My husband and I are side sleepers and recently tried the Vinyasa Plush 4 latex mattress by Prana Sleep at The Dump. We also like the adjustable base for reading and TV watching. He is 6’4" and much larger than I am but we both liked the relief on pressure points and had good alignment on this mattress. My shoulder is also a chronic source of pain for me and I felt no pressure when lying on it. Just wondering if there are any reviews for this retailer and mattress. Are there any other retailers that you could recommend in Atlanta, Ga. for latex mattresses? The overall cost is expensive but we are willing for lasting quality.
Hi Rosey,
While other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful, I would always keep in mind that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and I would be cautious about about using anyone else’s suggestions, experiences or reviews on a specific mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you and in many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews in general won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).
You can read more about Pranasleep in general and the previous versions (up to version 4) of Pranasleep mattresses in post #3 here and in post #2 here and in post #3 here and in posts #1 and #2 here and a forum search on Prana (you can just click this) will also bring up more information and feedback about them as well.
The good news is that they changed the design in version 5 and the top layers of polyfoam are now higher quality/density and are no longer what I would consider to be a weak link in the mattress in terms of durability. Having said that they are still in a significantly higher budget range than other similar mattresses and the top layers are still polyfoam so you would still be feeling and sleeping on polyfoam as much as latex but this could also be a “feel” that you prefer compared to sleeping more directly on latex . There is more about the new version 5 in post #19 here but I would certainly make some very careful “value” comparisons with other latex mattresses that use similar materials and are in a much lower budget range before considering one of their mattresses to be the “best value” choice available to you.
I would also treat the purchase of an adjustable bed and a mattress as two separate purchases so you can decide which one of each you prefer and make apples to apples comparisons with each of them instead of being locked in to a combination where you may prefer either the mattress or the adjustable but not both (unless of course you would purchase the same mattress and adjustable from the same source if you were buying them separately anyway or you are receiving a discount for buying both that would make purchasing the combination purchase worthwhile for you). If a mattress works well on one adjustable bed then the same mattress will “work” just as well on any adjustable bed.
There is more information about choosing an adjustable bed in post #3 here and the main adjustable bed topic that it links to that can help you choose an adjustable bed based on price vs features comparisons and also includes some retailers that you can use as good sources of information about the features of the adjustable beds they carry and as pricing references as well (in post #6 in the main adjustable bed topic). Of course there are many other sources as well and prices can change on a regular basis so I would also include some internet searching in your research. I would also keep in mind that online advertised prices are often price controlled so make sure you call the stores you are considering to find out their best prices rather than just looking at websites.
Subject to confirming that any retailer or manufacturer on the list is completely transparent (see this article) and to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines here … the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Atlanta, GA area are listed in post #2 here.
Phoenix
Thank you so much and I am going to spend some time reading the posts that you have referenced. We would love to find a better price for a king latex and have looked online for the adjustable base, so that is an option unless we have a discount to buy both mattress and base together.
Hi Rosey,
I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding and of course to any other comments or questions you may have along the way.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
We went to Tucker Mattress Company in Atlanta and thanks to your website and guidance, we felt so much better prepared to begin our search for our king size latex mattress. We met Stuart who is running the store and was very knowledgeable and great to work with. My only concern was that he only offers one choice in a latex mattress. We tested a 7", solid latex mattress (Talalay) with a density of 40. This felt too firm for me and I felt pressure on my shoulder. He also makes a 3 " all latex topper with a 19 density and this made the mattress feel much softer and after spending 30 or more minutes felt really comfortable to us both. We feel the price is good at $1800 for the all latex mattress and $400 for the all latex topper (to add a comfort layer, knowing that it will most likely not last as long as the mattress but can be replaced when needed). A disadvantage is the fact that he does not have a trial period or return policy being a local, direct manufacturer. We plan to test other latex mattresses over the next week but after previewing some websites, I am wondering if the mattress should have more layers? Is 7" deep enough being all latex. A deeper mattress is an option but it would be an additional cost. I mentioned before that my husband is 6’4". He is weighs 235 and I’m 5’4 at 120. Do you have any input so far? I also mentioned that we want an adjustable base and we will make that decision independent of the mattress, always confirming that it will be appropriate for the mattress and would not interfere with any manufacture’s warranty. We would love to hear your thoughts.
Rosey
I forgot to mention in my previous post that the mattress had an all bamboo covering with no quilting.
Hi Rosey,
As you mentioned one of the benefits of having a separate topper is being able to replace just the topper if it softens or breaks down before the mattress (which is usually the case with the softer top layers of a sleeping system) or if your needs or preferences change down the road without having to replace the entire mattress.
There is more about the 3 most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on suitability, durability, and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
While I can’t feel what you feel or see you sleeping on the mattress so I can’t speak to how any mattress will feel for someone else … latex is a very high quality and durable material so you are certainly looking at a very durable choice.
The latex in the mattress is most likely 6" and then the cover and the fire barrier would probably make up the additional inch but with the topper your mattress (or in this case your sleeping system) would be a total of 9" which is a fairly average thickness.
The thickness of a mattress or the number or thickness of any individual layers inside it is really just a side effect of the design and the design goals of a mattress and is also only one of many variables that can affect the feel and performance of a mattress relative to any particular person and by itself isn’t particularly meaningful (see post #2 here). In some cases higher weight ranges (or a higher BMI) will sometimes do better with a mattress that is thicker than lower weight ranges or a lower BMI (see post #14 here for more about the effect of thickness) but even this depends more on the specific design and combination of materials in the mattress and on how well your testing or personal experience indicates the mattress (or mattress/topper combination) “as a whole” matches your specific needs and preferences in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP than it does on just the thickness itself.
Phoenix
Ok then and good to know that we don’t have to look for a certain overall thickness in a mattress. Thank you for the response and we will continue our search. Are there ranges for densities for the different layers (support, core, comfort) that are common among manufacturers of 100% latex mattresses? Sorry if I missed a post already for this. I’ve seen ranges for foam but not for all latex mattresses.
Hi Rosey,
Unlike memory foam and polyfoam where the foam density is the single biggest factor in durability … the density of latex is related to its firmness but not to the quality or durability of the material. Different types and blends of latex will have different density ranges (softer or firmer) or ILD ranges (ILD is a firmness rating) but with careful testing your body will tell you whether a mattress is a good match for you in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP regardless of whether you know the density or firmness of the latex layers so I wouldn’t get caught up with the density or firmness of the individual layers because it may do more to confuse you than help you. There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #7 here.
Phoenix