What a wealth of information you supply. I purchased an i Comfort Revolution yesterday for a ridiculous price and then decided to do my research. After nearly six hours of reading this forum and checking out the different manufacturers available I immediately called and cancelled the order. At this time I think I am pretty much settled on Latex. I found a company purely by accident and as luck would have it, their factory is only 45 minutes from where I live. What, if anything, do you know about Habitat Furnishings of New Orleans? They use 100% botanically derived natural Latex with water based adhesives(no chemicals). Their customer satisfaction is through the roof. They have a 6 month no question return policy. My only concern is their covering is woven instead of knit which is supposed to have more give and elasticity over woven allowing the latex underneath to give optimal pressure relief. With two bulging lumbar disks and Sciatica I need all the relief I can get. Thanks again for all you do.
Hi BruceM,
I’m not so sure that Habitat manufactures their own latex mattresses or that their factory is in Mandeville (although they had outlets in Mandeville and Metairie that carried Gold Bond Futons). The Metairie outlet number is now disconnected and if you click on the link for directions to their store here it takes you to their online only site.
From their website:
We bring our latex cores (the raw layers of natural latex, before they are cut to specific sizes, laminated, and assembled with our coverings) directly from the plantation to our facility in Boston, Massachusetts. Our assembly and finishing is completed there, and we ship from Boston only, saving fuel and freight charges along the way.
If they do have an outlet in Mandeville, I would check first to make sure they have their latex mattresses available there.
Their mattresses use a 6" Dunlop core either by itself or with a 2" or 3" Talalay latex topper. In any case … a search on “Habitat” (without the quotes) will bring up quite a few posts with my thoughts about them which boil down to “good quality materials but significantly overpriced” compared to other online outlets that use similar or better materials in their mattresses.
While New Orleans no longer has any local manufacturers that I know of, post #2 here may be of some help.
If you decide to go in the direction of an online purchase … post #21 here which includes the members of this site who specialize in manufacturing latex mattresses that can be shipped across the country may also help.
Phoenix
Good Monday morning Phoenix,
Thank you for the information provided so quickly and based on your suggestion I have narrowed it down to Sleepez or MyGreenMattress.com. My concern is the two manufacturing methods used. Sleepez uses Dunlop for support and Talalay for comfort and does not glue their layers together allowing more options for constructing the perfect mattress for each customer. MyGreenMattress.com uses layers of Talalay glued together. By not gluing the layers together do you not open up to the possibility of shifting or “bunching” over time and does Talalay work as a support layer were it is more for comfort and not as dense as Dunlop? Your thoughts please and thanks again for the help.
BruceM
Hi BruceM,
SleepEz actually allows the choice between Talalay and Dunlop and different ILD’s of each in each of their layers. I believe that all talalay is probably their most popular choice.
This could happen to some small degree but with a zip cover it is very easy to “fix” if it does happen. Latex is very “'sticky” so it doesn’t have a tendency for one layer to shift over another as much as other materials. On the other hand … with a finished mattress … gluing the layers together is IMO a better idea because the layers in the mattress can’t be accessed and it creates a more integrated unit and removes any possibility of shifting. Each has a benefit and a downside as part of the “tradeoff”.
Talalay in firmer ILD’s works very well for a support layer and it is a much higher quality support layer than other materials such as higher quality HD polyfoam used under many mattresses (such as the Tempurpedic). It is also available in a wider variety of ILD’s than Dunlop. It is different in it’s characteristics and “feel” though from Dunlop which gets firmer faster than Talalay but neither one is better than the other in terms of a support layer. They just are part of different designs used to create different feels and qualities. The differences are more a matter of preference and while the differences can be used to “design” different mattresses … one is not better than another.
It’s probably true that more people prefer Talalay in the comfort layers because it has softer options than Dunop but this is by no means universal and many prefer the more “on” the mattress or less “springy” feel of Dunlop. In support layers though, you will find a wide variety of different individual preferences between them with some preferring one and some the other.
Phoenix
Hi Bruce M
I’m in NOLA too looking for a Latex mattress!
Have you found many places to try them out…? I’ve really struggled to find outlets.
I’ve tried the Jamisons at Beddings Plus and plan to make a trip to Slidell to try Pure Latex Bliss…at that point I can talk to the online manufactures to fine tune what my body needs.
Best of luck
-E
I just brought a split King Pure Bliss Latex Beautiful on a adjustable base. And love it u cant go wrong with Pure Bliss Latex.
I just brought a split King Pure Bliss Latex Beautiful on a adjustable base. And love it u cant go wrong with Pure Bliss Latex.
Hi Phoenix,
I spoke with Shaun from Sleepez today at great length about customizing a bed based on specific weight and sleep preference. This certainly seems to be the way to go. I am looking at a split queen for their adjustable bed but would like to know if two 30 x 80 beds instead of one 60 x 80 will affect the integrity and sleep quality of a latex mattress? By compressing the latex into a narrower width will that effect the overall comfort level? Thanks again.
BruceM
Hi BruceM,
I’m not quite sure what you mean when you say …
In a split construction each queen size 3" thick layer is cut in half (into two 3" thick and 30" wide layers) and these two half layers sit side by side over the layer below. All three layers (if you are choosing a 3 layer mattress) whether they are split or not fit into a single zippered queen size cover which fits tightly around all the layers. The width of any layers that are split and placed side by side are the same as they would be if they weren’t split and wouldn’t be “compressed” any more than a single layer would be.
The idea of a split layering is that you can choose a different layering pattern and pressure relief and support levels on each side of the mattress so that two people using the same mattress can each have their own custom layering on their side. For example you could have soft/medium/firm layers on one side and medium/firm/extra firm layers on the other.
I’m not sure this answered what you were asking but if it didn’t can you clarify what you mean?
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
You answered it perfectly. What I was trying to say was that by cutting the layer in half do you lose any of the comfort quality because your weight is being distributed over a 30 inch piece rather then a 60 inch piece. I guess it should not make a difference since with latex the benefit is your only affecting that part of the mattress you are laying on. Not trying to get to technical I just want to be 100% sure that I get the right mattress so the wife doesn’t have something else to hold over me. Thanks again.
BruceM
Hi BruceM,
OK … I understand better what you were asking.
As you mention because latex has a high level of point elasticity (the layer is compressed more in the area of compression with less effect on the surrounding area than polyfoam) … a split layer will not affect the properties of the area you are sleeping on to any great degree. There will be an area in the middle where you may notice the transition from one layering scheme to another depending on the degree of difference between the two sides but this would normally be small and is not an issue for most people compared to the benefits of having “two mattresses in one”. Because of the elasticity and “stickyness” of latex in combination with the quilting/ticking that would tend to even out the differences … for all but the most sensitive of people this would not be an issue.
I think I “got it” 
Phoenix