GhostBed Radiance Mattress Review (2024)
Updated: October 7, 2024
Alex Forest
Sleep Content Specialist
Our Rankings
Edge support and
motion isolation are factored into our overall mattress ratings. These scores are shown in green (scores of 5.0+), yellow (3.0–4.9), or red (2.9 and below).
Firmness,
bounce, and cooling features are a matter of personal preference and aren’t part of our rating system, so these scores are shown in grey.
5.5 /10
6.3 /10
7.8 /10
4.9 /10
3.0 /10
Product Details
GhostBed Radiance is a 12″ all-foam mattress with a medium-firm feel. (However, according to our third-party engineer testing, Radiance is on the lowest edge of medium-firm, approaching a medium feel.) It has above-average edge support and very good motion isolation, as well as average bounce.
Its comfort layer uses gel-infused, open-cell foam that contains far infrared minerals. According to GhostBed, these minerals interact with the heat produced by your body and transform it into far infrared light waves. GhostBed links to a study showing that far infrared light may have reduced delayed onset muscle soreness in a group of soccer players, but health benefits haven’t been clinically verified on a large scale.
The cover on GhostBed Radiance is the company’s Ghost Ice material, a fabric made with phase-change material to help keep sleepers from overheating. This cover is not removable or machine-washable, and removing the cover may result in your warranty being voided. Spills or stains should be spot-cleaned only.
With only 53 reviews on Costco Canada’s website, it’s hard to know if GhostBed Radiance is a reliable or good-quality product. Most of the reviews seem to be for the Venus Williams Legend mattress that’s available on the GhostBed website.
GhostBed’s warranty is voided if you don’t unbox your mattress within 15 days of receiving it. However, the mattress we received was manufactured six months prior to delivery. This means the mattress was compressed in a box for six months, which was a significant factor in its final score.
Shipping Cost
Included in price
Trial Nights
No sleep trial available
Ideal For: Side Sleepers, Back Sleepers, Stomach Sleepers
Want a mattress with a 365-night sleep trial and advanced cooling features? Meet Octave Vista.
Read Octave Vista Review
You May Prefer:
Octave Vista
9.7 /10
Made in
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Winner!
Our Pick for Best Cooling Mattress 2024
GhostBed Radiance Mattress Sizes & Prices
Octave is available in a full range of sizes and costs just $899 for a queen size.
Read Octave Vista Review
Delivery, Sleep Trial & Returns
The GhostBed Radiance mattress is available exclusively through Costco. This means you’ll need a valid Costco membership to purchase it. Costco offers free shipping and delivery if you order online, and it should arrive on your doorstep in 7–10 business days. If you purchase a mattress in-store at the Costco warehouse, you’re responsible for getting it home yourself.
Although Radiance has a longer-than-average warranty of 25 years, your warranty can be voided if you don’t unbox your mattress within 15 days of receipt. However, according to the law label on the mattress purchased for this review, it had been stored for over six months before reaching us. This may indicate that Costco is stockpiling its mattresses for long periods, which can result in considerable damage once they’re unboxed and expanded.
GhostBed offers a 101-night sleep trial for its mattresses, but Costco doesn’t. If you want to return the mattress, Costco will only provide return pickup service if you purchased it online. Otherwise, Costco requires you to take it back yourself. They also specify that the mattress should be wrapped in plastic and returned in good condition. Costco’s standard return policy applies, meaning your return has to be approved if you want your money back. This also means you’ll require a truck or other large vehicle that’s capable of transporting an expanded mattress.
In comparison, Octave offers a 365-night trial to make sure the mattress is the right fit for you, as well as a 20-year warranty. Octave also offers free delivery to your door to most locations in Canada, full refunds, and free pickups for returned mattresses.
Choose Octave Vista and get a risk-free 365-night sleep trial.
Read Octave Vista Review
GhostBed Radiance Mattress Construction
GhostBed Radiance is a 12″ mattress made of 3 foam layers. It’s worth noting that the mattress we received was short by 0.5″, likely because it spent a long time in storage before being shipped to us. Some of the layers in this mattress also weren’t the height that Costco or GhostBed indicated they should be.
All foam used is CertiPUR-US® certified. Neither GhostBed nor Costco publicly discloses the densities of the foams used in GhostBed Radiance’s construction.
