Hi Gail J.
Yes … in addition to the online lists in the tutorial there is a local list in the forum for almost every city or area in the US and Canada.
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the San Fransisco / Santa Rosa areas (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines I linked in my first reply) are listed in post #2 here.
Phoenix
Phoenix,
Thank you for the great annotated lists of mattress dealers and makers in the California Bay Area.
I will be looking into that.
Hi Gail J.
You’re very welcome 
I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding … and of course any other comments or questions you may have along the way.
Phoenix
Gail J. we ended up getting the SleepEZ latex mattress from their organic line. We got all talalay layers, and it was recommended we get soft medium firm for our weights. We ended up going soft soft firm on one side and medium medium firm on the other side. Sleeping a lot better now. I will say the SleepEZ latex did have a rubber-like smell for about two weeks… If there is a way you can air out the latex layers ahead of time, it might benefit you. We were just way too ready to start sleeping better.
Hi Yixi,
Thank you for your reply about the latex mattresses you got.
I got a FloBeds and am trying to figure out the best configuration for comfort and support.
It’s med, firm, extra firm. which I like for side sleeping, but not for back sleeping.
Hi Gail J.,
I split your posts and their replies into a new topic of their own with a different title so they wouldn’t get mixed in with another member’s topic with different subject matter.
You certainly made a great quality/value choice … and congratulations on your new mattress
There will be a break in and adjustment period with any new mattress so I would always suggest waiting for at least a few weeks whenever possible before making any changes to your mattress so that the mattress has a chance to break in a little and your body has the chance to adjust to a sleeping surface that is different from what it’s used to (see post #3 here).
One of the advantages of a component latex mattress is that you can fine tune the comfort and support of the mattress by rearranging or changing layers so if after a few weeks you need to make any changes to your mattress I would talk to Flobeds on the phone and share your experience with them because they are experts at helping their customers to configure or reconfigure their mattress to the most suitable layering combination.
Since I switched your reply to Gail J. to this topic it would also be great if you could update your original topic and share your experience there as well.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
I want to give you the update on my mattress purchase since I’ve now had the mattress for almost 100 days.
It was a difficult adjustment for me to go from a conventional (spring) mattress to an all latex one.
It worked out, but it took this long.
Flobeds is where I got my mattress from and they were great to deal with. Dewey was super patient and willing to let me try different configurations. We live within driving distance to their store and enjoyed meeting them and laying on some of the beds.
I think they may be somewhat more expensive than some other places, but I really liked their 100 day money back guarantee. At one point I thought this just isn’t working for me. I called them and they were totally ready to take it back, no questions asked.
Luckily, I pursued a few more changes and wound up with it working for me.
I also really like that I can buy other layers in the future from FloBeds at a very reduced price, should I feel the need. And that the bed zips open and I can make changes like that.
To me it’s worth it.
Part of my adjustment was that I just had to get used to being on latex. I felt that I had a subconscious resistance to sleeping on something that felt foreign. I related it to when I first got progressive (multi-focus) lenses and visually everything “swam” for 3 months. When I asked my optometrist to check the prescription on my lenses and he told me they were correct, then subconsciously my resistance disappeared and I adjusted.
Then of course there was the issue of needing enough comfort for my shoulders and hips (side sleeping) to be able to sink in a bit and relax, while having enough underlying support to not have my back hurt.
It was a slow journey, but dealing with FloBeds made it possible.
It was great to be able to try out different configurations and get what works. I’m really glad I was able to navigate the mattress world and didn’t throw in the towel and buy a “conventional” mattress that would degrade quickly and not feel as good to sleep on from a soulless corporation.
The mattress underground info on who and what’s out there and on comfort layers and support layers really helped me work toward a successful conclusion.
Thank you so much!
And yes they gave me the 5% discount.
Hi Gail J.,
Thanks for taking the time to share a detailed update about your mattress and Flobeds … I appreciate it!
While it sounds like it took some time and some “fine tuning” … it’s always great to hear when a manufacturer like Flobeds is willing and able to work so closely with you and provide you with the kind of guidance and suggestions that you needed to end up with a layering combination that works well for you.
Not that you have gone through the break in and adjustment process and are used to the “feel” of latex it would be reasonable to expect that you will be sleeping well on your new mattress for many more years :).
Phoenix