No more monkeys jumping on the bed! (unless they're professionally trained and have years of experience)

October 31, 2012 11:41 AM

Reuben Reynoso gets paid to jump on mattresses, day after day, mattress after mattress. The McRoskey Mattress Company in San Francisco has been making mattresses — and having people jump on them — for 112 years, since before the 1906 quake.

"It's work," said professional mattress jumper Reuben Reynoso. "It's not for everybody. There is a right way and a wrong way to do it."

Reynoso, who jumps on three mattresses a day, does it the right way. He doesn't try for height. He doesn't go "boing" or turn a somersault. His 10 toes are not little piggies going to market. They are trained members of the team. It's not a trampoline, for goodness sakes, it's a $2,750 mattress.

"This is not a game," said Reynoso, bouncing up and down. "Not to me."

posted by Lexica (10 comments total)

Mattress should really be tested horizontally.

At least, that's the pick up line that never worked for me. Ever.
posted by quadog at 12:05 PM on October 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

I don't know how custom mattresses hold up against normal factory made mattresses, but I'd like to take this opportunity to warn people against getting a foam mattress if you have back problems.

After 10 years with my queen sized $500 spring mattress, my wife and I decided to get a king sized bed. First we bought a cheap $50 used mattress. It was perfectly clean, but it sagged and my back started hurting a lot.

So, we splurged. We got a $3000 part spring part foam mattress. 7 months later I started having back problems which only go away if I move to a different part of the bed. Seriously, the $500 queen spring held up for 10 years and is still fine. This crappy $3000 piece of shit sags enough to aggravate back problems (but not enough that the factory warranty will allow a return).

Never again. At some point we'll try to sell this mattress on craigslist (presumably to someone without back problems) and then buy a king sized spring mattress. We might buy a $100 foam topper which we can replace every 6 months when it starts sagging.

It's really sad. I loved the foam feel. But, a $3000 bed should last a long time. Don't believe the seller when they spout nonsense about the foam in the bed being a different type of foam that is made to not sag.

OTOH, if you have a strong back, you'll probably be fine.
posted by HappyEngineer at 12:06 PM on October 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

Consider something like the Sleep Number by Select Comfort . . . it sure helped my aching back. Not cheap but well worth it 5 years later.
posted by ahimsakid at 1:37 PM on October 31, 2012

expertly compress no fewer than 28 layers of fluffy cotton batting while seeking to detect pea-size mattress lumps or other imperfections

The text makes it sound like he does this barefooted but the photo shows him wearing shoes. Also, I want a video or preferably animated GIF of him jumping on mattresses.
posted by exogenous at 1:57 PM on October 31, 2012

After a house, a car and a funeral, a mattress is perhaps the most expensive thing most people buy.

Maybe if you buy this brand...
posted by randomkeystrike at 2:34 PM on October 31, 2012 [3 favorites]

If you live near San Francisco, I urge you to visit the McRoskey showroom on Market Street and try one of these mattresses. I walked past the place for a year before I actually went in one day.

These mattresses are like falling backward into heaven. I have a mass produced mattress set that's a couple grand already, so these are more than double that. But when I go to replace my current set, I plan to get a McRoskey. They really felt that good. I'd pass on having a car for one of these.

When you visit, they also tell you the story of the company, that it's one of the last major manufacturers still located in San Francisco proper, and the process they go through to make a mattress especially for you. There's no push to sell you one. They don't urge you. I think he handed me a photocopied price sheet for the year, and that was it. I think they know that once you lie down on one, you decide whether you're ever going to have the money for it. If yes, you'll be back. If no, you'll wish you had the money.

Seriously, visit the showroom.
posted by kochbeck at 7:29 PM on October 31, 2012

Wow, I might go visit San Francisco if they can make me a mattress that doesn't suck. Seems like every mattress in the store these days is less comfortable than old spring mattresses from 10 years ago. You can't even get mattresses without that stupid uncomfortable foam in them anymore. (Even the spring ones have foam on top of the springs now.) Since you can't jump on a mattress with foam -- they've got no "springiness" to them -- I'll have to buy one that's Reuben Reynoso approved!
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 8:12 PM on October 31, 2012

Considering how much time we spend in bed, I'd say this man performs an invaluable service.
posted by arcticseal at 9:19 PM on October 31, 2012

Why did my career counselor never mention this?
posted by krinklyfig at 12:17 AM on November 1, 2012 [1 favorite]

Also, I want a video or preferably animated GIF of him jumping on mattresses.

There appears to be a conflict over whether this job involves "jumping" or "walking".

"Walking the Bed" McRoskey Mattress Company Bed Walker
posted by marsha56 at 10:15 PM on November 2, 2012