Thank you for an outstanding site. Consumer Reports has nothing on you.
I hope you can help with our mattress search. Our old Sterns and Foster way-overpriced king innerspring is 14 yrs old. My husband and I are sleeping lightly and poorly on it. We heard wonderful reviews on memory foam mattresses and almost bought one (Novaform), until I researched the off-gassing. Now I am committed to a natural latex option. My husband is 165 lb and a back sleeper and prefers a firmer mattress, Im 115 lb and a side sleeper and prefer a more plush feeling mattress, and we live near White Plains NY (Greenwich CT is a stones throw away). I understand CT is a huge producer of Talalay Latex, but am finding it hard to find reputable natural latex mattress dealers in the area. Do you have any ideas?
In the same vein, I as well am interested to know some quality sellers in the NY, Albany/Capital Region area. I guess Talalay latex is the way to go (is it?), so I am looking to may be try some out in person as well.
Hi bigbird,
It’s quite a shock for many people who haven’t shopped for mattresses for many years. As the saying goes … things aren’t like they used to be … even from 14 years ago. Novaform is certainly a cheap memory foam option but it is also not the highest quality (or even value in its price range IMO) available.
Typically someone who is lighter would need softer and possibly thinner comfort layers than someone who is heavier. On the other hand back sleeping typically needs thinner layers than side sleeping. In other words, a mattress with a firmer support core (for his firmer preference) and a slightly thinner softer comfort layer (for your more plush and side sleeping preference) may work well as a compromise. You would feel more of the top layers being lighter and he would feel more of the lower layers being heavier. If not … a side to side split construction (which many local manufacturers offer) may be a good choice to accommodate the differences between you.
Shelton, CT is the home of the only Talalay latex producer in the US which is Latex International and they supply mattress manufacturers all over the country. In the Connecticut direction Post #2 in this thread has a list of the Connecticut factory direct manufacturers that I know of. There are some very good choices there.
In the NYC direction … there is a list of some of the better options and possibilities I’m aware of in post #2 here and post #7 here has a more categorized list with more detailed descriptions of some of them.
A few “possibilities” I’m aware of in the White Plains / Scarsdale area are listed in post #4 here but there are not a lot of good options in the immediate area.
You have some great choices around you which includes mattress choices of many different types and a wide range of prices and value. If you have any questions along the way … feel free to post them.
Phoenix
Hi ThatDoePerson,
While Talalay latex is a very attractive material (and my favorite because of it’s combination of softness/firmness levels available and it’s durability among other things) … it is only one of many choices available. It can be made in very soft versions and very firm versions so is used as both a support material and a comfort layer material. The different firmness levels along with different layering and thickness of the talalay layers can create very different mattresses that can help to fit a mattress to the weight, shape, sleeping positions, and preferences of different people.
Other options such as memory foam (in the comfort layers only), high quality polyfoam, innersprings, and many others can also be used to create high quality mattresses and there are always people that prefer one material or “feel” over another. The comfort layers and the support cores sections of the site have more information about most of the different materials that are used. Each material has higher and lower cost and/or quality options that influence the price of a mattress.
For those who are “committed to” or have a strong preference for one material over another (which can be for many reasons), such as latex, memory foam, or innersprings, then another material used in place of it may not satisfy their preferences … even if it provides the pressure relief and support they need. I normally suggest a little bit of reading so that the strengths and weaknesses of each material are known and then laying on various mattresses so that each person can decide for themselves the qualities and overall feeling of each material they prefer.
The closest factory direct manufacturers to Albany are in post #2 here. Since most of these are a bit of a drive … I’m also including a list of retail stores that may be some of the better “possibilities” available to you and that carry brands that make latex mattresses (and other types as well) in case you want to get a sense of what latex feels like in a local store before taking a longer drive.
I would certainly call first though to make sure they carry latex models and to verify that they can tell you the specifics about the materials and components in their mattresses (see this article) so that you can make sure that what they say is latex isn’t just a meaningless layer inside the mattress or doesn’t have more than about an inch or so of lower density polyfoam in the comfort layers or the quilting.
Albany, NY. Carry Shifman which makes several latex mattresses. Make sure though that you are able to find out the specifics of the layering and make some very careful value comparisons because Shifman may be more costly than other similar mattresses and may include other materials inside their latex mattresses.
