The bed buyer's guide · Est. 1971
Buy the right bed. First time.
Three generations of fitting people to beds, on one page. Ten minutes to read. After it, you'll know more than most people selling mattresses.
1 hr
The sleep an uncomfortable bed can cost you, every night.
7 yrs
When it's time to start asking whether your mattress is still doing its job.
STEP 1 OF 6
Do you actually need a new bed?
Mattresses wear out so slowly you don't notice. Most people blame their back, their age or the heat before they blame the bed. Tick what's true.
STEP 2 OF 6
Find your feel.
This is where most people go wrong. They buy too firm because someone told them firm is good for their back. It isn't. You need support that follows your shape and keeps your spine straight.
Your body sinks and your spine sags out of line. You wake up aching in the lower back.
Your hips and shoulders take all the pressure. You toss and turn and wake up numb.
The mattress gives where you're heavy and supports where you're not. Spine straight, no pressure points.
The hand test
Lie on your back and slide your hand into the hollow of your lower back. Slides straight in? Too hard. Can't get it in? Too soft. A little resistance? That's your bed.
The ten-minute rule
Shoes off. Lie in the position you actually sleep in, on your side and your back, for ten minutes. Bring whoever you share with. Thirty seconds tells you nothing.
How we rate feel
There's no industry standard for firmness, so one shop's medium is another shop's firm. Every bed in our brochure is rated on this one scale, from 1 for the softest to 10 for the firmest.
1 to 3 · Soft
You sink in a little and the bed hugs your shape. Usually suits side sleepers and lighter builds.
4 to 6 · Medium
Balanced give and support. The feel most people settle on.
7 to 10 · Firm
You lie on top rather than in it. Usually suits back and front sleepers and heavier builds.
STEP 3 OF 6
What's inside is what you're paying for.
Two mattresses can look identical and be worlds apart. The springs decide the support. The fillings decide the comfort, and how hot you sleep.
Open coil
Springs wired together in rows. Firm, durable, great value. 12.5 gauge is the firm end of the scale.
Pocket springs
Every spring in its own fabric pocket, moving on its own. Follows your shape. No rolling into each other.
Encapsulated
Pocket springs inside a foam frame. Solid edges, so you can sleep right to the side without rolling off.
The fillings, explained
| Filling | What it does |
|---|---|
| Wool | Breathes, regulates temperature, naturally resilient. Warm in winter, cool in summer. |
| Silk, cashmere, mohair | Extra softness and a smooth, luxurious surface. |
| Cotton | Soft, breathable, absorbs moisture. |
| Bamboo | More absorbent than cotton, naturally antibacterial, stays fresh. |
| Gel | Draws heat away and cools down fast. Pressure relief too. |
| Latex | Bouncy, durable, anti-microbial. Springs straight back. |
| Memory foam | Moulds to your body for pressure relief, but holds heat. |
Tufted
Tapes pulled right through the mattress to lock the fillings in place. The traditional way, and what keeps a natural mattress from going lumpy.
Quilted
The cover stitched to the top layers. A smoother, flatter surface. Some people can feel tufts, so quilted suits them better.
STEP 4 OF 6
The base matters as much as the mattress.
Put a new mattress on an old base and you've wasted half your money. The two are built to work together. An old base can shorten a new mattress's life, and it can void the warranty.
Plain divan
An upholstered base on castors or legs. The classic British bed, and the cleanest look.
Drawers
The same divan with drawers built in. Storage without changing how the bed feels.
Ottoman
The whole base lifts on gas struts. The most storage you can get in a bedroom.
See every base in the brochure →
STEP 5 OF 6
Get the size right. Measure, don't guess.
A UK king and a Spanish 150 are not the same bed. Names mean nothing across countries, and sometimes across shops. Go by centimetres.
| UK name | UK size | Centimetres |
|---|---|---|
| Small single | 2'6" × 6'3" | 75 × 190 |
| Single | 3' × 6'3" | 90 × 190 |
| Small double | 4' × 6'3" | 120 × 190 |
| Double | 4'6" × 6'3" | 135 × 190 |
| King | 5' × 6'6" | 150 × 200 |
| Super king | 6' × 6'6" | 180 × 200 |
The elbow test
Lie side by side, hands behind your heads, elbows out. If you touch, the bed's too small. Two people in a standard double get as much room each as a baby in a cot.
The length rule
Your bed should be 10 to 15cm longer than the tallest person in it. Odd size, antique frame or awkward room? We make headboards, bases and mattresses to measure.
STEP 6 OF 6
Look after it, and it'll look after you.
A good mattress lasts years longer when it's cared for. It takes two minutes a few times a year.
| First few months | Turn it end to end and side to side every week. Non-turn mattresses still need rotating head to toe. |
| After that | Every three months. |
| Every day | Pull the covers back in the morning and let it breathe before you make the bed. |
| Always | Use a washable protector. Never bend or roll a sprung mattress: it damages the springs and voids the warranty. |
| Pillows | Replace every two or three years, or when they go flat or lumpy. |
Body impressions are normal
A quality mattress settles to your shape. That's the fillings doing their job, not a fault. Regular turning keeps it even.
Give it a few weeks
Your body needs time to adjust to a new bed, especially after years on a worn one. It can take a few weeks to feel right.
STRAIGHT ANSWERS
The questions everyone asks.
Is a hard bed better for a bad back?
No, and it can make it worse. You need support that keeps your spine straight, which usually means medium, not rock hard. "Orthopaedic" is a trade word for firm. It doesn't mean a doctor has approved it.
Why are two similar mattresses such different prices?
Because they're not similar. The spring count, the gauge, the fillings and how much of them all change. That's why we show you what's inside every bed we sell.
Are foam mattresses hot?
They can be. Foam insulates, and the denser it is, the more heat it holds. If you run hot, look at natural fibres, gel or latex. We'll tell you straight which ones suit a Spanish summer.
Can I buy without trying it first?
Yes. Hundreds of customers buy from abroad and have it waiting when they land. Tell us who sleeps in it, how you sleep, and whether you run hot or cold. If you're torn between two, we'll point you to the safer choice.
What should I spend?
As much as you can sensibly afford. A €1,000 bed used for seven years costs about 39 cents a night. A cheap bed is no bargain if you don't sleep in it.
Can I just replace the mattress?
You can, but if the base is old you're putting a new mattress on a worn foundation. It won't feel or last the way it should. We'll look at your base and tell you honestly if it's still good.
What happens to my old mattress?
We take it away when we deliver your new one. Free.
Find your bed
You've done the reading. Now let us do the rest.
Send us three answers on WhatsApp. We'll come back with two or three beds to try, and the one we'd pick for you.
1Who sleeps in it, and what size?
2Side, back or front sleeper?
3Do you run hot or cold?
Send my answers Or come and lie on them in Rojales →