Looking for a pillow top feel in latex...

We are looking for an innerspring/latex mattress that has a traditional cushy quilted pillowtop feel to it. (Similar to some of the hotel mattresses). I have looked at the following and was hoping you might be able to guide us in the right direction.

  1. Mattresses.net: Ultamate Hybrid Coil with Latex
  2. My Green Mattress: Natural Escape
  3. Flexuscomfort.com: Quadr-Flex Pocket Coil Latex
  4. Luma Sleep: Latex Hybrid Slumber System
    I read that for the Pillow top feel, we would need a firmer support with softer comfort layers. Are we looking in the right direction or should we be looking at polyfoam instead? We don’t care for the traditional memory foam feel and are concerned about it retaining heat. Thank you very much for the fantastic website!

Hi cmsivley,

“Pillowtop” isn’t a comfort designation, but a method of construction, so I would focus more upon the overall level of plushness that you desire, which of course is quite personal and is most accurately determined through your own personal testing. Additionally, I wouldn’t spend time attempting to exactly replicate a hotel mattress, as those tend to be lower quality items in general and also tend to rely heavily upon various top-of-bed products to achieve their overall comfort.

Whether you choose polyfoam over latex as the upper comfort layer would also be a personal choice, as they have very different characteristics in terms of comfort and durability, with latex tending to offer a bit more of a “buoyant” feel and tending to be more durable.

Regardless of what you choose, always make sure that you find out the information listed here of any item you are considering so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.

All of the brands that you referenced use good quality materials, and all of them happen to be members here of the site, which means that I think highly of them, their componentry and the advice that they offer. There is also another listing of spring/latex mattress (hybrid) providers in post #2 here.

Overall I can’t tell you “what” to choose, but instead help you with “how” to select a quality product, and to that end I would being your mattress shopping research by reading the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase 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 all the 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).

In its simplest form … choosing the “best possible” mattress for any particular person really comes down to FIRST finding a few knowledgeable and transparent retailers and/or manufacturers (either locally or online) that sell the types of mattresses that you are most interested in that are in a budget range you are comfortable with and that you have confirmed will provide you with the all the information you need about the materials and components inside the mattresses they sell so you will be able to make informed choices and meaningful comparisons between mattresses and then …

  1. Careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) to make sure that a mattress is a good match for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … and/or that you are comfortable with the options you have available to return, exchange, or “fine tune” the mattress and any costs involved if you can’t test a mattress in person or aren’t confident that your mattress is a suitable choice.

  2. Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight/BMI range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.

  3. Comparing your finalists for “value” based on #1 and #2 and all the other parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

If you have more specific questions after you’ve read through this information I’ll be happy to do my best to be assistive.

Phoenix

Thank you very much for the response! I was wanting to get a latex comfort layer as opposed to polyfoam since it may hold up better over time. I thought if I wanted more plushness then I could buy a topper to go over the latex. Then when that wore out, I could buy a new topper as opposed to a whole new bed (providing the bed was still holding up). Would you advise against placing a plush topper over a latex comfort layer if we wanted more plushness?

Hi cmsivley,

This is a very common preference – having a “firmer” base mattress and then using a topper to achieve extra comfort. It’s actually the type of system that Luma Sleep uses with their latex hybrid mattress you mentioned in your last post.

No necessarily. It would depend upon the configuration and layers within your base mattress, and the type of topper (thickness, material used, ILD) that you would be placing upon that base mattress.

There is more information about choosing a topper in post #2 here and the topper guidelines it links to which along with a conversation with a reliable and knowledgeable supplier (that can provide you with good information about how their toppers compare to each other or to other toppers they are familiar with that are available on the market) can help you use your sleeping experience as a reference point and guideline to help you choose the type, thickness, and firmness for a topper that has the least possible risk and the best chance for success.

Phoenix

Thank you for the information! Hypothetically speaking, if one were to get the luma sleep system with a firm support layer and a medium firm comfort layer but still desired additional quilted “plushness” without retaining heat, what type of materials would you recommend in a mattress topper? From reading your posts, I think either 2 inches of polyfoam or alternative down sound like the best options (since I wouldn’t want latex or memory foam in the added mattress topper). My goal would be to create that quilted puffy cloud feeling but I don’t want anything that will make it hot. Thank you!

Hi cmsivley,

You’d have a system using a total of 4.5" of latex at that point, and then you’d potentially be thinking of adding some more plushness on top, if I understand you correctly. When adding extra plushness, remember that all materials are insulators to some extent, and the more you sink in the less of your surface area is exposed to heat exchange. Down or down alternatives can be quite comfortable, but some can be quite insulating as well. Polyfoam tends to be quite breathable, provided you don’t get too soft of an IFD. A wool topper (There is more information about wool toppers and how they compare to various foam toppers, at least in very general terms, in post #8 here and in posts #3 and #6 here and there are some additional comments about wool toppers and a list of some of the better sources I’m aware of in post #3 here) can also be quite comfortable and is very good at being more “temperature neutral” and is also good at assisting with humidity regulation, but it may not be as plush of a comfort as you desire. You’d want to avoid memory foam, as you mentioned, but latex, especially Talalay latex, is quite breathable, but again depending upon the ILD you choose may create too much “insulation” for your preference.

Overall, it’s not really possible to quantify the sleeping temperature of a mattress for any particular person with any real accuracy because there are so many variables involved including the type of mattress protector and the sheets and bedding that you use (which in many cases can have just as significant an effect on sleeping temperature as the type of foam in a mattress) and on where you are in the “oven to iceberg” range and because there is no standardized testing for temperature regulation with different combinations of materials. There is more about the many variables that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress or sleeping system in post #2 here that can help you choose different materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.

Phoenix

Thank you for the information. What do you think about cotton in a topper? Would that be more breathable than bamboo? I do use bamboo sheets and find them very cool and comfortable.

Hi cmsivley,

Cotton can be a nice material for use in a topper, most commonly used for the fabric encasing the topper and not the fill inside of it. Cotton is quite breathable, but as a fill it will compact more than wool and does not have the same loft, which is why it’s often blended with some sort of a synthetic. While it does absorb moisture, it doesn’t have the same wicking and insulating capacity as does wool. Wool fibers can also withstand more bending than a cotton fiber before breaking. I think that cotton makes a nice material for encasing a topper, or as thinner fill in a mattress pad, or as a thinner topper (often blended with another material to help maintain loft).

As for bamboo, it is just the precursor (the viscose dope) for the formation of a semi-synthetic viscose fiber that would be used for your sheets or as part of the covering in the ticking of a mattress topper or mattress. Bamboo-sourced fibers tend to have a softer hand.

Phoenix