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787

Hi MHC,

Welcome to the forum :).

Hey sorry about that, it seems your first post was missed, my apologies. I am just first giving you a quick note about listing retailers, then this evening I will give you more suggestions on what you may do to find your perfect mattress.

Unfortunately, we have decided to discontinue the provision of listings of potential retailers in various geographic regions (unless they are already approved site members), because of the difficulty in maintaining such lists in a retail landscape that is constantly changing, and most importantly the confusion it was created with the consumer members who incorrectly assumed that these businesses had indeed gone through the strict qualification process and were approved as members of The Mattress Underground. Such an assumption is unfair to both the consumers seeking assistance, as well as the very businesses and manufacturers who meet the criteria to become Mattress Members of The Mattress Underground.

I will message again, sorry about the delay in getting back to you.

Sensei

788

Hey MHC,

Thanks for sending in the post with all the detailed information. Again sorry for the late reply.

I have read over everything you wrote, and all the preferences that you have outlined in your post. Well done by the way. I was going to search around NOLA area, but I really think with your body style, you are going to have a tough time at the retailers.

At first, I was going to recommend an all latex mattress but toward the end of your post I started to believe you really should get a Latex Hybrid mattress. We have several Mattress Expert members that make a very supportive, pretty firm hybrid mattress but you also get comfort layers on top that can be exchanged. Luma Sleep and Arizona Premium are two that I can think of right off the bad. You can ask questions here or directly call them.

With the hybrid, I also thing the combi zone pocketed coil base is better for you than the bolsa as it is generally a firmer unit compared to the bolsa. Both are made by Leggett and Platt, and are well known here on TMU.

With the Luma you would look at the Hybrid Slumber System and then you would choose what 3" latex firmness you would want. Given your preferences, you would want to get at least a 28 ILD topper maybe even 36ILD to keep your alignment and “sleeping on” the mattress. Arizona’s hybridhas similar choices.

Additionally, hybrids are cooler than all latex. Lighter than all latex, and really good durability. Let me know your thoughts and any other questions you may have.

Thanks,
Sensei

789

Wondering if anyone has any feedback on the Recore mattress? Appears to be a child of goodmorning.com which also is reasonable for Novosbed, Douglas, etc. I see Novosbed used to be a trusted member but is not any longer? Is there any particular reason for that?

Currently we have a foam mattress with a foam topper made by a local mattress store but it’s 16 years old and has needed replacement for probably 5 years I’d say. The removable top layer has body dents in it and instead I sleep in my daughter’s bed with IKEA latex mattress because my hips and back get so sore I never get any sleep in the bed we have and am in pain all day because of it.

We don’t like sleeping on top of memory foam. We’ve owned a “natural” memory foam topper in our RV, and we hated it. Made us sweat and I don’t like how it doesn’t seem to spring back. I am sure there are better memory foams out there, but I think I’d like to stick with something closer to latex. The Recore has a synthetic latex top layer, and the rest are differing layers of foam. Ultimately, I’d like a straight organic latex/wool mattress but $2700+ vs $950 is a huge difference (we are upgrading to a king while having to buy a new mattress so also have to purchase a new bed). Our BMIs are 20 and 22 if that factors in to suitability of this mattress for us. And we do often have one of the kids join us (thus the upgrade to a king).

My main concern about all the foam is the long term degradation of foam and those particles getting into the air we breathe on a regular basis which is why I had had hopes for natural latex, but it doesn’t seem the price of them has gone done in the last decade.

While anyone is reading, I also have a pillow question. Currently sleeping on a 20 year old buckwheat pillow that is long overdue for replacement. I like that I can mold it and my head has a “hole” to fit into and gives me support under my neck. Regular style pillows I don’t like as they don’t have that moldability. I found the Silk & Snow pillows. Any feedback on those or other pillows similar that I might like? Avocado Green Mattress had a latex/Kapok pillow that also interested me, but they are in the USA and I’d rather not deal with the duty/brokerage fees and horrible exchange rate.

Edit: I have some more Recore information. No flame retardants are used so that is one less toxin to worry about. And here is a description of the foam layers:

First layer: 1.5 inches of graphite-infused latex with vertical air channels. Layer density: 3.4 lbs/ftÂł.
Second layer: 2 inches of Vortex™ gel foam. Foam density: 2.5 lbs/ft³.
Third layer: 7 inches of motion isolating support foam. Foam density: 1.8 lbs/ftÂł.

790

Hi Phoenix,

First of all, thank you so much for the great wealth of information you guys made available on this site. This is truly enlightening and helpful.

