We just bought a “firm” latex mattress from Gardner Mattress in Newton, MA. It feels much harder than the firm floor model we tested. The store manager says all mattresses have a break-in period, especially latex ones.
Is this true? We have 30 days to decide whether or not to keep it. Another option is to put some kind of foam padding or mattress cover on it(it has nothing on it as yet). Thanks in advance.
Phoenix may disagree with me on this one. 
The two latex mattresses I have tried softened up quite a bit, and I am 6’ 180lbs. I walked on my second one, also firm, to soften it up initially, and that made a difference. It has continued to soften since then. Here is a link to my conversation with Phoenix:
https://forum.mattressunderground.com/t/second-latex-mattress-gone-soft
Hopefully you will love it soon, but if you are light weight you might speed up the process by gently walking on it, or walking on it on your knees, which is what they do to break in display models at my mattress store.
Lew
Tremendous advice, Lew. I’m a bit heavier than you(6’1", 200) but I will definitely do some walkin’ on the mattress tonight. Good to know there actually is a break-in process and the store manager wasn’t feeding me a line.
It isn’t tremendous advice unless it works! 
Lew
Hi swami,
I think Lew’s advice is good.
All new mattresses including latex will go through an initial break in period over the first few weeks as the covers stretch and foams go thorough an initial softening. Once this is done further softening is much slower.
Latex does this as well just less than other foam and over a longer period of time.
It may also be worth reading post #2 here because there could also be other factors involved such as a different foundation vs the one you tested in the store or a mattress protector or mattress pad you may be using over the latex that could also affect the feel of your mattress.
Phoenix
swami, I am curious how the mattress is doing now that you have had it for a few weeks. Lew
Funny you should ask, Lew. A couple of hours ago I called the manager at Gardner Mattress and asked about the procedure for returning the mattress. It has not softened up at all; it’s too firm, and it’s going back. The only question now is: do we go with a medium latex, or a traditional box-spring model? Staying with latex would make the return much easier, since we could keep the foundation. We only have a 30-day return window, and that expires on May 13th.
If anyone thinks we’re doing the wrong thing please let us know!
Damn, My mattresses went real soft and yours won’t soften at all 
Maybe we should trade and I could soften yours up, as my wife and seem to have a special touch for softening latex… It is a conundrum for me. Can you find out who the latex supplier for your mattress is? I would be curious. Lew
Hi swami,
Most of the initial break in period of a mattress as well as most of your initial adjustment period to a new sleeping surface will have happened in the first 30 days or so in most cases so I would be doing the same thing as you (looking for a comfort adjustment or exchange).
The key is to decide if your comfort layers are too firm and you are looking for softer/thicker comfort layers or whether the support of the mattress is too firm. The first will typically produce pressure point symptoms (numbness, tingling, discomfort in the area where your body makes the firmest contact with the mattress like your hips and shoulders) and the second will generally produce symptoms that are more related to alignment (such as lower back pain or discomfort).
It sounds to me like the issue you are facing is pressure relief on a firm sleeping surface in which case it may be a good idea to consider a mattress that has softer or thicker comfort layers. I would also make sure that you spend some time testing any mattress you are considering exchanging for along the lines of the testing guidelines in post #1 here.
I would treat the choice between different types of mattresses which use different types of support components (such as latex, polyfoam, or an innerspring) or different types of comfort layers (such as latex or polyfoam or memory foam etc) as a personal preference issue and decide on the style of mattress based on PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) and your “personal value equation” rather than thinking of one type of mattress as being “better” than another. I would also make sure that no matter what type of mattress you find is best for you that it has high quality comfort layers because this is the “weak link” of most mattresses and the part of a mattress that will soften or degrade most quickly over time. Of course latex is a very high quality and durable material and comes in a wide range of firmness levels and can be used on top of any type of support component (including latex or innersprings).
Other than making a choice that is “just right” … it’s generally “safer” to choose a mattress that is a little firmer in the comfort layers rather than too soft because you can also add a softer topper to a mattress that will improve the pressure relief of the mattress but it’s much more difficult to “fix” a mattress that is too soft because the best solution would involve removing or exchanging layers from the mattress.
Phoenix
Let me back up a bit. We got the mattress 3 weeks ago. The first night we tried it, it felt firmer than what we had tried in the store. Starting with the second night, we placed an old 3" foam topper on it, which obviously softened it quite a bit–too much for my taste. We kept the topper on until last night, when we decided to try it a few more night before deciding to keep or return. It is still firmer than I’d like but it did seem a bit softer than the first time(perhaps the breakin period is progressing). And I’ll say this–there have been two days in the past 3 weeks in which I’ve gotten out of bed without a sore back: the first night of the new mattress and last night…the two nights we went without a topper.
Bottom line is this: I think I can live with it, as long as it softens a bit more. My wife isn’t sure she can live with it, however. Is it feasible to get a smaller topper(for a single bed) and use it on her side of the mattress? Sounds weird, but if it’s doable it would save us a lot of trouble returning this one. Thanks in advance.
Hi swami,
the topper you were using would slow down the break in period of the mattress because it will absorb much of the compression forces that come from sleeping on it and “shield” the layers below it to some degree. It may also affect your own adjustment period because you would be adjusting to a different sleeping surface than just your mattress and then if you remove the topper you may need to adjust to a new surface once again.
You may also consider carefully crawling or walking on the mattress evenly on the surface to help with any breaking in period.
If you do decide to add a thin topper (which can be a good idea if you are comfortable with the side to side height difference) … post #2 here and the post it links to has some topper guidelines including a link to some of the better topper or component sources I’m aware of.
Phoenix
You might contact Gardner mattress about extending the return time. If they know you are trying to break the mattress in and make it work for you they should be happy to give you more time. Sounds like you didn’t take my “tremendous advice.” Lew
I’m going there tomorrow, Lew, to discuss exchanging the mattress. Naturally, the more I sleep on it the better it feels. So who knows–we may end up keeping it. You think Gardner would extend the break-in period?
I worked in high service retail sales for years and I was always willing to bend the rules to work with people. If I thought that a little longer trial would avoid an exchange I would actually encourage it. Many of the products I sold, especially speakers, had a break in period and we always wanted to make sure customer got the speakers broken in before they returned or exchanged.
As the mattress seems to be breaking in now that you have the topper off, I would call Gardner to see if they will work with you. Then try kneading it with your knees to hurry the break in. Lew
How did the meeting with Gardner go, and is the mattress softening up now? Lew
Went well. The manager gave us an extra two weeks to see how it goes. While there, I tested the firm and medium display models (latex) again. The “firm” again felt softer than ours…which gives me hope that ours will soften to that level.
As it is, ours is SLOWLY softening. I’m beginning to really like it, and my wife is heading in that direction too. If I had to guess, I’d say we’ll probably keep this one or–at the most–exchange it for the medium model.
Hang in there Swami and I bet the mattress will be great in a few more weeks. Lew