Looks like they are about to cut the trees down all the way down the golf course across from Pioneer...it has always hidden the golf course, seems weird to see it now
A few shots since beginning of demo process. They went into overdrive from what they were doing last week
Bed all setup and fully decompressed (mattress in 16 inches thick)
I was in the market for a new bed as a big guy, a former lineman who still exercises daily, but now I’m up against all of our mutual enemy, Father Time. My body isn’t what it used to be (especially lower back/hips), so I needed something for better support. Back in 2021, I picked up a high-end all-foam memory mattress from Sealy, and it was great at first, but over time, the support, especially in the hip area, started to break down and sink in.
So, for context, I’m 6’1, 275 pounds, a side sleeper, a light sleeper, and, most importantly, I run HOT when I sleep (I cannot sleep unless I'm cool). Not too far from my home, there’s a store that specializes in bed-in-a-box brands where you can try them in person in Troy, MI. I went and tested the Titan, Helix, Purple, and Nectar mattresses and both my girlfriend and I kept coming back to the Helix Plus Elite. She’s 5’4, 130 pounds, more of a dancer build, and it worked for both of us, which was important.
This is going to be an in-depth review of the Helix Plus Elite, what I would consider one of the best beds for a bigger person, especially if you sleep on your side. This mattress was a CONSIDERABLE investment, but for 10-15 years (hopefully) of good sleep, it was worth it.
For reference, we travel a lot for work and vacations and stay in high-end hotels like Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, and Marriott Luxury Collection properties, and high-end boutique hotels, so I know what a good bed feels like, and I know what a bad one feels like. and the Helix is definitely in that high tier.
The unboxing and setup process was pretty straightforward, but the king-size box is heavy. It comes in two boxes, one for the memory foam topper and one for the mattress itself. The topper was easy, around 50 pounds, I just threw it on my shoulder and carried it upstairs. The mattress box is around 140 pounds, and while it’s not impossible, it’s more awkward than anything because of the size, but I got it upstairs.
Setup itself took me about 15 minutes. Getting everything out, positioning it, and inserting the foam layer into the cover is a little more difficult than you would expect with a king-size. There is that “new product/car” smell when you first open it, a little strong at first, but nothing some Febreze couldn’t handle.
The bed has a true medium-firm feel, built with Titan coils, a 3-inch memory foam layer, and a 2-inch cooling topper, making it about 16 inches thick overall. For me, it’s been really good, not life-altering in the way I initially hyped it up in my head, but definitely back and hip-altering in a very real way.
As a side sleeper with big shoulders and deltoids, alignment is always my biggest issue. On the wrong mattress, especially my previous all-foam one, my hips would sink too far, and I’d wake up feeling like my body was shaped like a “V” or a check mark. That led to consistent lower back pain and hip misalignment every morning. With the Helix, my shoulder sinks just enough to align properly with my pillow, while my hips and lower back stay supported and don’t drop too low, which keeps me aligned.
After a month on this mattress, I wake up now feeling aligned and normal, which honestly feels strange after years of waking up slightly off. My morning stretching and warm-up routine has been cut in half, and my lower half, especially my hips and lower back, feels like I’m 27 again (im 40) when I wake up. My shoulders feel better than they were on memory foam, but not completely life-changing, but that’s more about my build than the mattress itself.
My girlfriend, who sleeps on her stomach, has a completely different experience in a good way. She describes it as a halo-supported, cloud-like feel where she just settles in and drifts off. For her size and weight, this mattress is basically perfect.
The motion transfer on this bed is very good. I can barely feel my gf moving or getting out of bed unless she’s right next to me, and she says she only feels a little movement from me when I get up. It’s not quite at that Tempur-Pedic “wine glass doesn’t move while you jump” level, but it’s very close without spending $20k.
The bounce on this bed is good, and the responsiveness is noticeably better, especially compared to a pure memory foam mattress for sex. With memory foam, you’re doing most of the work yourself, it takes more core and leg effort since there’s no natural push and bounce back with sex. The Helix Plus Elite, on the other hand, has good enough bounce from the coils to make movement feel much more natural and bounce it back for you lol.
The mattress is built with around 1,000 Titan coils, and since they’re individually wrapped, it stays extremely quiet. There’s no squeaking or noise at all, even with aggressive movement, which is something you don’t always get with hybrid beds.
Edge support is another standout. At 275 pounds, when I sit on the edge, I feel fully supported, no collapsing feeling, and it snaps right back when I stand up.
Cooling has been really good so far, which is big for me as a hot sleeper. The mattress stays cool through the night, which is a huge plus. We have had a couple of warmer Michigan nights so far, where it was 85 all day and around 70 degrees outside at night. After the house has been warm all day, it still performs well. The GlacioTex Elite Cooling Cover actually seems to work.
I’ll need to test it in the middle of summer to give a final verdict, but early impressions are strong.
This is an excellent mattress, especially for a larger person, so I'd say we are happy with the investment. It supports your hips, contours well to your body, and keeps you cool. If you’re a side sleeper with large shoulders, that will always be a tricky area on any mattress, but this does a better job than most.
Scores:
I stopped in to check out that new store, I feel like it's a Kroger pretending to be a Plum Parket with the confidence of a whole foods.
Just go in and you'll see what I mean lol, it's like a well dressed Kroger on the inside
But they do have 8 freshly cooked huge chicken tenders for $8 and that's a win.