My wife and I are 32 years old, 5’6’’ 140 lbs and 5’10’’ 185 lbs respectively. We’ve been sleeping for the last 7 years on a 2007 pillowtop innerspring/polyfoam and I frequently wake up early in the morning with low/mid back pain at the rib cage level and below. I will usually fall asleep on the back and wake up on the side, switching every 15-20 minutes from back pain. My wife says she sleeps OK but that she could use a better bed.

Following my readings on The Mattress Undergound, we finded a helpful and knowledgable local manufacturer and selected 3 mattresses that fitted our tastes, our favorite being the following:

Materials, according to the salesman :
-Tempered steel pocket-coil, overall gauge 13.5 and 13 at mid-section
-1 inch 2.5 lbs polyfoam
-2 inches 65 % Talalay Latex (stated density 4.5 lbs, not sure what it means)
-1 inch 2.5 lbs polyfoam
-Wool for temperature and moisture regulation (so I am told)
-Less than an inch or so of eggshell foam with quilt

Based on what I learned from your website, I feel confident the mattress is made to last. However, I have a hard time understanding how to establish PPP. I read “Confort and Pressure relief” as well as “Support and Spinal alignement”, but every mattress we try just feels like it keeps our spine in line, which is probably not the case.

To further try and understand how to evaluate spinal alignment on new mattresses, I took some photos of myself lying on my old bed (see below). As far as I can tell, my spinal “S” keeps its shape on the back position and stays straight and level on the side position. Do you have any additional advice on that matter? I can’t be testing new mattresses if I can’t even troubleshoot old ones! So far, I can’t even explain why I would need a new mattress, besides the fact that it is old and that I don’t sleep well (which could happen on a brand new one).

Any clue?

791

Sensei,

Thank you very much for your help. I hadn’t even considered a hybrid mattress, but I can see how that makes sense. I’ve got a couple of questions. If any of these are more appropriate for the experts, let me know and I’ll ask them. (E.g. I’m not really sure of the differences between Luma and Arizona’s models from the web. That’s probably the first thing I’m going to ask them.)

  1. With the ones you recommended, do you think it will be possible for me to attempt side-sleeping despite the huge gap between my shoulders and hips? Do you expect that they’ll be able to get me something that “works” on the first go? Or is it likely that I’m going to have to use a comfort layer exchange a couple of times to nail it?

  2. I’m assuming you changed you mind and decided on the hybrid because of the mattress weight, heat, support, and durability issues. Or was there more to it than that?

  3. Is there a good source for bedding advice? I’ve tried a bunch of different sheet/blanket options over the years and haven’t every been truly satisfied.

  4. I like the idea of an adjustable bed base, but having never used one, I don’t know. Does anyone offer an in-home trial of that? And is the best option to price shop for a model that does the minimum that I want? Or is it better to just get the base from whoever I get the mattress from? I really only want zero g and slight head elevation when back sleeping, but are there any quality/durability indicators or particular features I should probably look for or consider as well?

  5. Did I just luck out on the Select Comfort bare bladder? Or is there a reason it happened to give me proper spinal alignment? The support core information makes this sound like a lucky coincidence, but maybe I’m wrong. (I get that the reason it lasted so long was that air doesn’t wear out as a support layer and it could handle the density of my lower body.)

  6. One thing I like about that air bladder is that it equalizes pressure. So the harder my body pushes down around my hips and thighs, the more it pushes up into recessed areas like the small of my back. Is that a sensation that can be replicated? Or is that just naturally going to happen in any good bed that gives me proper alignment?

  7. I’d like to try a buckling column gel comfort layer. Is there a way to do that from some reputable company that doesn’t use sketchy marketing “woo”? Most of the companies that I can find via searches seem to be defunct. Beliot made a bed using L&P’s version of that material, but the websites for both make me think it is no longer available. (I was hoping to try the hexagonal one the article here mentions, but I couldn’t find it for sale.) Several friends with similar body types did a very comprehensive test of bed-in-a-box mattresses and found that Purple’s worked the best. And I really like the pillow they gave me, but I’m not keen on patronizing people with questionable marketing practices.

  8. Casper makes a big deal over having a latex layer above memory foam. Does putting fast response over slow response in the comfort layer actually do anything? Or is that marketing BS as well? Are there other comfort layer configurations besides single piece of latex that I should specifically ask your experts about? Or should I just point them to my original post and let them take it from there?

792

Hey MHC,

Great questions!

