Keetsa Pillow Plus Review: The Story of our Bed!
It started with an email.
I spelled out our tale of two souls stricken with an insatiable case of wanderlust that had spent the better part of a year getting lost in Latin America. I let the thoughts pour out through my fingertips about traveling on a shoe string budget in foreign countries and spending time wherever it felt best deserved. The words painted a picture about memories that were being bottled up by the gallons while we were observing new cultures, picking up a new tongue, and learning more about life every step of the way. Massive backpacks strapped with every essential you could need would weigh us down at every border crossing, which we always crossed by foot. Every form of transportation imaginable became notches in our world traveling belts: high speed ocean runners, tipsy ferries coined “Che Guevara”, horses, vans, buses, motorcycles, tuk-tuks (both motorized and foot powered), taxi cabs, air planes, the back of pick up trucks, milk trucks, bicycles, and of course our own two feet.
I wrote about how the silver lining at the end of every endless 3 hour ride through a desert in the bed of a pickup, every 10 hour bus ride along deadly mountain roads bearing unprotected cliffs that defied the definition of “angle of repose”, and every half mile walk from the bus station to our hostel was getting a well deserved night of rest. From the very first day of travel we learned that the difference between a recharged body and getting the backpacking blues could be found in the quality and comfort of the mattresses we slept on. It was one of the few things we kept track of on the road, with a final tally of over 150 beds in roughly 9 months. Most were worn out beyond belief; they were almost always showing roughly 5 years worth of sleeping, heavy backpack tosses, and doubling up on twin sized mattresses from tumbleweed wanderers blowing in the wind. A good nights rest on a decent mattress felt much different than a full 7-8 hours on a beaten down rectangle of used-and-abused bedding, and we had seen them all.
The send button forwarded this email to the customer service department at Keetsa.
At the time I sent the email we were beginning to integrate back into society. We were moving to Boston, securing an apartment, and starting new jobs. Elissa secured a position in a cozy neighborhood restaurant while I wound up in Real Estate after taking a 4 day, 40-hour crash course followed by passing the test a day later. We were settling back into normal after our travels, and quickly noticed how much it was costing to secure even the most basic essentials. A friend donated her old mattress after the purchase of a new one literally the day before we moved into our new place. She had scored a new mattress set from a very popular mattress chain store. Tempted by the dream of a better night’s sleep, not to mention a bed of our very own, we soon followed suit. By then, our stressful adjustment to starting work and figuring out life had seriously twisted our backs into culture-shocked knots. Cautiously, we walked into the same roadside mattress chain with the intention of just scoping things out. We left the store an hour later having put a deposit down on a bed and overwhelmed thinking we may have made a $1,200.00 regret. After a little customer review and research, our uncertain feelings were confirmed with endless complaints of poor customer service, loop holes in warranties, issues with quality, and difficulties with off-gassing (chemicals leaking from depths of the mattress you sleep on). I had never envisioned formaldehyde, mercury, and petroleum based products that close to my face and body every single night, and once you do, it’s a little hard to forget. In her quest to get to the bottom of the mattress industry, Elissa stumbled upon Keetsa– the solution to our bed dilemma. With a manageable number of mattress options, fair prices, a deeply green mindset, and sincere customer service– there was no question. Our new mattress would be a Keetsa.
So I sent the up and coming sleep store a proposition; send a mattress to two rest deprived souls, and I’ll write a review. 2 days later I received a phone call, and 3 days after that I helped the fed-ex man carry our new mattress upstairs. There was a glitch in the matrix. Recommended by bed guru Shane Osgood of the SoHo NY store (one of four showrooms), the Pillow Plus Mattress is designed for side sleepers and stomach sleepers, and also back sleepers that want a soft, but firm bed. The individual coil system mitigates disturbances from partners tossing and turning so that light sleepers won’t be dragged along for the ride in the middle of the restless night. Needless to say, we were beyond excited.
Keetsa offers free shipping with all online purchases, and you can expect it to be there in a few days rather than weeks. When it first arrives, you will probably have a puzzled look on your face. You will find yourself asking, “how on god’s green earth is a mattress living in this box?!” It just doesn’t make sense. Keetsa apparently has packing and engineering down to a green science (patent pending). Each bed is rolled up like a burrito, and more or less vacuum sealed and wrapped with a cloth-like casing holding the mattress in place. It’s kind of shocking to see. The durable design of the mattress allows for this compression to reduce shipping volume and carbon footprints. A package of this size could easily fit inside your car or the trunk of a taxi. It makes perfect sense, smaller packaging allows for traditional delivery, lowering delivery costs and eliminating the use of delivery trucks. Another added perk by choosing Keetsa- who also keep a blog of unrelated eco-friendly ideas, have a tab on their “about me” on the website that encourages the recycling of old mattresses, and recently launched a small homemade soy candle shop that donates 50% of proceeds to global non-profits that work with children. This company is so cool, we follow them on Facebook.
