Hello,
I started my mattress shopping journey about a week ago. My biggest mistake was going in blindly to a furniture store. However, it did pique my interest and launched me into the world of mattress literacy and learning!
I’m a petite person, just barely reaching 5ft tall and about 110 lbs. I’m primarily a side sleeper, but started combination sleeping on my stomach (because lack of support from current mattress?). I learned that the best level of firmness for me is a soft/plush mattress.
As I said before, I went to a furniture store and the only mattresses I really liked there were the Aireloom Preferred Line (Plush) and the Purple Restore Plus (soft). What I liked about the Aireloom was that it offered a soft quilted pillowtop feel and I felt the Purple gave me decent support. I dislike the “sink in” feeling that Tempur-Pedics provide and prefer hybrid mattress with coil support. I soon discovered that there are other manufacturers out there that are more transparent and forthcoming about the materials they use and how they’re sourced. So, I’ve tried to do the best research and narrowed it down to a few mattresses:
I wish I could find a showroom for these beds and test it out, but none are around where I live. Has anyone had any experiences with these beds? Or do you have any other suggestions or advice? Any response is greatly appreciated!
Hi. I’m petite just like you and prefer to not sink into a bed. I want an innerspring firm mattress like they used to make in the old days. Hard to find these days. Many beds have a pillowtop or a gel foam layer at the top that you sink in to. These might work for you if you prefer the softer beds. I’ve been looking for a while also and can’t seem to find the right one! Good luck on your search.
Keep us posted!
Thank You for your reply and support! I’ve only been searching for a week and there’s so much to consider, kind of overwhelming. I’m weeding through reviews online and rare the reviewers are our body type or frame. I’m someone who has to interact with the beds and am hesitant to “pull the trigger” on something online. I think I’m going to make a trip into NYC, where there are some stores that carry a lot of online mattresses and hopefully that will help me narrow it down further. I’ll keep you updated!
lightweight and short family here and I feel your pain … mattress buying isn’t easy.
I ended up with a DIY blended Talalay after years and years of struggling on Tempurpedic.
My needs are a bit different as I also have a multitude of pains but …
I love the feeling of blended Talalay ( I use firm, medium and soft ) , topped by an egg crate soft dunlop latex . Latex will let you sink in but not trap you. The Talalay foam alone was a little too bouncy for me but that egg crate adds a very unique dimansion of pressure relief, cusion and feel. My husband, is heavier will get a dunlop base with only a surface layer of Talalay .
I have sworn off " ready made " mattresses since I have discovered that building my own doesn’t just save me money but also gives me control and more options- I can add or take away any layer I want … if something wears out , I can replace it without throwing out an entire mattress.
Technically I do not even need three latex layers- two would be plenty -with that egg crate maybe … If the latex foam feels too bouncy I could a layer of regular foam , if I need more moisture wicking I can add a wool cover , if my needs change and I suddenly need a medium firmness I can swap my layers …
After many years of trial and error I appreciate a mattress with a zip off cover/casing ( ideally washable ) and individual layers I can change - I want to see what is inside my mattress and what materials were used. Latex foam seems to come from the same few producers/ large skale distributers so I have no preference of one over the other vendor except the customer service . I am sensitive to smells and in my limited experience the all natural versions of Latex generally smell more than the blended.
Have you looked at the other Latex mattress retailers that are listed on the forum index? If you have to take a leap of faith ( same here - no latex mattresses to try around where I live ) , compare what materials you are getting at which price, service, warranty and the option to change things if it isn;t a good fit …
Oh wow, I’m in awe and applaud you for going towards the DIY route. As I do more research, the idea of going DIY has been floating in the back of my head. I know it takes a lot of patience, but can be truly rewarding.
Like you, I like the idea that I could change layers to meet my needs. I’m afraid that if I purchase a “ready made” mattress, it may not meet my needs down the line and I’ve heard some neg. experiences that people have of trying to return their mattresses under trial period or warranty.
