Hello. When I moved to Florida 3 years ago I had to leave my Dx Jamestown mattress behind and I bought latex mattresses from a local vendor here via phone. Looking at posts on this forum regarding this vendor they are Talalay ILD 40 and the vendor did say they were ILD 40. They are " 8 inch latex on a 7 inch foam base " per the invoice.(they do feel “firm”) I bought the same mattresses for my wife and father no issues. I now have back pain in the morning that can take several hours to mostly resolve. I am 70 years old 5 6” and 180 pounds ( more stocky than fat) and I have had a back that is sensitive to soft beds since my 20’s.
I recently stayed at a hotel that had a definite comfort layer on its mattress and the pain was much less ( and was gone by mid day) so when I came home I flipped the mattress and the pain became less several hours sooner than before but is still there until around mid day.
My question is that from what I have been reading on the forum it sounds that what I have is a good mattress except it may be missing a comfort layer? Per the mattress as described on the invoice , is the 8” latex the comfort layer and the 7” foam (which is a separate piece entirely) the support base? Or am totally lacking the comfort layer? Thank you!
Hi MichaelR.
Thanks for asking in the Mattress Forum. 
To clarify, the mattress is 15"?
Would you happen to have the name/model of the mattress or a link to the product?
NikkiTMU
Hi Nikki
Thank you you for replying!
The mattresses came as a set. The 8 " latex mattress is one piece and the 7 " Foam is is a separate piece. Both have separate covers.
I just called the salesman and he said there is not an exact picture of this mattress on the website. But he said what I have is an 6 " of latex ILD 41 with 1 ’ cover on both top and bottom for a total of 8 inches. Queen set ( the latex mattress and the foam base) cost $2025 back in 2021 so that seemed in line with what I read on the M.U.
Looking at their website it appears that do have some mattress options with comfort layers ( this must be a newer website as I don’t remember these options when I bought them) . So I guess my mattress simply does not have one and the latex is the mattress core and maybe the foam piece is just there to give it come height.
Do you think it is possible (or wise) to buy a comfort layer as the the mattress itself is probably fine.
Thank you!
Hi again!
This is the first time I’ve run into someone with such a thick slab of foam to pair with an already typically sized mattress.
Have you ever tested the mattress separately, without the foam base? I’d be so curious to know if that feels more comfortable to you.
I could be totally wrong, but I feel like you could theoretically abandon the 7" foam and add 2-3" of a softer ILD latex on the 8" mattress you already have, and have a much more comfortable sleeping situation.
Looking forward to continued troubleshooting here!
NikkiTMU
Hi Nikki
Thank you for your suggestions! Here is what I have done:
First of all, my back was “on fire” that night so in desperation I ordered a 3 " gel-infused topper from Amazon ( the choice that had 100k of decent reviews) that was delivered before 7 AM :). ( I did not see your response until the next day unfortunately.)
Anyway, it did help as back pain was not as severe the next morning.
Yes, 3 inches of foam is a bit squishy and you have to fight through the “mush” to changes positions. But it was still good and truly beneficial.
Next I went to the the guest/kids room with the exact same mattress and base and slept with the mattress on the floor. I think there was some improvement here because it took a few hours longer for my back to start to really ache. And yes it felt good to have a little more support.
I also looked more closely at the foam base. The foam is quite hard and when I laid on it it did not give much at all, if at all. ( if I stepped on it or pushed hard with my hand I could get it to give in some).
But it is not really 7 inches. The “base” itself is 7 inches true, but most of it is hollow. It looks like there is only about 3 inches of foam. So what is says on the invoice ( 7 inch foam base) is really a 7 inch high base with 3 inches of foam.
I I would like to try your suggestion of a latex topper. The TMU article I read recommends a low ILD Talaly. I looked at the TMU partners and didn’t see that option readily so can you recommend a vendor(s) that you think may have this product? What ILD and thickness do you recommend?
As far as moving the mattress to the floor. The bed has only a few slats to hold up the base and mattress. I could have some additional slats cut possibly or just buy plywood sheets lay them over the slats ( or even over the foam base!) Do know what people end up doing in this situation?
thank you!
Michael