Hello Phoenix, Superboy, Sleepytime, and others:
Almost two years ago my wife and I bought a latex mattress, from the good people at Beloit Mattress Company (Wisconsin), and with the advice of Phoenix and this site. I’ve meant to post a review but deliberately waited a long time, so that any recommendation of mine is backed by lengthy experience with the product. Well I now I feel safe in saying that we could not be any happier with our purchase.
Some details: I am the much more troubled sleeper, and had been struggling-and I do mean struggling-for some time. Before this, we bought one of the standard brands (queen size) for about 1200, and inside of a month I knew we had wasted our money. I am not saying the latex mattress is a cure-all! I still have the occasional rough night, which is mostly due to creeping aches, and a couple of inconsiderate cats. Also, I do think Superboy’s concern about rutting is a reasonable one, though it is not worse on this mattress compared to any other I have slept on. What I think distinguishes this mattress is the way it recovers: a simple rotation makes it feel like the day we bought it. We got a king, which is not quite a square, but close enough to allow a 90 degree turn every 2 or 3 weeks. An inch or so hangs out over the box spring sometimes, but again the fresh mattress feel is just fantastic. (I am sure Phoenix will comment on the wisdom of this rotation scheme.) So then, I do recommend getting a bigger bed than one might think they need, and to rotate frequently. Because a troubled sleeper can never have enough fresh mattress. Even when brand new, I don’t remember any kind of unusual odor. The temperature it ‘keeps’ while we sleep is great. I tend to run hot and my wife cold, but neither of us has any complaints. I am a stomach sleeper (natural disadvantage), while my wife is more of a side sleeper. But again, both of us are very happy.
Any drawbacks to this latex mattress are not related to the actual sleeping. First, purchasing it took some work. We had to travel about 70 miles to Beloit. Quite understandably, they would not deliver at such a distance, so that part was do-it-yourself. It is heavy and moreover lacks wood or other hard structure, so it is cumbersome to move. And the price tag of approximately two grand is intimidating, but well shy of the tempurpedics. And that is how desperate I was for some decent sleep, that I was ready to pay four or five grand if that’s what it took. But then we found this site…
Bottom line for me and the wife is that this mattress is the best we’ve ever owned, and incidentally the most successful and rewarding major purchase we’ve made in the last several years. Thanks to Phoenix for making us intelligent shoppers, and thanks to the Beloit Mattress people for their quality product.