- Layer 1: The top (comfort) layer of this mattress is advertised as 2″ of cooling gel foam with far infrared minerals. However, the top layer in the mattress we received only measured 1.5″. GhostBed says these minerals interact with your body heat and reflect far infrared lightwaves back to you, which is supposed to increase blood flow and help with muscle recovery as you sleep. This is based on a study that GhostBed references, although these health benefits aren’t proven on a larger scale.
- Layer 2: The second (transition) layer is meant to be a 3″ layer of Ghost Bounce foam. That said, it measured 3.5″ in the mattress we received. GhostBed describes this material as a perfect blend between a memory foam and latex feel, although they don’t explain how it’s latex-like.
- Layer 3: The bottom (support) layer is advertised as 7″ of high-density foam. In our mattress, it only measured 6.5″. This layer makes up the bulk of the mattress, and stops you from sinking in too deeply to the mattress.
This mattress’s top cover is made of the company’s proprietary Ghost Ice fabric, which includes phase-change material to help regulate your body temperature throughout the night. While we know the Ghost Ice cover to be made of polyester and spandex, these materials aren’t listed on the mattress’s law label. Radiance’s cover is not removable or machine-washable, so any spills or stains should be spot-cleaned only.
Get the mattress with a machine-washable cover.
Read Octave Vista Review
MattressReviews.ca commissions licensed third-party engineers and uses public data to rate mattresses on over 40 criteria.
This allows us to accurately rate and compare the performance of the mattresses reviewed on this website. Engineer independence and operating standards help ensure their results remain unbiased, valid, and reliable. Each mattress was evaluated using the same strict mattress testing methodology to protect the overall integrity of the results. The full report has been given the official stamp of approval from an APEGA-certified engineer operating under a strict ethical code of conduct.
Mattress testing conducted outside of this professional standard poses a greater risk of validity errors or reviewer bias.
5.5 /10
Firmness
In third-party engineer testing (commissioned by us), GhostBed Radiance earned a firmness score of 5.5/10. This places this mattress in the medium-firm section, but it verged on being a medium. This is much softer than GhostBed’s advertised firmness score of 7–9/10. This level of firmness is good for back and side sleepers, but stomach sleepers may find it too soft to provide proper support.
(Looking for a mattress that’s suitable for all sleep styles? Octave Vista scored 6.8/10 for firmness, making it a perfect firmness level whether you sleep on your back, stomach, or side.)
6.3 /10
Edge Support
GhostBed Radiance earned an edge support score of 6.3/10, which is above average for a foam mattress. You should be able to sleep and sit fairly comfortably on the edge of this mattress.
(Looking for a mattress with better edge support? Consider Octave Vista. With a considerably higher score of 7.5/10, Octave offers the support you need to get out of bed in the morning.)
7.8 /10
Motion Isolation
Foam mattresses are known for having very good motion isolation. Earning a score of 7.8/10, Radiance will do a good job of eliminating motion transfer coming from the other side of the bed, helping you to get a more restful sleep.
4.9 /10
Bounce
Bounce in mattresses is a preference. Higher bounce can make it easier to move around in or get out of bed, while lower bounce scores are associated with more undisturbed sleep. GhostBed Radiance received a bounce score of 4.9/10, which is around average for a foam mattress.
(Want a mattress with a little less bounce? Octave Vista has a bounce score of 3.7/10, but incorporates a layer of Elastex® foam—a responsive latex substitute foam that makes it easy for you to shift positions while sleeping.)
3.0 /10
Cooling Features
GhostBed Radiance isn’t advertised as a cooling mattress, but it still has a few cooling features worth noting. This mattress earns points for its:
- Ghost Ice cooling cover made with phase-change material to regulate body temperature
- Layer of gel foam to dissipate body heat
- Latex-like Ghost Bounce foam, which GhostBed claims has better airflow than traditional memory foam
For more cooling features at a better price, check out Octave Vista. It features a moisture-wicking cooling top cover, copper-infused memory foam, phase-change material, channelled foam, and breathable latex substitute Elastex® foam. Octave offers more cooling features at a better price of just $899 for a queen size, compared to $1,199 for GhostBed Radiance.
Read Octave Vista Review
Company Background
GhostBed’s parent company, Nature’s Sleep, was founded in 2001 by Marc Werner. However, the company’s first bed-in-a-box mattress—The GhostBed, now known as GhostBed Classic—didn’t launch until 2015. It was shortly followed by the GhostPillow and other sleep products.
