I’m in the market for a new mattress and love the feel of latex. I visited The Natural Mattress Store in Palo Alto after reviewing the list on this site of factory direct manufacturers in the San Jose area. I really liked a 12" organic all-latex mattress. It had one 6" base layer and two 3" layers of differing firmness.
I’ve talked to some people who have told me that 12" of latex is overkill. I’d like some input on a good thickness of a latex mattress and also the $4,400 price tag attached to the mattress I like at The Natural Mattress Store.
The “average” (if there is such a thing) thickness of a latex mattress is in the range of 8" - 9" of latex and the “range” from very thin to very thick would normally be from 6" - 12". Thicker mattresses allow for more flexibility in layering and in some cases for certain designs that may be of benefit for some but in general I agree that it is at least on the edge of “overkill” if not past it for most people.
Normally with the more typical types of latex layering this thickness can be of benefit for those who are heavier than average (say 250 lbs or heavier) because the thicker mattress can have a greater “range” of compression (it compresses to a lower percentage of it’s thickness with similar weights). In most cases with the more typical types of layering though … I think this is more than necessary unless there is a specific reason to use this much latex and it certainly would add to the cost.
There are many factors that can add to the cost of a latex mattress and the latex it uses is only one of these. Different types of latex have different prices and components like thicker layers of wool or other materials and different types of mattress ticking can also add to the cost of a mattress. Any additional components that are included such as a foundation would also add to the price compared to the mattress alone.
I don’t know the size of this mattress, all the components or ingredients, or whether it is only the mattress or if there is a foundation or anything else included in this price (and some of these can also be quite expensive) but on the face of it yes it does seem to be a fair bit higher than the norm and it certainly seems higher than most factory direct manufacturers even if this is a king size mattress with a good foundation.
Even though the Natural Mattress Store is using high quality materials, there are others on the list that would have the equivalent quality and better value IMO (again depending on what is included in this price).
Thanks for the prompt reply. I left out some key info from my initial post. The $4,400 dollar bed is the Cal King “Enlightenment” from The Natural Mattress Store. It’s a fairly new 12" all latex mattress and isn’t shown on their website. The salesperson at The Natural Mattress Store told me that the base layer is 6" extra firm Dunlop latex, then 3" of soft Talalay latex, topped with 3" of extra soft Talalay latex. The guy in the store said that the “extra soft Talalay” is a new product. I believe it is topped with organic wool fill and wrapped in an organic quilted cotton cover.
I’m about 6’4" 245 lbs and a side sleeper. I have shoulder issues and love the softness of the bed…but I don’t love the price tag!
I don’t know much about the benefits of an organic bed. I’m very concerned with the comfort, quality, and longevity of the mattress. Is there a difference in comfort or quality with organic vs natural latex?
The Natural Bed Store in Nebraska has something similar called the Heaven and Earth and it has a similar $4,000+ price tag. SleepEZ has their 13,000 mattress line that seems similar to the Enlightenment at The Natural Mattress Store. I’d be interested in hearing any comparisons between the mattress I described and the 13,000. Any thoughts?
The “new product” could be Talalay GL which has a slow recovery and fast recovery version. The slow recovery has memory foam like features and the fast recovery has phase change materials that help it sleep cooler. Of course it could just be a product that is “new to them” because there has always been extra soft talalay.
The last half of this post from earlier today and the posts and article it links to (near the end of the post) was in reply to a very similar question about the difference between blended and all natural talalay and talks about the difference between blended Talalay and 100% natural talalay. In essence, the blended is more durable at least in lower ILD’s, more consistent, more pressure relieving and less expensive. The all natural is denser, less durable, more supportive, and more expensive. The main benefit of the all natural is for people who prefer a greener, more eco friendly and biodegradeable material and don’t mind paying more for it.
With Dunlop it’s the other way around and 100% natural Dunlop is a superior product and even though it’s more expensive than blended Dunlop (it’s about the same as blended talalay in terms of cost), the extra cost is worth it in terms of durability and performance IMO.
There is also a version of 100% natural Dunlop made by two companies that uses Organic raw materials which is more expensive because the raw material has gone through the certification process for those who prefer latex where the raw material has been certified as organic even though the material itself is the same. It is more expensive than “regular” 100% natural Dunlop. They may be using 100% natural Dunlop and there is no organic Talalay latex.
They don’t say which materials they are using but at the very least the Enlightenment would be comparable to the “organic” version of the SleepEz 13000 and most likely it is more comparable to the natural version of the 13000 (or at least the Dunlop in the mattress would be comparable if they use 100% natural Talalay in the upper layers so it may be in between). As you can see … the price is significantly higher although bear in mind that the members of this site have some of the best value in the country and the Enlightenment would be better value than many other mattresses.
The Heaven and Earth by Land and Sky uses Latex Green 100% natural Dunlop which is a high quality product used by many manufacturers including SleepEz. It is also a high quality mattress and would be similar to the natural version of The 13000 (which can also be chosen with 4 layers of latex green Dunlop). If they are charging $4000 for just the mattress though (and it may have a foundation as well) then it too is not great value. It’s always a good idea to compare “mattress only” prices because some foundations can add a significant amount to the total cost and distorts any comparisons. The Land and Sky Natural Euro has the prices listed on the site and while at least it’s closer to the range, if you are looking for an online outlet it’s not such a great option either when you have so many better ones available such as the members of the site that are listed in post #21 here who specialize in online ordering and help.
The Natural Mattress Store and Land and Sky are both high quality products. … and while the Heaven and earth is probably an improvement (assuming it includes a foundation and the $4000+ is not mattress only) … neither are so great in terms of value.