a latex mattress in montreal, canada

Hello
I’ve recently started shopping for a latex mattress, mosltly because of very positive feedback I got from your website (and others). The only one I found was Zenbody by Stearns & Foster at Sleep Country (Dormez-vous in Quebec). The saleman told me he only has a few left at the warehouse since the stores won’t be carrying them anymore. Reason: sales are not so good and not popular with clients.
I’ve had quite a hard time finding a quality latex mattress in Montreal. (I weight 150 lbs /5’9’') Can you help? Thanks

Hi zeff,

I would pass on the Zenbody even though it’s a nicer version than the Embody in the US (it’s all latex) but the latex is still lower quality and mostly synthetic.

You are fortunate though because there are more factory direct mattress manufacturers in and around Montreal (within about 100K) than any other city in North America that I know of and almost all of them produce latex mattresses as well as every other style and combination as well. There is a list in post #276 here (I added the cities so it would be easier to scan).

You have some great choices near you and I certainly wouldn’t be considering a major brand or a chain store (see the mattress shopping guidelines here) with so many high quality choices so close to you :slight_smile:

Phoenix

Hi Phoenix,

First, I want to say thank you so much for sharing your knowledge regarding mattresses in an open and honest manner. The information available can be overwhelming and with so much hype and gimmickry it is hard to trust what you hear and read. Also the links and location were very helpful. :slight_smile:

S & F (Sealy) Zenbody Pure 9’’ is made of smart latex. Why not calling it synthetic latex (Sapsa). They seem to have a hard time calling a spade a spade. I guess there’s nothing wrong with synthetic latex but when it comes to pricing it at 1644$, I think you’re right advising me to stay away from S & F.

I went shopping today and found both Zedbed (semi-firm Baltic at 1949$ or firm Boreal at 1449$) really comfortable at Matelas Bonheur: matelasbonheur.ca/lang-en/zedbed/424-latex-semi-ferme.html.
They also carry the more expensive Greensleep Vimala latex mattresses: matelasbonheur.ca/lang-en/zedbed/424-latex-semi-ferme.html at 3699$. A bit too expensive for me… but so comfy.
Matelas Personnel offers the Lucern 6" talaly latex and 3" foam for 1779$.
Haestens offers the british Dunlopillo 100% talalay at 2300$
Matelas Laurier offers a 9" 100% talalay latex mattress for 1639$
Futon d"Or has the 9" Neptune 100% Dunlop latex with wool quilted envelope for 1709$ futondor.com/boutique/produit/?q=317-Latex%20Neptune.
or the Confort with 6" dunlop latex with wool & cotton layers at 1030$ futondor.com/futon/product/?q=88-Latex%20Confort
ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint 1: matelasbonheur.ca/fr/lang-en/zedbed/424-latex-semi-ferme.html/| Archived Footprint 2: matelasbonheur.ca/fr/lang-en/zedbed/424-latex-semi-ferme.html/|Archived Footprint 3:futondor.com/boutique/produit/?q=317-Latex%20Neptune|Archived Footprint 4: futondor.com/futon/product/?q=88-Latex%20Confort

This was an exausting day. I will take a few days to figure things out, but if you do have any other advices, please let me know. Thanks again

Hi zeff,

You’re certainly right about this. All the proprietary names are meant to make various materials sound better than they really are.

That’s a lot of places to visit in a single day and I can see it must have been a long day. I sure do appreciate you sharing some of the examples and prices you listed with the forum though. There is a wide value range there but some of it is very good and comparable to some of the best value local manufacturers around the continent. I know from my own experience that sometimes the most difficult part of a long day of testing is remembering what each mattress felt like. At least there’s no doubt that you can end up with a great quality and value mattress given some of the choices you mentioned.

I would probably narrow things down to some of the better value outlets and then perhaps do one more round of testing with some of the “top” choices to narrow things down. Futon d"Or wasn’t even on my list but they certainly also have good value (comparable in a materials sense to the Green Sleep but the Green Sleep probably had their special flexible and adjustable foundation under it which contributes significantly to the feel … and price …of the mattress). I’ve added them to the list so others that read it will know about them as well … thank you.

I’m amazed that Montreal has so much good quality and value choices available in a single region.

Thanks again for your feedback :slight_smile:

Phoenix

Hi zeff,

Do you mind to share your mattress shopping experience? I also live in Montreal, and I really appreciate if you can help me a little. Maybe you can point me to good quality products/manufacturers. Or you encountered places you better to stay away from…
Are you happy with the mattress you finally bought? Which one is it? what manufacturer?

Thanks for any input!