  1. This is tough to say, but when you did you calculations and needed “8-9 INCHES” as you mentioned in your first post, I would be very hesitant to say YES to getting one of these to work. It may be adding comfort layers not necessarily “exchanging” comfort layers.

  2. Yes exactly why I moved to the hybrid models.

  3. There is really not a detailed source for unbiased information about sheets and other bedding. TMU has a best natural sheets thread but i don’t think you cared too much on natural/organic info.

  4. I have never heard of in-home trials of the adjustable bases. Personally, I tend to go “in the middle” on these…not the ones with too many bells and whistles and not the base models. That’s just me. There are not that many manufacturers of the better adjustables, so you will see prices are similar with at each company…generally speaking. I think you have more convenience with using the same company, and possibly more leverage if something goes wrong. But really no critical reason with using same as mattress company.

  5. This is a fascinating question, but I don’t know the answer. Maybe lucked out, I just can’t say.

  6. I think that the way air “equalizes pressure” is unique to air…latex will do this to some extent, but latex is more like reacting to the levels of pressure, and “fills in the recessed areas”, but you are correct most good mattress “fits” will do this.

  7. The L&P gel deal fell through a while back, so that’s not happening anywhere else. I will leave the comments about Purple to you and other consumers for now.

  8. The feel of putting latex over memory foam is legitimate, and people do like the combination, memory foam acts to moderate the bounce of latex. It’s individual, of course, but it’s a comfort choice that can work well. Casper’s was a thin 1-inch piece and I am pretty sure they don’t even use latex anymore they just use a fast recovery polyfoam…Casper’s was more marketing bs than other people try.

My apologies for the late reply…again!!! It’s not you, I promise.

Thanks,
Sensei

793

Hi,

I’m looking for a new mattress. My current mattress is at least 10 years old and shows it. I regularly have lower back pain in some muscles on the right side thanks to this mattress where I had minor surgery a couple years ago. I was on vacation recently for about three weeks, walked 5.5 miles a day and didn’t notice a thing in my back after the first two days on newer mattresses. It’s not proof it’s the mattress, but it sure seems like it.

If it’s relevant, I am a side sleeper. I’ll wake up sometimes on any mattress and have to switch sides, then I usually go right back to sleep.

Anyway, here’s my question. I recently learned I can get a substantial discount on Serta’s “perfectsleeper” “icollection” line meant for hotels through my job. I can get a 13 inch mattress and box springs for $400 kind of discount. The discount isn’t foolproof though, if I don’t like the mattress I can’t return it.

I have some specs from a 14 inch “PLATINUM SUITE II” mattress spec sheet below.
Imgur

They don’t give much information on the density of the foams, but they do mention coils and upholstery. I’m not sure how much help any of that is, though I can certainly try asking the Serta salesman I was referred to for more details.

I have a couple of questions based on this information. If it’s not enough to get any definite answers that’s ok.

How good a deal is this “discount” as is?

I realize Serta mattresses are often more of a brand name than quality, but would I get something at least a little better with a hotel mattress?

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can try in store that might be similar? I’d much rather try something before buying, even if it’s at a substantial discount.

Given that I have back issues is it wise to just buy something like this, or should I try first?

Do you need more information? If so that’s just fine, I’ll do what I can to get more information.

794

Hi Sensei. I would appreciate advice on whether you think that a hybrid mattress would provide a good balance between back/hip support and pressure point pain. I am 66, 150 pounds, 5’10", and a side sleeper. I am currently using a Sealy A3 plush inner spring mattress, purchased in 2016. It was okay until this past year when I started having pressure pain at hips and shoulders. To soften it I bought a 2 inch 20 ILD latex topper from Sleep on Latex. It was too soft and I replaced it with their 1 inch 20 ILD. It also was too soft, and I didn’t like the feeling of sinking in to the topper. I now have 1 inch of Foam by Mail’s HD36-HQ poly foam, which relieves pressure points but doesn’t provide enough lower back/hip support. I am thinking that it is time to start from scratch and consider a new mattress. I don’t like memory foam because of the heat and sinking feeling, and soft latex and I haven’t gotten along thus far due to sinking. I would appreciate any tips on hybrid or other mattresses that would provide a good combination of support and pressure relief. Thanks in advance.

795

Finding this all a little overwhelming!

So I’ve done a decent amount of research (thank you so much for this website and forum, seriously). Wife and I had considered a latex topper to improve firmness of our Queen until we move and buy a king. We’ve opted to scratch that idea and just get a new King mattress.

