GhostBed Luxe Mattress Review: A Cooling Mattress That Actually Works

If you sleep hot, you understand the struggle of your own body temperature waking you up in the middle of the night. You feel warm, sticky and are constantly flipping your pillow over to get relief from the "cool side." For many, a standard temperature-regulating mattress like Casper or Saatva isn't going to cut it. Instead, the GhostBed Luxe mattress is a great option; it's GhostBed's premium bed offering and designed with effective cooling technology that literally makes the mattress cool to the touch. It's one of the coolest memory foam beds I've tested thus far, a huge difference from a traditional memory foam mattress that's infamous for retaining heat. 

In this GhostBed Luxe mattress review, I reveal the bed's major highlights including the cooling tech, firmness, feel, price and who I think will love it most. 

Read more: How CNET Tests Mattresses: We Do the Work So You Don't Have To

8.5

GhostBed Luxe

Score Breakdown

Performance 9.3Support 7Return Policy 8Pressure Relief 6Features 9

Read more on How we test mattresses

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Like

• Soft memory foam feel
• Accommodating for all sleeping positions
• Supportive for all body types
• Effective cooling technology

Don't like

• Might be a little expensive for a budget shopper
• Not ideal if you want an especially soft or firm feel
• Too cooling for a person who sleeps cold

Product details

• Type Memory foam hybrid mattress
• Firmness 5 or medium
• Trial 101 nights
• Warranty 25-year limited warranty

First impressions 

The GhostBed Luxe mattress is inviting and plush-looking. The cover is made with extra gel-foam underneath, which gives the mattress a premium, extra-comfy look. When you jump into the mattress you can tell it's made with memory foam because the foam slowly molds around the curves of your body. However, it's not as dense and has a little more springiness than stereotypical memory foam. The icing on the cake is the cooling sensation it gives you. The combination of gel foams, cooling fibers and a special layer inside meant the mattress didn't let me down on its claims to be cool. 

Firmness

A big plus about this bed is its medium firmness level. The beauty of a middle-of-the-road mattress firmness is that it's soft enough for side sleepers and firm enough for back and stomach sleepers. 

When I lay on my side, the memory foam is pressure-relieving and especially nestles around my shoulders and hips. When I'm on my back, I feel properly supported and the foam keeps my spine and lower back from sagging into the bed. Keep in mind, however, it will feel softer to heavier folks over 230 pounds and firmer to smaller individuals under 150 pounds. 

Comfort

The Ghostbed Luxe mattress has an all-foam design, but it's thicker than your average foam bed. The standard foam mattress is three layers and around 10 to 12 inches, but the GhostBed Luxe bed sits at 13 inches with seven different layers. 

Here's an overview of the GhostBed Luxe's layers.

• A thick, dense 7.5-inch layer of foam that acts as the base layer for support and sturdiness. 
• The Ghost Bounce Layer is 2 inches thick and is like a memory foam latex foam hybrid. It contours around your curves, but it's more responsive than stereotypical memory foam. 
  
• Next is another 2 inches of foam and it's infused with gel to help regulate temperature. 
  
• Near the top is the Ghost Ice Layer which is as cool as it sounds. It helps transfer heat from your body and really helps keep you cool throughout the night.
  
• The cover has both cooling fibers and Ghost Ice Fabric, which is a double whammy for effective cooling. This is why it feels cold to the touch and it provides actual relief for hot sleepers.
  
• There's also a thin layer of gel memory foam woven underneath the cover and it makes the bed extra cozy. 
  

Feel

During my GhostBed Luxe mattress review, I found that it had a memory foam feel, but not like Nectar or TempurPedic. It's lighter and has a little more bounce than your typical slow-responding memory foam. It's plush and supportive at the same time. That extra layer of foam on the top cover also gives it an extra touch of comfiness that you don't get with standard foam mattresses. I found it was easier to move around on because it doesn't suck you into the mattress, an advantage for combination sleepers who flip positions often. 

Motion isolation

The GhostBed Luxe is an all-foam memory foam bed that's great at deadening motion across the bed. If you have a squirmy partner or a dog that likes to get comfortable on your mattress, you'll hardly feel the movement. Because it's designed without coils, it's ultra good at isolating motion. 

Edge support

Although there are no coils keeping the mattress up, its thickness and quality foams help make the edges of the mattress feel sturdy and supportive. I don't see you having a problem with a flimsy-feeling edge on the GhostBed Luxe. 

Temperature

There are cooling fibers in the cover, a phase-change material aptly named "Ghost Ice" and gel-memory foam throughout the mattress to help prevent heat retention. Apparently, this is the perfect recipe for a cooling bed because it's very effective. Even though you'll be covering your mattress with sheets, the bed will still constantly work to help keep you cool. I'm honestly impressed with this bed's cooling ability and have it listed on CNET's best cooling mattress list. 

Who is this bed best for?

Position

GhostBed Luxe has a medium firmness level making it accommodating for all body types: back, side, stomach, and combination. It's a neutral firmness that offers a nice balance between firm and soft. 

Body type

Here's where I break the rules a little. I usually recommend all-foam mattresses to people under 230 pounds because they aren't as durable or supportive as a hybrid mattress that contains both foam and coils. However, the GhostBed Luxe is so thick that if you really wanted a foam mattress and twisted my arm, this wouldn't be a bad option.

If you're under 150 pounds, the bed will likely feel medium-firm. If you're over 230 pounds, it'll feel more like a medium-soft. 

GhostBed Luxe mattress prices

At face value, GhostBed Luxe is a bit expensive – it's to be expected with a luxury bed. However, its retail price is almost never the price you'll pay as I usually see them running a nice promotion on their beds. Right now, a twin size GhostBed Luxe mattress is $1,895, and a California king bed is $2,715. Though, with discounts, it's still more expensive than your average foam bed like the Layla mattress. 

Update: The GhostBed Luxe and other GhostBed mattresses are currently on sale for GhostBed's Cyber Monday event. Check out what kind of savings GhostBed and other brands are offering here. 

Shipping, trial and warranty

You don't have to just take my word on this mattress. GhostBed offers a free trial, free shipping to get your mattress to you and a warranty that backs the bed in the case of a manufacturer defect. Just remember your bed will ship to you rolled up inside of a cardboard box. All you need to do is unbox it and give it around 24-48 hours to expand fully. Though, feel free to sleep on it in the meantime -- just don't judge the mattress by its first night's sleep because it gets comfier. 

Here's an overview of what you'll get if you buy a GhostBed luxe mattress: 

• 101-night trial
• Free shipping and returns
• 25-year warranty

Final verdict

I've seen mattress brands market a regular mattress as being "cooling" because it comes with cooling gel or perforated foams to help with airflow. While those help a mattress regulate temperature, they don't actively help you sleep cool. GhostBed Luxe, on the other hand, is the real deal. GhostBed jam-packed this mattress with different cooling tech that works together to help you – a hot sleeper – sleep more comfortably. It's also pretty accommodating and comfortable, which are obvious boxes that a bed also has to check. Honestly, it's the full package if you have the money to spend on it.

You might like GhostBed Luxe if:

• You're a hot sleeper in need of a cooling bed
• You sleep on your back, side, stomach or a combination of both
• You want a foam mattress (petite to average-sized people)
• You like the feel of memory foam

You might not like GhostBed Luxe if:

• You're a cool or average sleeper -- this bed probably isn't for you
• You want a solid, firm or plushy-soft mattress
  
• You're on a tight budget
  
• You want a hybrid mattress with a steel coil base layer