Had the small grill going at the park for some friends
I was in the market for a new bed as a big guy, a former lineman who still exercises daily, but now I’m up against man’s mutual enemy, Father Time. My body just isn’t what it used to be (especially lower back/hips), so I needed better support for real nighttime recovery. Back in 2021, I picked up a high-end all-foam memory mattress from Sealy, and it was great at first, but over time the support, especially in the hip area, started to break down. That’s when I realized I needed something with both coils and foam for long-term structure and support.
So for context, I’m 6’1, 275 pounds, a side sleeper, a light sleeper, and most importantly, a HOT sleeper ( I cannot sleep unless I'm cool). After doing a lot of research, I landed on Helix. Luckily, not too far from my home, there’s a store that specializes in bed-in-a-box brands where you can try them in person in Troy, MI. I tested the Titan, Helix, Purple, and Nectar mattresses and both my girlfriend and I kept coming back to the Helix Plus Elite. She’s 5’4, 130 pounds, more of a dancer build, and it worked for both of us, which was important.
This is going to be an in-depth review of the Helix Plus Elite, what I would consider one of the best beds for a bigger person, especially if you sleep on your side. I’ll also be doing updates every 30 days to share how sleep quality evolves and how it impacts my body, especially my lower back. +
For reference, we travel a lot for work and vacations and stay in high-end hotels like Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, and Marriott Luxury Collection properties, and high-end boutique hotels, so I know what a good bed feels like, and I know what a bad one feels like. The Helix Plus Elite is definitely in that high-end tier.
The unboxing and setup process was pretty straightforward, but the king-size box is heavy. It comes in two boxes, one for the memory foam topper and one for the mattress itself. The topper was easy, around 50 pounds, I just threw it on my shoulder and carried it upstairs. The mattress box is around 140 pounds, and while it’s not impossible, it’s more awkward than anything because of the size, but I got it upstairs.
Setup itself took me about 15 minutes. Getting everything out, positioning it, and inserting the foam layer into the cover is a little trickier than you’d expect with a king-size. After that, we let it decompress for about three hours, and then we were feeling great when it came time to go to sleep. There is that “new product” smell when you first open it, a little strong at first, but nothing a little Febreze couldn’t handle.
The bed has a true medium-firm feel, built with Titan coils, a 3-inch memory foam layer, and a 2-inch cooling topper, making it about 16 inches thick overall. For me, it’s been really good, not life-altering in the way I initially hyped it up in my head, but definitely back-altering in a very real way.
memory foam mattress and cooling topper
As a side sleeper with big shoulders and deltoids, alignment is always my biggest issue. On the wrong mattress, especially my previous all-foam one, my hips would sink too far, and I’d wake up feeling like my body was shaped like a “V” or a check mark. That led to consistent lower back pain and hip misalignment every morning. With the Helix, my shoulder sinks just enough to align properly with my pillow, while my hips and lower back stay supported and don’t drop too low, which keeps me aligned.
After three weeks on this mattress, I now wake up feeling aligned and normal, which honestly feels strange after years of waking up slightly off. My morning stretching and warm-up routine has been cut in half, and my lower half, especially my hips and back, feels significantly better. I’d say my lower body feels like I’m 27 again (im 40) when I wake up. My shoulders feel better than they were on memory foam, but not completely life-changing, and that’s more about my build than the mattress itself.
My girlfriend, who sleeps on her stomach, has a completely different experience in a good way. She describes it as a halo-supported, cloud-like feel where she just settles in and drifts off. For her size and weight, this mattress is basically perfect.
The motion transfer on this bed is very good. I can barely feel my gf moving or getting out of bed unless she’s right next to me, and she says she only feels a little movement from me when I get up. It’s not quite at that Tempur-Pedic “wine glass doesn’t move while you jump” level, but it’s very close without spending $20k.
The bounce on this bed is solid, and the responsiveness is noticeably better, especially compared to a pure memory foam mattress for sex. With memory foam, you’re doing most of the work yourself, it takes more core and leg effort since there’s no natural pushback with sex. The Helix Plus Elite, on the other hand, has enough bounce from the coil system to make movement feel much more natural and bounce it back for you lol.
The mattress is built with around 1,000 Titan coils, and since they’re individually wrapped, it stays extremely quiet. There’s no squeaking or noise at all, even with more aggressive movement, which is something you don’t always get with hybrid beds.
Edge support is another standout. At 275 pounds, when I sit on the edge, I feel fully supported, no collapsing feeling, and it snaps right back when I stand up.
Cooling has been really good so far, which is big for me as a hot sleeper. The mattress stays cool through the night, which is a huge plus. We have had a couple of warmer Michigan nights so far, where it was 85 all day and around 70 degrees outside at night. After the house has been warm all day, it still performs well. The GlacioTex Elite Cooling Cover actually seems to work.
I’ll need to test it in the middle of summer to give a final verdict, but early impressions are strong.
Overall, this is an excellent mattress, especially for a larger person. It supports your hips, contours well to your body, and keeps you cool. If you’re a side sleeper with large shoulders, that will always be a tricky area on any mattress, but this does a better job than most.
Scores:
Overall, this is an excellent bed, and right now we are sleeping like the people in the commercials. I’ll be reporting back in 30 days to share how my back continues to improve and Key strengths:
If you’re a bigger side sleeper, especially with broader shoulders, you’ll always have some trade-offs, but this handles it better than most.