Once we took the bed out of the biodegradable plastic wrapping and removed it from it’s fabric sleeve, it literally began swelling and lurching to life. It sounded like the bed was exhaling after holding it’s breath inside it’s packaging. The overall experience engaged all senses. A distinct, pleasant aroma emanated from the mattress into the room instantly. Each mattress is infused with green tea extract inside the memory foam to keep a fresh, clean scent inside your bed and for long-lasting natural odor protection. Also, Keetsa uses a natural hemp/polyester/unbleached organic cotton blended fabric in order to steer away from the toxic fabrics and processing techniques commonly used commonly in other mattresses on the market (do some research!!). Hemp alone is not durable enough for regular mattress wear and tear, so this blend was created in order to give the bed it’s longevity. We couldn’t wait to try out our new mattress so we quickly jumped on board. I remember the distinct feeling of my body slowly melting into a comforting bed hug while we continued indulging in our senses. We didn’t have a bed frame at first, so we placed a large flat sheet on the floor. That night, sleep was feasted upon.
The Pillow plus is designed for side and stomach sleepers, but also suits the needs for back sleepers who like a semi firm support that compliments a soft, plush pillow top. Each Pillow Plus is comprised of individual coils (768 iCoils in Queen) that offer support to every part of your body but are independent of each other at the same time. This was the first bed I’ve been in where tossing and turning is not an issue both partners deal with. The coil system, as promised, mitigates motion transfer between you and yours. As a light sleeper myself, this is a huge detail in quality of sleep. I will attest wholeheartedly that I sleep deeper and with less disturbances on our new Keetsa than on any other bed I’ve ever spent the night on. I noticed that the quality of sleep had changed as well. I noted how I felt in the mornings after a solid night’s rest on the Pillow Plus. I felt more recharged, more prepared to face the day. However, with the elimination of one problem, another tends to take the reigns. I soon found myself having trouble getting out of this cozy bed. It’s a good problem to have I guess.
It’s suggested to try out a mattress for about a month before you come up with your opinion on it. After a few weeks I felt like a more healthy version of myself. My back pain that I keep in my upper back and lower neck had lost it’s battle. I felt less stressed, and more comfortable. Elissa was having some issues as a side sleeper related to the bed’s firmness. Back sleeping doesn’t really come natural to her, and she found that she could use a little more plushness (is that a real word) to keep her hips happy. So after about a week of thinking we decided that adding a mattress topper might be the perfect solution. After another quick consultation with Shane we ordered a basic comfort layer to add to our bed. 2 days later our topper found it’s home on our bed. That night will be forever known as the best night ever. I was completely satisfied with the comfort level of the Pillow Plus before the topper came, but I soon realized what I had been missing. The plush, giving topper added a level of comfort that was instant love, the kind that you wonder how you’ve been living without it for so long. Elissa had the same infatuation with our new bed as well, with the added cushion creating a perfect balance.
A bed for me is supposed to be the most welcoming place in your home. It’s where you spend about 1/3 of your life, where you let your guard down, and where you dream. It’s supposed to be a safe place, and a place where you can close your eyes and become one with your innermost thoughts and unconsciousness at the same time. Our minds literally go anywhere and everywhere while we sleep. It’s a chance to get creative, explore, and even come up with solutions to problems we can’t solve during the day when all of the chatter is running through our heads. When I stop and really think about it, it makes perfect sense to invest in something that will greatly influence your quality of life, especially considering how much of our lives are spent on a bed. My honest opinion of this mattress is that it is worth every single penny you pay for it. I will never buy another mattress again from a different company. In fact, I’m pretty sure that I will be gifting these to those I love who have been missing out on a bed like this.
The customer service at Keetsa has great reviews (I’ve always spoken with a live person every time that I’ve called) and even the most thorough google search leads to very few unsatisfied clients in an industry where people are difficult to please and often ignored post-purchase. The money Keetsa saves in advertising (which they don’t do) they put right back into their products, which they back with generous warranties. If you are looking for a quality, no gimmicks health and eco-friendly mattress from a respected and growing business I personally recommend contacting Keetsa at one of their flagship showrooms. If you can’t make it to one of their stores, check them out online (http://keetsa.com/), give them a call, tell them your needs, and you’ll get suggestions on what will work for you and yours from an honest team member who knows sleep. Tell them Dr. sent you.
-Dr.
TheAdventuresOfDr 
oooh sounds Heavenly! thanks for your review. i’ve been looking for a green, yet affordable mattress.
Looks like a comfy bed, the question is how comfortable is comfortable???…I cant sleep with a pillow like I used to so I guess my comfort level expectations have changed……….
Ive been wanting to purchase one of their mattresses, thanks for the great review!
Thanks for your detailed review! I also own the Pillow Plus but had hip issues, too as a side sleeper. Reading your blog helped me solve that problem with the purchase of the topper you mentioned.