all-latex mattress?

i was getting ready to order split all-latex king mattress from SleepEZ in soft/medium/firm, after chat discussion with them. However, Spindle had thought all-latex might not be the best way to go, given my painful back & hips, and the pushback of the mattress. he strongly suggested i try to find an all-latex mattress in-store. I was unable to get to SavvyRest, which he thought would be the most ‘similar’, although not the same…could not get there but did get to Essential who has a new all-latex mattress (supposedly). i know their practices & marketing are suspect. Anyway, i did not care for it at all, felt rather dead (and similar to my current leesa). However, i was amazed that their Essential Dormeuse felt fabulous; spent a good 20 minutes+ on it, it felt cloud like with a slight contouring, supported by very firm hands (that was the feeling). It was on sale - ha, $5500! for king size…now i realize i cannot duplicate the mattress, which they say is 4" memory foam quick response (2" 6.25 lb, 2" 5.25lb) on top of 4" latex (mattress just 8")…salesperson says latex is dunlop, It does make me wonder, however, if i should consider a memory-foam quick-response or latex slow response for my first layer…are there any suggestions out there? i have spent time with Dreamfoam, Mattressnet., SleepEz, Spindle…I do believe my best shot at getting a mattress that fits me would be to go with the three 3" layers of latex… (sleepEz seems the most straightforward with best exchange policy)…any help out there?

Hi smichaels,

You’ve probably read this already but for the sake of others that may be reading this there are some comments about Essentia and some of the misleading claims they make and some forum discussions with them (as well as some of the FTC issues they have had about their claims) in this thread and this thread and posts #3 and #4 here). Some of the discussion in this topic may be helpful as well. I certainly wouldn’t treat the information on their website (or on some of the other websites I’ve seen that write about them either) as a reliable source of “fact based” information and I would also make some very careful “value” comparisons before considering any Essentia mattress because they do tend to be in a higher budget range than other mattresses that use similar materials.

As you mentioned they have two new mattresses … the Bionda and the Stratami that are made from certified organic Dunlop latex and don’t contain any memory foam. Dunlop latex also has a different “feel” than Talalay even in the same firmness level and there is more about the general differences between Talalay and Dunlop in post #6 here. There is also more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here but the best way to know which type or blend of latex you tend to prefer will be based on your own careful testing or your own personal experience.

I would also keep in mind that each mattress category can include hundreds of different mattresses with a very wide range of different designs, different “feels”, different characteristics, and different firmness levels. Individual layers and components in a mattress (including the cover and any quilting material) can vary widely with different thicknesses and different firmnesses and every difference will affect the feel and response of every other layer and component both above and below it and the mattress “as a whole” so each mattress category will generally include some mattresses that have an overall design that will be a good “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) and others that use the same type of materials and components and are in the same category and may be just as durable but have a different design or firmness level that may be completely unsuitable for you to sleep on … even if it uses the same general type of materials and components.

In other words you may tend to prefer the general feel and properties of some types of materials or types of mattresses over others but it’s always important to do some careful testing on any specific mattress you are considering to confirm that it’s likely to be a good match for your body type and sleeping style in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP and/or to make sure that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or if you aren’t confident that a mattress is a suitable choice.

Assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the durability guidelines here relative to your weight/BMI range … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice (see this article). Different people just prefer different types of materials or mattresses but once again the only way to know which types of materials or mattresses or firmness levels you tend to prefer in very general terms will be based on your own local testing or your own personal experience.

The top layer in the Dormeuse is also memory foam not slow response latex. Slow response latex tends to feel firmer than most types of memory foam although the thickness of the comfort layers in a mattress and the firmness of the layers or components underneath it will also affect how soft it feels.

I believe that SleepEZ also has an option to use memory foam as the top layer of their component latex mattress if you want a memory foam comfort layer on top of latex but I would check with them to confirm this and of course it would still be different than the Dormeuse.

All of the options you are considering are members of this site which means that I think highly of all of them and that I believe that they all compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency.

When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels and the options they have available to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else.

Every good online retailer or manufacturer will generally make suggestions that they honestly believe have the best chance of success based on the information you provide them when you talk to them on the phone because this is in both your own and their best interests but again … at the end of the day the only way to know for certain whether any specific mattress is a good match for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP will be based on your own careful testing and/or your own personal experience so if you can’t test a specific mattress in person then the options you have available after a purchase to either exchange the mattress or individual layers or components or return the mattress for a refund (and any costs involved) would generally become a more important part of your personal value equation just in case a mattress you purchase doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for.

Once you have narrowed down your options to a list of finalists that are all choices between “good and good” and you have confirmed that none of them have any lower quality materials or “weak links” in their design and if at this point there are no clear winners between them (which is usually a good indication that you have done some good research) then you are in the fortunate position that any of them would likely be a reasonable choice and post #2 here can help you make a final choice based on any local testing you have done, your more detailed conversations with each of the online options you are considering, your personal preferences, your confidence about PPP and the suitability of each one, their prices, the options you have after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or exchange or return the mattress (or individual layers in some cases) and any costs involved, any additional extras that are part of each purchase, and on “informed best judgement” based on all the other objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

Phoenix