Where is best to shop in person for mattresses?

greensalad

We need to buy a new mattress. We currently have an "Emma", one of the foamy delivery ones. I like it, but my partner is very uncomfortable on it, so we are going to switch it to be the guest bed when we move and go for something else. 

I've never really shopped for a mattress properly before. As a teenager I got what was cheap at IKEA and as an adult we made do with a secondhand one before we bought this Emma mattress just because it was generally well rated. 

I think I prefer a firmer mattress, I'm not completely sure... I sleep on my back. My partner sleeps on his front and I think for that reason he might need a more medium mattress. I've been looking at the "split" options too.

Where is the best place to shop for a mattress where you can get actual in-person advice and try a lot of them out? 

Troytempest

John Lewis.....

neilmcl

You mention Ikea, well their mattresses often come high up in reviews.

sczoo30

We used to use dreams they also stocked the other beds in boxes (as I call them) like Emma, Simba etc might be worth checking there 

Rodders53

Any of the better independent bed retailers would be my advice. 
Avoiding the over-advertised chains.

The better shops will allow you to try, return to try again and again.

Some manufacturers have showrooms where you can do the same e.g. Hypnos at Princess Risborough and the staff there are extremely knowledgeable.

Read the John Ryan guide to mattress choosing https://johnryanbydesign.co.uk/understanding-beds/how-to-choose-a-mattress/   Note they go by person weight to spring tension firmness levels.

I'd guess a front sleeper vs back sleeper may be better on separate beds or a zip-link with differing spring tension and comfort layers (if that's possible)?  But that is a more expensive solution.

greensalad

Rodders53 said:

Any of the better independent bed retailers would be my advice. 
Avoiding the over-advertised chains.

The better shops will allow you to try, return to try again and again.

Some manufacturers have showrooms where you can do the same e.g. Hypnos at Princess Risborough and the staff there are extremely knowledgeable.

Read the John Ryan guide to mattress choosing https://johnryanbydesign.co.uk/understanding-beds/how-to-choose-a-mattress/   Note they go by person weight to spring tension firmness levels.

I'd guess a front sleeper vs back sleeper may be better on separate beds or a zip-link with differing spring tension and comfort layers (if that's possible)?  But that is a more expensive solution.

Thanks for the link to John Ryan, they have a great guide.

I am thinking ziplink is the only way to get both of us a good night's sleep being such a different pair of sleepers. Definitely going to cost more but feels worth it in the long run, my partner is so unhappy on the current mattress.

I might try one of the places like Dreams to get an idea of what firmnesses we like and then switch to an online retailer where I can get a better deal.

EssexExile

Leekes are good if there is one nearby.

Rosa_Damascena

Troytempest said:

John Lewis.....

Every time...

EssexExile

Rosa_Damascena said:

Troytempest said:

John Lewis.....

Every time...

If you still have a John Lewis nearby.

MaryNB

When you test out the beds make sure you check the depth (not always easy to see in a show room). My colleague tried one out but didn't realise it was an extra deep mattress until she unrolled it at home recently. She had to buy new fitted sheets.  

JJ_Egan

IKEA would be my first port of call as you can sit and try .

Of course thats after reading the JR guide and the Q&A on their site .

Take loads of time to come to a decision .