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https://www.metromattress.com/ Several outlets in the Albany region. Therapedic (incl Ecogel and latex) and Spring Air. Several of their stores have told me they will call the factory for specs if asked. CAUTION: Be careful here because they tend to specialize more in major brands which they may tend to overpromote and make sure you don’t buy a mattress on the same day as you test them or that you don’t know the specifics of every layer.
Mechanicville, NY. Carry Naturepedic which makes some high quality latex mattresses although they are in a higher budget range compared to some other similar mattresses.
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http://www.albanyfoam.com/ Albany, NY. They are a foam outlet which sells many different types of foam including high quality memory foam, polyurethane, and talalay latex. They sell mostly wholesale but will also sell retail. They don’t have a showroom but do have some samples to show people so would be more suitable for those who are a little braver and know exactly what they want in terms of foam layers that can be made into a mattress. They also sell tickings and will put the layers together into a mattress.
http://www.green-conscience.com/ Saratoga Springs, NY. Retail outlet that carries Savvy Rest which are high quality component latex mattress where you can choose your own layers (in either Talalay or Dunlop). They are more than similar mattresses made by some other factory direct manufacturers so make sure you make some good value comparisons here but they have a wide range of layering possibilities.
http://kuglersredbarn.com/ Schenectady, NY. They carry Gold Bond mattresses including some of their latex models.
These are the outlets I know of or can find in the area which may carry latex that you can try … and of course they would also carry other styles of mattress for comparison. Some of these may have some better quality/value depending on their prices but they could also serve as a rough guideline for an online order from a factory direct manufacturer such as some of the members of the site that specialize in “choose your own layer” component mattresses or for an order from Albany Foam.
Hope this helps
Phoenix
Thank you Phoenix for your fast and very complete reply.
We went to 2 of your recommended stores, the closest to us: Norwalk Mattress and Custom Sleep Design. I would have like to comparison shop more, but the other closest shops were about 1.5 hr drive each way. Anyhow, I think we found what we are looking for at CSD. We purchased a king all-latex mattress. The fact it was not organic didnt bother us so much after seeing a piece of natural latex after 4 years and how it turns crunchy on the outside like a rubberband might. Theirs is 60 natural / 40 synthetic latex. It has 3 layers that can be replaced if your sleep preferences change, it doesnt need flipping, has a guarantee is for 20 yrs (though the shop has only been in business for 4 - we will see), and they have logical reasons for design and material choices, no hype. Its hard to get pricing from them even while you are there at the store, but we ended up paying $3500 for a custom king with cover, king pillows, foundations (they offer 3 heights), delivery, and an ipad (stange, but its a promo they are having). To subtract the foundation was $300 and ipad was $200 less. I saw on another blog they used to charge less, so I had some sticker shock, but I also feel we are getting good quality for our money, and its tax free since we are out of state. Since both sides are being built in a similar (but not identical) fashion, I feel it would have been worthwhile to visit a store that used uniform surfaces across the bed for less money, but I think we will be slightly better off with this bed. We were promised it would come in 3-4 weeks, but it took a week just to call back to tell us that, so I dont expect to see it in truth for 5-6 wks. Again, thank you for your suggestions, and Ill let you know how the thing sleeps when I get it! Best -
Hi bigbird,
Congratulations on your new mattress 
I know that Custom Sleep Design is not the lowest cost talalay latex mattress available but having said that they are great value IMO both because of the materials they use and because of their unique zoning design. They are one of the few “premium priced” products that I believe have good value rather than just higher prices for something that in effect can be purchased elsewhere for much less.
They may not be in everyone’s budget range (and I did notice their price increase from when I first started posting about them in the other forum) but for those who place great value on the “accuracy” of their mattress design they are a great choice.
I hope you told them you were a member here and received The Mattress Underground discount.
I’m looking forward to your feedback after you’ve had a chance to sleep on it!
Phoenix
Just wanted to update this thread for posterity as Feathers Furniture in Troy, NY has closed in 2014 (after 70 years!)
Hi InfMur,
Thanks for the heads up … I appreciate it
I’ve removed them from the list.
I also took a look around the area to see if there were any other stores that would be worth adding and I’ve added Kuglers Red Barn in Schenectady which carries Gold Bond mattresses.
Phoenix