We bought the Flexus Comfort Latex Organic mattress a couple of months ago and really struggling with the firmness of it, trying to decide if that is normal for all latex matresses or just this company? I have even tried 6 inches of the soft tallalay later with one medium layer on the bottom which I think is the softest they would do. I do sleep well through the night but I certainly dont feel like I am sleeping on a cloud or anything? Has anyone had experience with this? It has a 3 month return policy which is quickly approaching and I hate to make a mistake on something that isn’t exactly cheap. Thank you!
Hi lmaufder,
Welcome to the Mattress Forum! 
I guess I’m not sure exactly what you’re asking about. If you’re sleeping well through the night, that would generally be the goal of anyone looking for a new mattress, so in that respect it sounds like you’ve made a good choice.
If you’re desiring a softer comfort for some reason (the alternate combination you mentioned in general would be a very plush combination), I’m not really sure why you would want that, other than what you mentioned that you want it to feel like “sleeping on a cloud”, or at least your perception of what that might be?
Latex (you didn’t provide exact specifications of the product you have at home right now), whether Talalay or Dunlop, will certainly have a more buoyant feel as compared to other foams, especially if you came from a memory foam mattress. It is highly point elastic (finely contouring to your body but not pulling across the entire surface) and it does tend to offer much better surface support than traditional mattresses using polyfoam or memory foam in the upper comfort layers. If you’re expecting the product to feel like a more “traditional soft” mattress, you are correct that it will not.
The strongest correlation to time spent in deeper sleep is proper alignment, so I would caution you against choosing something that is too soft to the point of sacrificing support.
Regarding other people’s opinions, while other members of the site may have had similar experiences of going from a “traditional” innerspring mattress to a latex, and their perception of describing the difference in “plushness” might be helpful, I would avoid using anyone else’s opinions in determining what might work best for you, as there are far too many individual preferences involved to use their recommendations as a reliable predictor of your personal comfort and results.
If you have a concern, I would take a few moments and place a phone call directly to Flexus and express any concerns that you might have and ask for their opinions. They will have your best interests at heart and may have more insight to your comfort perceptions based upon the exact configuration you’re now using. As you stated, you’re sleeping well, so I would be hesitant of “overthinking” how the product should feel relative to your expectations from sleeping on other particular mattresses. Of course, your comfort and restoration are key, and in the end I would use your own careful consideration after consulting with Flexus to decide if you want to make a change.
I’m interested to know of your decision!
Phoenix
Thank you for your response! I have emailed the company and waiting to hear back. My issue is that I am a bit of a special case I think, because with many beds I get pressure on my hip and shoulder and rib cage to the point that when I wake up I dont want to keep sleeping since it hurts too much… I was trying to determine if latex mattresses in general are firmer than lets say a memory foam. I really want to go with a latex mattress for health reasons, but trying to determine if overall the latex mattresses are firmer than I would have expected or if its particularly the Flexus mattress. My husband loves it, and I do sleep through the night minus a few wakes with some pressure on my side where I have to shift to not have pain. I have slept on a temperpedic before where I didnt wake up with pain on my side so I wasnt sure if it was the properties of a latex mattress that make it overall firmer or if it is the Flexus brand that tends to run a bit firmer. I am hoping to hear back from Flexus on what there ILD ratings are for their different firmness levels, since I couldnt find it on the internet. I am thinking it is 22 for the Flexus soft layer if it is the same as their mattress toppers which they list the numbers, and that is not as soft as the latex can come I believe (19 is typically where soft starts?). I am leaning towards sticking with 2-3 inch layers of soft with 1-3 inch layer of medium on the bottom because it was the only setup so far where I have the least amount of pain when I wake. I was also worried that if I tried to go with too soft of a bed I would not get proper support and cause back problems which I experienced with my Select Comfort. So really it comes down to just trying to understand where Flexus falls in the spectrum of firmness if anyone knew that, or if I need to change my expectations of what a latex mattress feels like and then I might be more confident sticking with the bed I have, and is the 6 inches of tallalay going to be supportive enough? I have gone through too many mattresses to just let the trial period of 3 months slip by without worrying that I am making the right decision so I was reaching out to see if people had input. I do think it is a very high quality mattress, more trying to determine if I made the right decision for myself. I love that it is all natural and so forth, no fumes or outgassing is an awesome thing and is a huge priority but of course my comfort is important as well.