Of notes are below and I’m hoping for a bit more guidance/steering in the right direction, if at all possible? Suffering from a bit of information overload.

Me: 6’3, 176 pound male. Usual stomach sleeper, unfortunately.
Her: 5’10, 140 pound female. Side sleeper.

Symptoms of late:
Lower back pain (both)
Hot/sweaty sleep (me)
Restless/interrupted/poor sleep (both)

Desires:
Firm(er) King mattress
Latex (based on what I’ve read, review/comments of posters)
100% organic (she is all-natural, organic for food, cleaning products, etc. and we would both like to avoid chemicals wherever possible)
Ideal budget would be less than $2,000 Canadian, but I’m not sure if that’s remotely realistic

Questions:
Showrooms in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada where we can test some out?
Are most of these beds comprised of multiple layers inside a cover? And is that normal?
Does the height matter? I notice the 7" mattresses seem geared to children on Dormio’s site and are significantly cheaper than 10" (makes sense), but would it be bad for an adult?

Would appreciate any guidance at all. Seems like this will be a huge purchase and don’t want to be stuck with something that doesn’t work for us after shelling out so much money. I also know (based on experience) returning a mattress is effectively impossible.

Thanks so much,
Brad

796

Brad123, I’m also looking for a similar mattress to you and am also in Canada. My husband and I are similar to you and your wife proportionally in size (he’s a bit shorter and lighter than you, and I am quite a bit shorter than your wife and weight is proportionally less) and have similar sleep styles. I have been looking at mattress for over 7 years already (I have old posts on this forum) and it seems like not much has changed with respect to pricing on latex mattresses in Canada or the options available. What has exploded is the bed in the box industry.

Where I am located, in KING size, I can locally get an 8" latex mattress with 6" latex of one firmness, 2" of another, and a plain Tencel or polyester top for just about $2000 + taxes. To get something that is 10" with some “proprietary zoned layers” and a cotton/wool top with some cushion, I am looking at about $3000. These are Nature’s Embrace mattresses out of Vancouver. And the prices at a local shop are cheaper than what is on the manufacturer’s web site.

My kids have 8" ikea 85% natural/15% synthetic mattresses with cotton/wool covers and the 8" $2000 mattress I tried out at the local store isn’t any better for feel especially since the top is like a flat polyester sheet. The latest version of the IKEA mattress I got my kids several years ago, is $1300 for king and still has cotton/wool and is cozier. BUT, the $2000 less “featured” Nature’s Embrace version, is organic whereas the IKEA mattress is not.

To get closer to what I am looking for, it is the Nature’s Embrace $3000 model, the Motif. It is 10" and has “proprietary zoned” layers in it which I haven’t called to ask them what that means.

I have checked other online sources in Canada and it so far, it seems to me this is about standard for pricing and what you get for latex if you look hard enough. Some places have non-organic for more money. I am limited in my local places that supply latex mattresses so I am sure you have many more options where you live. If you have the time and energy, you may have some luck.

I am a bit disappointed to say that I ended up ordering a mattress that has some attempts at being closer to natural, but is kind of one of the standard bed in the box attempts that is out now. The mattress is vegan (a bonus for our family), uses a latex top layer, uses the bio-based “greenwashed” foams, and has more pocket coils and micro coils than I can count. I’ve got young kids and young-adult kids and am getting older myself and I need something a bit cushier than what I have used in the past and what I found met that, for $1400. The organic latex versions I want with a base and cushy pillow top are $4000 or more for a king. That’s not doable for us at the moment. I don’t think it will meet your criteria as your wife sounds particular like I am, but if you want to check it out it’s the Haven Lux.

I also checked out the Recore but the latex top layer is totally synthetic and the rest of the bed is foam. Their customer service has been great though with the questions I have asked. I did have a question here in this thread about the Recore, but it wasn’t addressed by anyone.

I have not slept on a coil mattress in my home in my entire life (I grew up on futon mattresses), so I am a bit shocked I ordered something with pocket coils and micro coils. But we did end up spending time in some higher end hotels this summer, with recently replaced mattresses, for 7-10 nights at a time, and their mattresses were more comfortable than anything I have at home. I think they were some sort of pocket coil mattresses with foam and a pillow top and I finally didn’t have nerves shooting pain in my hips all day and night so I am hoping this Haven may work for comfort without breaking the bank and hopefully not totally poisoning me. Haha.