I’ve been trying to investigate the layers of the beds I’ve tried and seeing if it would be cheaper to build and replicate it myself. In the Aireloom brand it seems they use a 15 gauge pocket coil support system, with a high density foam , and then for the comofort layer: a mixture of visco foam, Celsion TerraPur Latex (which I assume is just talalay latex?), and wool fibers/batting. The problem is that I don’t know the ILD or density of the comfort layers.
I found Nest Bedding as a friendly way to test and change out layers as needed, without having to build the whole bed myself. They’ll let you swap out the top comfort layer to adjust it to your firmness, but only once. Anytime after the first time, you’ll need to pay. You could choose between 3" of Energex Memory foam or 3" of Talalay (in various ILD). Like you said, it’ll be taking a leap of faith in trial n’ error because I’m not sure how each Talalay ILD feels to me. I would also like to see how Dunlop latex feels.
Have you ever tried a mixture of memory foam with latex? Would you mind sharing where you have purchased and tried different latex from?
If I choose to do the DIY route, I may have to ask you more about your experiences!
I have taken apart all mattresses I have ever owned out of curiosity and honestly … there is very little special mystery there - most have either springs or a higher-density foam on the bottom and comfort layers on the top. I found that my daughter and I - being in that 100-120lb weight - we rarely even feel the bottom layers of a mattress because we do not sink in enough. With the store mattresses, I would likely be fine if they gave me the top 3- 5 inches of plush casing and comfort layer, and I put that on the floor to sleep on.
I feel that building my mattress is much less of a risk than committing to a multiple thousand-dollar mattress at the store that will change with time ( especially the top layer of foam, the filling in the casing will compress first ). I argued with myself that … if I started with a medium and soft latex topper - I could always use those around the house - as a guest bed , as a topper, and even as a dog bed .
I did try memory foam and latex and it changes the feel a lot … I tried Latex on MF and MF on latex - in fact, I do this on days when my pressure points are super bad … ( latex, then memory foam than the egg crate topper - feels like a cloud - but at least for me - not enough back support on the stomach - my daughter thought it was heavenly ) ,
Any mattress will wear out over time, and the " feel" will change … some materials are more durable than others - memory foam at least in my experience doesn’t last as long as latex.
I have ordered mattress toppers from CST ( great customer service but not the fastest shipping - their college toppers are wonderful and well worth the wait) and I have experience with Turmerry for the egg crate latex ( fast shipping - kudos to whoever runs their warehouse and shipping department!) and latex mattress factory - all good people - I also talked to Flobed ( must have the greatest service in the industry …kind of pricy but if you are not DIY - they make a great product. I have a friend with a 17 year old Flobed and she is still happy with it - will buy from them again ) …
Welcome to our Mattress Forum. I see you, flybear, and Idael are having a great conversation here. I have tried the Nest Bedding Sparrow and, for what it’s worth, it’s one of my favorite mattresses.
They also have a 365 night guarantee. From their website: “Your Nest Bedding mattress is hand-crafted in the USA by our factory team. Try any of our luxury mattresses in your home for 365-nights with free returns; our 100% money-back guarantee and options to exchange”
So, that’s a comforting bit of information to keep in the back of your mind as well. Do you have any other mattress related or mattress shopping questions that we can answer?
I am like you, very small, low BMI. I am 100% a side sleeper. After joining this site I learned so, so much about mattresses. I bought a Luma hybrid with very soft talalay topper, firm coil support on bottom with wonderful talalay on top. My understanding is that Luma has ceased operations, but I love my mattress. I am sure there are similar mattresses from other manufacturers. Talalay has changed my life! Being small I need that buoyancy for soft support. Also, I recently replaced my pillows with organic talalay ones from a store in California called Euro-Flex. They have premium mattresses also. I emailed back and forth with them for days. Wonderful store! So knowledgeable about all things latex, organic, and talalay. If their mattresses are anything like these premium pillows that I love, it doesn’t get any better. IMO talalay with strong support layer underneath is the best option for low BMI. Good luck as you continue your mattress education journey!
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I see you, flybear, and Idael are having a great conversation here. I have tried the Nest Bedding Sparrow and, for what it’s worth, it’s one of my favorite mattresses.