Thank you!!!
Hi lamaufder,
You’re welcome.
When you have so many specific questions, I always recommend a phone conversation directly with the manufacturer. You’ll get the most prompt, detailed and personalized information in that manner.
There is no one standard rating of firmness across styles of beds, or generalizations of one style versus another. Latex and memory foam are two entirely different styles of foams with different properties, and there are differences in the properties of each type of foam (ILD, response rates, compression modulus…), variances in thickness that can change feel, and then there are the other materials contained within the remainder of the mattress that will also have an impact on comfort. SO while the question seems simple on the surface, it’s actually a quite complication interaction of many variables that ultimately determine the overall feel of a mattress.
Latex and memory foam in the upper layers of the mattress tend to be two very good products at pressure point relief. Of course, they are part of a complete mattress system so they work in conjunction with the rest of the mattress componentry.
Latex and memory foam are very different materials with very different properties and both of them come in a wide range of different versions that each have differences in their properties and a different “feel” or firmness level but the choice between them is more of a preference and budget choice than a “better/worse” choice. There is more about some of the general differences between memory foam and latex in post #2 here. Some people tend to prefer the faster response and more resilient and “on the mattress” feel of latex and some prefer the slower response and more “in the mattress” feel of memory foam and some people may prefer some combination of both of them but the only way to know which one you tend to prefer in general terms will be based on your own careful testing in a store or your own personal experience when you sleep on them.
The overall firmness (surface comfort) of a mattress isn’t something that’s necessarily specific to individual latex brands, but by the combinations and styles of latex layers used to create your own mattress.
The ILD of the latex isn’t particularly meaningful as it relates to the quality of the foam, and many brands consider this information proprietary, so it’s common for that information to not be listed on a company’s web site. However, with a phone call a knowledgeable representative could certainly relate the softness of different components within their lineup and help you to understand how one layer might compare to another that you may have tried, and how those layers can perform in combination with each other.
While knowing the specs that can affect the quality and durability of the layers and components in a mattress is always important … unless you have a great deal of knowledge and experience with different types of mattress materials and components and their specs and different layering combinations and mattress designs and how they combine together and can translate them into your own “real life” experience that can be unique to you (which would generally be a very small percentage of people) … I would tend to avoid using complex specifications to try and predict how a mattress will feel or perform for you. When you try and choose a mattress based on complex combinations of specs that you may not fully understand or only based on specs for single layers or components that may not be as relevant or meaningful as you believe it is then the most common outcome is “information overload” and “paralysis by analysis”. Even the best mattress designers in the industry are often surprised at what a mattress they design “should have felt like” based on the specs when they design it and what it “actually feels like” when they test out their new design. My best advice is to relate to an experienced manufacturer you current layerings, your current state of comfort, and what you’re attempting to achieve, and then rely upon their expertise to make suggestions that will hopefully lead you in the proper direction.
This is certainly a concern with any mattress combination you choose. The ideal would be to have both suitable support/alignment and comfort/pressure relief in a mattress, but if you have to choose one over the other then I would choose support/alignment. There is some great information in this PHD thesis by Vincent+Verhaer (who is one of a group of researchers that I greatly respect) about the importance of good spinal alignment that clearly indicates that for healthy individuals it has the single biggest effect on the depth and quality of sleep and recovery for healthy individuals. Having proper alignment doesn’t necessarily mean that a mattress needs to feel hard like a board, and in your situation you certainly would want some plush surface comfort along with this deep support.
Not to overload you, but if you want to learn a little about pressure relief and support, there is more about primary or “deep” support and secondary or “surface” support and their relationship to firmness and pressure relief and the “roles” of different layers in a mattress in post #2 here and in post #4 here that may also be helpful in clarifying the difference between “support” and “pressure relief” and “feel”.
How your mattress falls within the “overall spectrum in firmness” isn’t something I’d tell you to pursue because such a spectrum doesn’t exist (there is no absolute comfort scale) and even if such a scale existed you should instead focus upon your current level of comfort and then relate that information in a phone call to Flexus and describe to them what you’re trying to achieve and the combination you’re thinking of keeping, and they will in turn relate to you if they’re able to achieve what you’re trying to describe, and they’ll be most knowledgeable to recommend if that combination will provide adequate support for you.
Phoenix