Quick Answer: Hastens is a Swedish luxury mattress brand founded in 1852, hand-crafting mattresses with horsehair, cotton, wool, and flax in their Koping factory. Their prices range from roughly $30,000 CAD for entry models to over $600,000 CAD for the flagship Vividus. The craftsmanship is exceptional, the materials are genuinely superior, but the sleep quality improvement over a well-made $2,000-5,000 mattress is not supported by clinical evidence.
In This Guide
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Most mattress buying decisions involve balancing comfort, durability, and budget within a fairly normal range. Then there are Hastens mattresses, which operate in a category so far beyond normal price ranges that they function almost as art objects rather than furniture.
Hastens is worth understanding not because most people should buy one, but because examining what extreme luxury actually means in a mattress reveals a lot about what matters in sleep products generally, and what does not.
Hastens: Brand History
Hastens was founded in 1852 in Koping, Sweden, by Pehr Adolf Janson. The company began as a saddle maker, which explains the central role that horsehair plays in their mattresses to this day. When electric saddles became obsolete with the rise of the automobile, the company pivoted its equine expertise to beds.
For most of its existence, Hastens was a respected but regional Scandinavian brand. The company's profile changed dramatically in the late 1990s and 2000s as a deliberate repositioning toward ultra-luxury, culminating in the release of the Vividus in 2006. The Vividus attracted global media attention as the world's most expensive mattress and established Hastens as the dominant name in mattress luxury.
Today, Hastens is family-owned (sixth generation of the Ryde family), and all mattresses are still hand-crafted in their Koping factory by skilled craftspeople. The company employs around 400 people and produces roughly 60,000 mattresses per year, which is tiny compared to industrial manufacturers but substantial for a hand-built product.
What Makes Hastens Different from Other Luxury Mattresses
Several things genuinely distinguish Hastens from other luxury mattresses, not as marketing, but as observable realities.
Hand-Making at Scale
Each Hastens mattress is hand-tufted, meaning craftspeople drive metal needles through the mattress to compress and anchor the filling layers. This process requires skill and time. A single mattress may take a craftsperson multiple days to complete. This is meaningfully different from machine production.
Natural Material Purity
Hastens mattresses use no synthetic foam, no memory foam, no gel layers, and no industrial adhesives. The construction is entirely natural: horsehair, cotton, wool, flax, and steel springs. Each material is chosen and treated for specific properties.
Repairability
A Hastens mattress can be fully disassembled and rebuilt. The natural materials do not permanently compress the way foam does. The company's position is that a well-maintained Hastens mattress can last multiple decades, which partially addresses the cost calculation if you amortise the purchase over 25 to 30 years.
Materials Used in Hastens Mattresses
Horsehair
The defining ingredient. Hastens uses curled horsehair from the mane and tail, which creates a naturally springy, breathable filling. Horsehair does not compress permanently, wicks moisture effectively, and has a natural resilience that foam cannot replicate. The curled structure also creates countless microscopic air channels throughout the filling.
Quality horsehair is expensive and supply-limited, which is a genuine material cost driver.
Cotton
Multiple layers of raw cotton add softness, breathability, and moisture management. Cotton compressed under the weight of the sleeper does breathe and recover in ways that synthetic alternatives do not.
Wool
Wool is temperature-regulating (warms when cool, wicks when warm), naturally flame-resistant, and durable. Hastens uses substantial quantities in their comfort layers.
Flax
A plant fibre that adds structural support and breathability. Less common in other mattresses.
Pocket Springs
Hastens uses nested pocket spring systems (springs within springs, sometimes called a double spring system) for their spring-based models. This provides zoned support with fine-grained response to body weight distribution.
Product Range and Pricing in Canada
Hastens mattresses are sold through authorised dealers. In Canada, authorised dealers are located in major cities including Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Montreal. There is no authorised Hastens dealer in Brantford or the immediate Hamilton area; the nearest is Toronto.
| Model | Approx. CAD Price (Queen) | Notable Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Marquis | $30,000-40,000 | Entry-level Hastens (still extraordinary) |
| Herlewing | $50,000-70,000 | Increased horsehair content |
| 2000T | $70,000-90,000 | Double-sided, extensive tufting |
| Eala | $90,000-120,000 | Finest natural materials |
| Grand Vividus | $200,000+ | For those who find the Vividus too modest |
| Vividus | $600,000+ (entire bed system) | World's most expensive, made to order |
Prices are approximate and vary significantly based on current exchange rates, dealer pricing, and configuration. Contact an authorised Canadian dealer for current pricing.
The Vividus: World's Most Expensive Mattress
The Vividus is Hastens' most extreme product. The full Vividus bed system, including frame and custom mattress, has sold for over $600,000 CAD, making it the most expensive commercially available mattress in the world.
The Vividus requires approximately 320 hours of hand work to complete. It uses the highest grade horsehair, cotton, wool, and flax, combined with bespoke spring systems customised to the specific buyer's weight and sleep position. The mattress cover is Swedish woven fabric in the brand's signature blue check pattern.
Buyers of the Vividus include athletes, executives, and celebrities globally. The fact that a product at this price point has sustained buyers for nearly two decades indicates that there is a market, however small, for which price is not a meaningful constraint.