The GhostBed brand is associated with celebrities like Venus Williams who claim to be happy with their GhostBed mattress. Customers, on the other hand, have filed a large number of complaints related to returns and warranty claims. In fact, one customer’s negative experience with GhostBed’s return policy was highlighted on CBC Go Public.
At the time this review was written, GhostBed is rated “Bad” on Trustpilot. The business also has a “C-” (unaccredited) rating on BBB and a customer review rating of 1.17/5 stars. Common complaints include false advertising, product quality, and difficulty arranging refunds or returns.
One of the most concerning BBB complaints comes from a customer who purchased a mattress on sale. This customer found that if they wanted to return the mattress, they would have to pay for the discounts applied to their order. We have observed GhostBed raising their prices during sales to provide a greater “discount” (see August 2023 vs December 2023), meaning customers have to pay a greater amount to return a mattress purchased on sale.
Most recently, the company issued a recall of the GhostBed Natural line of mattresses in 2024. The Consumer Product Safety Commission states that “the mattresses violate the smoldering ignition requirements of the federal mattress flammability regulation, posing a fire hazard.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Are GhostBed mattresses good?
GhostBed mattresses have a few interesting features, including their infrared technology. However, a Costco membership is required to purchase the Radiance mattress. Costco offers no sleep trial on their mattresses, meaning shoppers need to rely on their return being approved to get their money back. If you ordered your mattress online, Costco will come to pick up your returned mattress, but this isn’t the case if you purchased in-store. You’re responsible for getting in-store purchases home, as well as back if you decide to return it.
We think you should check out Octave Vista instead. Octave comes with a 365-night trial, zoned support, a machine-washable cover, more advanced cooling features, and a bedding bundle—all for a lower price of just $899 for a queen size. The company is also rated “A+” on BBB, and “Excellent” on Trustpilot—an indication that Octave customers are happy with their purchases.
Where is GhostBed made?
GhostBed manufactures its mattresses in the United States and central Canada.
Where can I try a GhostBed?
GhostBed has partnered with several retailers in the United States (such as American Mattress and Sam’s Club) and Canada (such as Dufresne and Rody’s Retail) who offer the chance to try GhostBed mattresses in their showrooms. Some mattresses, like GhostBed Radiance and GhostBed Fusion, are Costco exclusives that can only be purchased through Costco Canada.
Does GhostBed need a box spring?
No, you don’t need a box spring to use a GhostBed mattress. According to GhostBed’s website, any “sturdy foundation” will work with its mattresses. GhostBed Radiance’s warranty states, however, that use of an improper foundation can void your warranty.
According to GhostBed, proper foundations are considered “firm, solid surfaces, such as standard mattress foundations, box springs, or adjustable bed bases.”
How long does GhostBed take to expand?
According to the Costco website, GhostBed Radiance can take from a few hours up to a full day to expand in warm weather. In colder months, full expansion can take up to five days.
How do you return a GhostBed?
If you purchase your GhostBed mattress through Costco, the return process varies depending on whether you purchased your mattress online or in-store. Online purchases are eligible for pickup by Costco, as long as your mattress is in good condition. If you purchased your mattress from the warehouse, you’re responsible for getting it back to the store to initiate a return. This means you’ll require a truck or other large vehicle that’s capable of transporting an expanded mattress.
Is GhostBed worth it?
We don’t believe GhostBed is worth the price. While GhostBed mattresses perform well when tested by third-party engineers, it’s not clear why these mattresses are priced higher than many similar mattresses. GhostBed also offers longer-than-average warranties, but many customers have reported having issues getting GhostBed to honour their warranty and returns.
What GhostBed mattress alternatives should I consider?
If you’re looking for a quality foam mattress with more cooling feature for a better price, consider Octave Vista. At just $899 for a queen size, Octave incorporates copper-infused cooling gel foam, a breathable latex substitute layer, zoned channeled foam, and a machine-washable cooling top cover to help you sleep cool. You also get a free bedding bundle with your purchase for added value—something you won’t get with GhostBed Radiance.
You May Prefer:
Octave Vista
9.7 /10
Made in
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Winner!
Our Pick for Best Cooling Mattress 2024
A mattress with some cooling features
To spend less than $900 on a mattress