Hi
I finally bought my latex mattress at Literie Laurier 375, Cremazie O., Montreal, Qc, H2N 2H9 (514.381.1260). It’s a 9" 100% talalay latex mattress for 1639$, but got an incredible discount at 1300$. The mattress is absolutely pure heaven!! I also purchased latex pillows at Futon d’Or for 60$ a piece.

One store you definitely must stay away from is Dormez-vous (Sleep Country). Salesperson don’t know anything about what they’re talking about. They’ll tell you anything you want… to sell any products they can.
Good luck with the purchase of your new mattress.
Cheers
Zeff

Funny, but Literie Laurier is #1 on my list of stores to visit! You’ve got the great deal on your mattress. I’ll use your price as a bargaining tool if we decide to go with their mattress :slight_smile:

And special thank you for the Dormez-vous warning. Maybe we’ll visit them anyway, but it’s always good to know other people’s opinion.

Thanks again, and enjoy your new mattress!

Hi tanyaden,

I will echo zeff’s caution about chain stores (and Dormez-vous / Sleep Country is one of the biggest in Canada). The marketing stories they will tell you (and that’s all they are because they won’t be able to tell you much about what is in their mattresses … especially the major brands) … will do more to frustrate and confuse (and waste time) than they will educate and help you. If curiosity does get the better or you … make sure you don’t buy anything no matter what you are told about the “benefits” of buying now or any “special sales” or “special discounts” you may be offered. They don’t carry any mattresses I would seriously consider.

Phoenix

Here’s my own experience with latex mattress shopping in the Montreal area. We were shopping for a King size. Both side sleepers, occasionally back sleeper as well (more so my husband than I). He: 6’3, 220 lbs, me: 5’3, 159 lbs.

Futon d’Or: 100% natural latex, good prices, but ILD configurations on the firm side.
Matelas Siesta: 100% Dunlop, but mattresses limited to a 6" core, and on the firm side.
Green Sleep: felt okay, but too pricey. 100% Dunlop.
Matelas Dauphin: Talalay (not sure if 100% natural or blend); 8" (6" plus 2"), comfortable, but was able to find bette price at Literie Provinciale.

Eventually purchased a 9" 100% Talalay at Literie Provinciale. 6" core of about 36 ILD with a 3" comfort level of about 21 ILD. Mattress cover is a Tencel knit, which we preferred over the cotton cover which is also available. Price for mattress is $1675, taxes included. We we so impressed with the service, quality and pricing of this shop/manufacturer, that we decided to make our purchase locally (we had been considering buying from Sleep Ez and having the mattress shipped to our vacation condo in Vermont to save on shipping).

We will be picking up the mattress Friday. I’ll post an update once we’ve been sleeping on it for a while.

Hi chanpou,

I replied to your other post here but thanks once again for your comments and feedback.

I’ve also linked this post to the Literie Provincial listing in the Montreal list.

Phoenix

Hi from Berri UQAM area!

I’m very interested to know how your mattress is going as I’m considering taking the hour and a half bus ride to literie provinciale to learn about their mattresses. I might buy the same one you got!

I feel lucky to live in Montréal, but I feel much more lucky to have found this site because I wouldn’t have had the slightest idea I’d how to do this all by myself. Thanks Phoenix and everyone else!

One problem I’ve come across is futon d’or doesn’t offer any warranty and the salesperson told me natural latex doesn’t compress over time. This seems false. I am very wary about buying a mattress without a guarantee. For now, I’m excited to visit provinciale because they have better prices and hopefully a better warranty.

Does it seem like a good idea to avoid buying a mattress without warranty against sagging/compression?

Many thanks

Hi ohnoadrummer,

Latex is the most durable of all the foam materials and while all foam will soften and compress to some degree over time … latex will soften and compress less and over a longer period of time than other types of foam. While I can understand not having a warranty that included compression on a natural fiber material where compression is normal and expected … it would be very unusual for a latex mattress not to have a warranty against unusual sagging or compression more than a specific minimum amount (typically 1.5" but often less with more premium materials like latex).

Having said that … the purpose of a warranty is to protect against defects in a mattress (not against “normal” softening or compression and the gradual loss of comfort and support over time) but if for some reason you purchased a mattress with a defective layer and there was deeper sagging that was a clear indication of a defective layer then if there was no warranty you would have no recourse. Defects with latex will typically show up early in the life of a mattress (usually in the first year).

It would certainly be more risky to buy a mattress with no warranty at all against unusual compression or sagging so you would need to decide whether there were enough other reasons or benefits to buying a mattress with no warranty that would offset the additional risk involved and that would make the additional risk “worth it” to you.