An Honest Assessment: Is It Worth It?
We will say what the brand's marketing will not.
What Hastens Gets Right
The materials are genuinely exceptional. Horsehair has properties that synthetic alternatives do not replicate. The craftsmanship is real and measurable. The longevity argument has merit: a mattress that can be fully rebuilt and lasts 30 years changes the cost calculation.
The sleep experience that many Hastens owners describe, a particular quality of cushioned, breathable support, is consistent across independent accounts. The materials do interact differently with body temperature and pressure than foam or standard spring construction.
What Is Not Supported
There is no clinical evidence that sleeping on a $100,000 mattress produces better sleep quality, better health outcomes, or better recovery than sleeping on a well-made $3,000 to $5,000 mattress. Sleep science does not recognise a category of mattress this premium where the investment returns in measurable health benefit. At some point, the law of diminishing returns applies.
The price of a Hastens mattress includes not just materials and craftsmanship but brand positioning, retail markup, and the economics of producing very limited quantities. A fair material and labour cost for a mattress of this complexity would be significant, but not $30,000.
Brad, Owner since 1987: "We do not carry Hastens, and there is no shame in that. We carry Restonic, which uses quality materials and real craftsmanship at prices that Brantford families can actually consider. What I always tell people is: the mattress you can afford to buy and sleep on for ten years is better for your health than the mattress you cannot afford. For most of us, that means finding the best mattress in the $1,000-4,000 range."
8 min read
What You Get at a Fraction of the Price
Understanding Hastens is useful partly because it clarifies what matters in a mattress at any price point.
The key features of a Hastens mattress that are genuinely beneficial: natural material breathability, premium coil systems with responsive support, durability, and repairability. These features exist at lower price points, though with less extreme execution.
At Mattress Miracle in Brantford, our Restonic Luxury Silk and Wool model ($2,395 Queen) uses zoned pocket coils (884 coils), natural wool and silk comfort layers, and temperature-regulating natural fibres. It is a genuinely high-quality mattress using natural materials in the same spirit as Hastens but within a range that Brantford families can realistically consider. Call Brad at (519) 770-0001 to check current availability.
Natural Fibre Mattresses in Brantford
If natural materials are important to you but the Hastens price is not realistic, the Restonic Luxury Silk and Wool at Mattress Miracle uses genuine natural fibre comfort layers without the premium brand premium. We have been helping Brantford families find the right mattress since 1987, and we think transparency about what you are paying for is always the right approach. Come in and try the Silk and Wool in person.
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Find Your Perfect Mattress at Mattress Miracle
We are a family-owned mattress store in Brantford, helping our community sleep better since 1987. Come try mattresses in person and get honest, no-pressure advice.
441 1/2 West Street, Brantford, Ontario
Call 519-770-0001Frequently Asked Questions
Why is a Hastens mattress so expensive?
Multiple factors drive the price: hand-craftsmanship requiring hundreds of hours per mattress, expensive natural materials (particularly curled horsehair), very small production volumes, premium retail positioning, and import costs for Canadian buyers. The entry-level Marquis starts around $30,000 CAD. Whether the functional sleep quality justifies this relative to well-made alternatives at $2,000-5,000 is debatable, but the materials and craftsmanship are genuinely high quality.
Can I buy a Hastens mattress in Canada?
Yes, through authorised Hastens dealers in major Canadian cities including Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Montreal. There are no authorised dealers in smaller Ontario cities. You cannot buy Hastens online directly; all purchases go through dealer showrooms. Contact Hastens Canada or check their website for the nearest authorised dealer.
How long does a Hastens mattress last?
Hastens claims their mattresses can last 25 to 30 years with proper care, which they support through their rebedding service (where the mattress is disassembled, materials cleaned or replaced, and rebuilt). Whether this longevity justifies the initial cost depends on how you amortise it. A $30,000 mattress used for 30 years costs $1,000 per year, which compares differently to its upfront price.
Does Hastens use horsehair and is it ethical?
Yes, Hastens uses horsehair from the mane and tail of horses, which is collected without harming the animals. The hair grows back. Hastens sources from responsible suppliers and emphasises the sustainability of horsehair as a natural, renewable material. This is meaningfully different from feather or down sourcing concerns.
What is a realistic luxury mattress alternative to Hastens for Canadians?
Several alternatives offer luxury-tier materials at significantly lower prices. Saatva and Avocado make high-quality organic latex and natural fibre mattresses in the $3,000-6,000 CAD range. Restonic's natural fibre models (Luxury Silk and Wool, Talalay latex models) at Mattress Miracle in Brantford use premium materials at $2,400-3,000 CAD. For most buyers, these represent the practical ceiling of mattress quality.
Visit Our Brantford Showroom
We are located at 441½ West Street in downtown Brantford. Free parking available. Our team does not work on commission, so you get honest advice based on your needs.
Mattress Miracle , 441½ West Street, Brantford, ON · (519) 770-0001
Hours: Monday–Wednesday 10am–6pm, Thursday–Friday 10am–7pm, Saturday 10am–5pm, Sunday 12pm–4pm.