If you find something quickly that meets your criteria and budget, let me know what it is. Maybe I can still cancel my order and get one too. :slight_smile:

797

I am a 134 lb side sleeper with wide shoulders and ordered a Haven Lux plush mattress. I liked the way it feels like you are sleeping “on top” of the mattress instead of sleeping in a sling like some all foam mattresses feel but the plush was not soft enough for me and woke up with sore shoulders and hips. Haven failed to respond to when I reached out to try and find out some options but I felt that the mattress was good enough value and supportive enough that I ended up getting a 2" blended latex Talalay topper which has worked out really well in combination with the hybrid mattress. I think it was a 19 ILD. If I had to do it all over again I think I would take the leap of faith and order a hybrid mattress from Arizona premium possibly with the copper infused latex topper and have the best of all worlds. The copper infused latex layer on top of the Lux actually is really wonderful…it feels cool even in hot weather. It just wasn’t enough cushioning for me.

798

Demeter, do you think the plush with added soft zone would have been better for you? My husband and chiropractor friend seemed to think I’d be better off with the regular plush without the soft zone even though I was leaning towards the soft zone.

I’m buying this with every intention of it working out and keeping it but if it doesn’t work, I hope Haven deals with a return gracefully. I did consider adding more on top if necessary, but I figure I’ll already be 26" from the floor with my bed and the Lux so another 2" is too high for my height and will look terrible with the bed I have.

799

Post removed by author.

800

Sorry - should have addressed this to Sensei or Phoenix - would you mind having a look whenever you have a chance? Heading out to visit showrooms tonight (if we can find any beyond the Dormio one in Etobicoke).

801

Hey CeruleanBlue,

Sorry you’re dealing with a similar painful situation. We’re trying to reframe (no pun intended) our views on the whole bed purchase process. We’re going to visit the Dormio showroom tonight and may well end up shelling out a boatload of money and (potentially) delaying a vacation by a year or two as a result. She has fairly severe scoliosis and my back hasn’t been “normal” since I started sleeping on her bed. If we spend $3,000 but sleep soundly, cooly, and pain-free for the next 10 years, seems like a bargain, really. If I were buying a new car, a new house, engagement ring, etc., I wouldn’t I wouldn’t be settling on something that’s “meh”, so I definitely shouldn’t be doing that with something that has a direct impact on my health.

Good luck to you. Will let you know what we end up opting for.

Thanks,
Brad

802

Hi There,

I posted in a different topic but wanted to get some feedback on these two MFC mattresses. They are within my budget as well as a trusted member of the site so I wanted to look into getting more information on them. They are also Canadian which is a plus from me as this is where I live.

I am 5’10 170 lbs mainly stomach but also side sleeper. I have had the same spring mattress for a number of years that is beginning to sag. I would say because of the springs and being a stomach sleeper I would most likely prefer something on the stiffer side.

It seems like the HD or HR mattress with the firm option would be the best fit but I wanted to understand the difference in these two mattresses as well as if an additional topper may be required to be purchased as they only appear to be 6 inches thick.

Thanks

803

Hey Brad123,

Thanks for the post. Let us know how it turned out at Dormio, you do very nice job “framing” the importance of the mattress purchase, especially given the medical and pain issues you and your partner have. Thanks again.

Sensie

804

I just read your post, so this response may be too late. But Mayer’s Bedding uses a non-wool cover. Also a number of vendors offer what they call “vegan” mattresses such as Plush Beds Natural Bliss.

I hope you’re sleeping comfortably.

805

Hey there,

I am still looking for help regarding post #431 wrote on July 27. I would appreciate advice from someone knowledgable.

Thank you!

806

@Drackean - I’m surprised and sorry that you haven’t received any response to your initial post but hopefully your nudge will help get it some attention… sometimes a particular post can get lost in an existing thread. First of all I have to say that the Albizia looks like a high quality build and I don’t see weak links of any real significance to raise concern. I agree that from the pictures provided your alignment on the current mattress looks pretty good although I’m an engineer by trade and not an orthopedic doctor. Given that I’d tend to suggest that proper alignment alone does not ensure that the mattress is providing you with adequate comfort and pressure relief. So even if you’re back is pretty well aligned by the foundational support layer of your mattress it may not still have sufficient support in its comfort layers which are generally the layers which wear out first. That could be the cause of your lower back discomfort, but it’s difficult to diagnose such situations over the internet. Sometimes the only way to really know is to try out a new mattress to see if it eliminates or at least reduces your discomfort. I did notice that it looks like you could use a new right sock, but I doubt that imbalance could be the cause of your back pain! :wink: Hope this helps a bit and that you get a more professional and specific response to your situation from another more knowledgeable forum member.
Best regards, - Bill