I live in Canada and think I want a latex mattress because I am hot at night. Do you have any recommendations for what or where I should look? I would welcome your opinion on Zedbed and Essentia. Are there US mail-order retailers you recommend I use? Thx for any info, Sandi
Canada is a pretty big place 
where in Canada?
Hi sandimac,
Just in case you haven’t read it already … the first place to start your research is post #1 here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines you will need to make the best possible choices.
You can read more about ZedBed in post #2 here
You can read more about Essentia in this thread and in this thread and post #3 and #4 here about their false claims would be worth reading as well. They certainly have some inaccurate information on their site and make some claims that are misleading and aren’t accurate at all about their mattresses and are also not good value.
Some of the better options I’m aware of for retailers and manufacturers that ship across Canada are listed in post #21 here.
If you let me know your city or postal code I’d also be happy to let you know of any of the better local options I’m aware of that are near you.
Phoenix
Yes, sorry. Canada is a bit large - I live In northern Ontario. I’ve read posts from vram, dn and lisa and I could go to Soma Sleep in Toronto on a weekend. Their thread is helpful and doing a lot of work for me. I think if I went to Soma I would get a mattress that would keep me happy for several years. I went to the website for Flobed and they seem to be an option too. I’ll read the reccomended threads. Thank you both very much,
Sandi
Hi sandimac,
Northern Ontario is pretty large as well 
If you let me know the closest city to you I can link you to the closest forum list to you and if there isn’t one I’d be happy to look around your area to see if there are any better options or possibilities that may be closer to you.
They are certainly looking at some high quality mattresses but they are also in a higher budget range for the most part. I’m not sure of your budget but there are also some other options in lower budget ranges in the Toronto area in post #1 here that may also be worth considering (again depending on your budget range).
Some of the other Toronto threads that have some good feedback from forum members in the Toronto area (many of which also mention prices) are here and here and here and here and here and here and here and a forum search on Toronto (you can just click this) will bring up others as well that may help you make some good value comparisons.
Phoenix
Phoenix, I live near North Bay - 1.5 hrs. from Sudbury and 4 from Toronto.
Hi Sandimac,
There isn’t a forum list in the North Bay / Sudbury, ON area so I spend the morning taking a look at what was available in the area and surprisingly there are a few reasonable options near you out of a couple of dozen I looked at and/or talked with. There is also a factory direct manufacturer in Sudbury as well. I talked with many of them and the list also includes the brands or manufacturers they each carry that give you the best odds of being able to find out the details of what is in their mattress.
NORTH BAY:
http://manchesters.ca/contact_us.html North Bay, ON. Carries Dream Star and Dreameasy including latex hybrids, Gel memory foam, and innersprings on the foor. Can order anything from either company.
http://baymattressfactory.com/ North Bay, ON. Carries Springwall, Therapedic, and Yorkdale (Dreamstar). They have some latex on the floor and some gel memory foam as well as innersprings. Knowledgeable about mattress materials and transparent.
http://www.levesquesfurniture.com/location.html North Bay, ON. Strata Bedding mainly two sided innerspring mattresses. Knowledgeable and open. Talked with the owner Rene Levesque.
SUDBURY:
http://www.northstarbedding.ca/ Sudbury, ON. They make two sided latex/poly hybrids and the same with memory foam (two sided) as well as traditional innersprings as well. Have been in business for 25 years and are the only manufacturers in Northern Ontario. There is a good article about them here.
http://www.sleepshopatfurnituremart.ca/ Sudbury, ON. Carries Strata Bedding and Galaxy. Mainly innerspring and memory foam. Is knowledgeable and will find out the specs from his manufacturers.
http://sleepexperiencesudbury.ca/index.html Sudbury, ON. Mainstream, Pure Latex Bliss (latex) and Natura (check to confirm because I didn’t talk with them)
Hope this helps
Phoenix
Oh Phoenix,
that helps a lot! I somehow have my mind set on a tanalay latex mattress, without ever having had the opportunity to try one. Now I can go to Bay Mattress and at least try latex.
I was online all yesterday afternoon and had decided to go to Toronto in a day and visit Soma, Foamite and Sleepworks. They might not be the least expensive options, but would be relatively easy for me to get to. My best guess is that I’d be lucky to stay under the $3500 mark. I also think I could order from Flobeds, pay shipping and duty, for around the same price. I was hoping to keep the mattress price to around the 2000 to 2500 mark and get an adjustible frame.
I’ll try in North Bay this afternoon. Also, Sudbury is a lot closer and easier than Toronto for me. I was not looking forward to a trip to Toronto. At 60 years old, it would be a long day for me and I no longer like driving there.
You are simply amazing. Thanks so much, Sandi
Well, I went to North Bay this afternoon.
Manchester insisted gel foam was what I wanted (they did not have any all latex mattresses). When asked, they said there was “tally” foam under it.
NB Factory Mattress had a firm plush Exquisite Yorkdale with org. cotton cover, which felt nice. But I cannot find that model on Yorkdale’s website to check out if it is really talalay foam etc. He said I could get it 2-sided for 30% more, but that this was not necessary with latex. It was $1300. With an adj. base I would have to get a thinner mattress; 8 rather than 10 inches. Price with a bottom of the line L & P base was $3000 ($3400 if I got it flipable). Call me crazy, but I think I should pay more for the mattress than the base.
I called Sudbury and will go to see manta(North Star Bedding) and Sleep Experience(can show me Latex Bliss and Natura). Both of those places sounded nice on the phone.
BTW Flexopedic in Bolton is no longer in business.
Thanks to you Phoenix, I had a fairly productive day and look forward to a good day in Sudbury. Sandi
Hi sandimac,
Thanks for the feedback … I appreciate it.
It would also be good to know that all of the retailers on the list will actually provide you with all the information you need about what is inside their mattresses. Sometimes they will say one thing on the phone to me but when the rubber hits the road they may not always provide all the information they say they will to their customers so your feedback will be very helpful.
I don’t know what “tally foam” is but I’m guessing they may have meant Talalay latex. Once again though it’s always important to make sure you get the specifics of all the layers in the mattress. It always seems odd to me when someone claims to know “what you want”.
The adjustable bed thread here has some information about adjustable beds and some sources that you can use for pricing references as well (although prices would generally be higher in Canada). I’m not sure which base you were looking at but the size will also make a difference. They are a nice option for those who like and would use the features they provide but they are certainly more costly than a basic foundation.
I talked with them (thanks to your heads up :)) and the two brothers that owned Flexopedic it have sold their business and they are now called A1 Quality furniture. They have the same phone number and still make similar mattresses but one of the brothers has retired. The younger one is still involved in the new business. I’ve changed the listing in the Toronto post to reflect the new name.
Thanks again for your feedback … it will be helpful for others in the area as well
Phoenix