Latex Hybrid Mattresses in Salt Lake City

[phoenix]

Hi jp2012,

I recently relocated to Salt Lake City, UT and think I’ve exhausted my local mattress testing options. This is mainly due to the fact that most local sellers have been unable and/or unwilling to tell me what I’m laying on (including many of the vendors you listed here).

Thanks for the feedback. I’ve removed Crown Elite Bedrooms from the list but I’m not clear which of the other ones you weren’t able to find out the quality specs of the materials you were testing.

It sounds like Diamond Mattress provided you with the foam type and quality which is good news even though you weren’t able to connect with them.

It’s disappointing that Actionwood wouldn’t tell you the name of the PLB models they had on the floor (and I think that this and their advice is somewhat deceptive) but the PLB models have the model name on the law tag and the layering of their hybrid models is available online (or from PLB) so I’ve left them on the list with a link to your post as a caution.

R & S uses latex and I believe they would tell you the type of latex so you would know the materials inside their mattresses as well.

If the two hybrids you tried were the Vitality and the Balance then the specs I know are …

Vitality:

2" of Talalay GL fast response (15 ILD)
2" of Blended Talalay (24 ILD)
7" bonded foam/latex core (see post #6 here)

Balance:

2" of Talalay GL fast response (15 ILD)
7" bonded foam/latex core

If you talk call PLB they will probably provide you with or confirm the ILD of the layers in both of these. The details of their all latex mattresses are here.

Of all the mattress types I tested for comfort, pressure relief and spinal alignment these two models were my favorite. The Vitality was the most comfortable and felt like it was a bit on the softer side of what I would consider my ideal firmness while the Balance was equally acceptable on the firmer side. Given that the mattresses have 4" and 2" of Talalay latex respectively, a 3" comfort layer seems to be the acceptable compromise. Would this be an accurate conclusion?

It would make sense from the point of view of the thickness of the comfort layers but the ILD of the latex and the ILD of the support foam (to a lesser degree) compared to the support layer of another mattress would also make a difference. The thinner layer would likely be more suitable for stomach sleeping (you would be closer to the support layers) and the thicker layers would likely be more suitable for side sleeping so 3" may be a good compromise.

A wool quilted cover will generally reduce the contouring of the latex to some degree and would have a firming effect.

28 ILD may be a little firm for your weight and side sleeping based on “averages” and the risk of the 19 would be that it was a little soft/thick for stomach sleeping but each person is different and a little firmer is generally a less risky choice than softer. For combination side/stomach sleeping then “just enough” to relieve pressure on your side is a less risk choice in terms of alignment when you sleep on your stomach. If you did make a less suitable choice out of the two of them then you would still have the option of exchanging the comfort layer for the other one. It would also be helpful if you could find out the ILD of the Balance to use it as a reference point as well. In general though … a manufacturer will know more about their mattresses and how all the different layers and the cover interact together than anyone else and along with your own testing experience would be the best source of guidance to help you make the choice that has the highest odds of success.

Phoenix