Phoenix

I just bought one at matelas Personnel. Claude the owner was so nice and so helpful, very knowledgeable as well. They had 4 models to choose from for Latex, Extra Firm, Firm, Medium Firm, and Soft. I went with the firm which was 3" of 40 ILD talalaly, 3" high density foam in the middle and 3" of the same latex on the bottom (which makes it flip able). He also mentioned the density of the latex being 5lbs. I do believe all the latex he uses is the same and just adjusts the firmess with foam in the middle. I wish I had a chance to check out literie Provinciale just to compare but so far after 2 nights of sleep on it Im pretty happy with it. Haven’t woken up in pain like I have been with my old mattress.

We picked up our mattress from Literie Provinciale on Thursday, so have now been sleeping on it for 3 nights. My husband, so far, prefers the feel of our previous innerspring with a pillowtop (albeit sagging pillowtop!). I find the latex mattress feels a bit firmer than when we tried it out in the store, but that may be due to it now having a mattress protector (made from Tencel, unquilted, that we bought there also) plus sheets (cotton jersey knit “t-shirt” type of sheets, which are stretchy though. But I do like the support I feel with this new mattress. Since we had been sleeping on our previous mattress for close to 15 years, I’m sure it will take a few weeks to adjust to this new mattress and feel all of its benefits. I’ll post an update in a few weeks. As for my daughter, who got the same mattress in a Queen size, she loves it. (She’s 13 and upgraded from a firmer single kid’s bed, so she’s in heaven!).

To answer a previous question, yes the mattress comes with a warranty - albeit a general one against manufacturing defects, with no specifics about depth of compression.

What I preferred about Literie Provinciale over Futon d’Or, other than pricing, is that there are more options for firmness / softness configurations and thickness of the mattress. What I didn’t like about Matelas Personnel (I called them up in my mattress search), was the foam in the middle of latex layers - I wanted all latex. But, indeed, Claude was very nice over the phone.

So far we’ve been very happy with the service from Literie Provinciale - they’ve been very accomodating with our different requests. Actually, I may have to follow up with them about our King mattress. When we picked it up, it was rolled up and packed tightly to ease transportation. When we removed the plastic packaging, it quickly took its shape back, except for 2 spots where there was tighter taping to hold the plastic wrap - these spots are still indented, 3 days later, but not as pronounced as when the wrap was initially removed. We had no such markings with out daughter’s mattress. Phoenix - is this indentation / marking to be expected, and up to how long does it take for latex to resume its full shape ?

Hi Chanpou,

Thanks for the update … I appreciate it.

No this isn’t normal. You could try lifting up the bottom edge and pulling it out to see if it’s the result of how it’s sitting on the foundation but if it’s not I would talk to them about it because after 3 days your mattress should be fully expanded.

Phoenix

I finally figured out how to post photos (I think …)

Here are a few more pictures of all the compressions remaining. My understanding is that latex is highly resilient. What can explain these markings? The way the mattress was packaged or a defect in the latex, or both?

Hi chanpou,

I’m glad you managed to attach the pictures. There are some suggestions in the help section here about adding attachments but if you ever find that none of them are working I’m always happy to add an attachment to one of your posts.

Latex is a highly resilient and durable material but it’s also possible that you have a defective layer because this clearly shouldn’t be happening.

I don’t know which layers in your mattress are the cause of the issue but I would send the same pictures to Literie Provinciale and talk to them about either repairing or exchanging your mattress.

Phoenix

I sent the pictures to Literie Provinciale and spoke with them today. They will come pick up the mattress and repair it / exchange layers as required. The owner thinks some sort of shifting / unglueing may have occurred as a result of the packaging / wrapping for delivery. He’ll know more once he opens up the cover. I’ll report once I know more.

Hi chanpou,

That’s a good possibility but as they said the only way to know is by opening up the mattress and seeing what happened. It certainly needed to be repaired and I’m looking forward to your comments once it’s fixed.

Phoenix

Hey all,

I also went to literie provinciale and bought a mattress. I got a memory foam though. Serge (the VP and presumably the same person chanpou talked to) told me that they have a 25 year warranty covering any sagging. In my amazement over this he told me that since he uses good quality foam (the memory foam is a 5lb density) that it will not sag or compress over time.

I’m still waiting for the bed to be ready. I’m still a bit skeptical about the warranty because I haven’t seen it in writing, and when I do see it, it will likely be in French. I’m not fluent, so I may have trouble with that.

My two questions are:

Does it seem like a reasonable claim that a higher density foam will last significantly longer, something like 25 years? (15 full, 10 prorated) I’m only about 135lbs so maybe that’s also a factor.

For chanpou: how do you feel about the warranty? Did you get the same promise that any sagging would be fixed within 25 years? Do you speak French? Do you think Serge is a nice guy too?

Thanks for your help, y’all