucci handbags, a suit from Saville Row or a Rolls Royce, you're looking for the best. And you spend a third of your life in bed."
And consider this: the bed, mattress and box spring are guaranteed to last at least 25 years (although you'll have to replace the topper every 5-7 years for $5,000-$10,000).
If you divide $175,000 by 365 nights for 25 years, it comes out to less than $20 per night.
Sounds completely reasonable.