Hi everyone - i’ve been reading this forum for awhile now for due diligence on my next mattress purchase. After hours upon hours of research I’m feeling overwhelmed by the number of options out there. I’ve come across Plushbeds Cool Bliss, which I believe fits my following criteria:
Need a bed that sleeps cool, b/c my wife sleeps like an oven and constantly complains about how warm our bed is
Looking for a thicker mattress that will fit well with our particular bed frame/headboard (ideally 12 inches or so)
We’re both primarily side sleepers, so we want the top layer to be soft enough, but without an overwhelming sinking feeling.
Looking for top durability and material
We are both lightweight (she’s 115 and I’m 155), but we still want reliable lower support
We expect that a medium overall firmness level would be best
Ideally, we’d like materials that have limited or no off-gassing
Budget-wise, we’re pretty open, but want to cap it around 2000 max (for a King sized mattress)
Since purchasing something like this online is new to us, we want a great return policy available to us
The Plushbeds Cool Bliss seems to check most of our boxes, but I’ve read on here multiple times that there are alternatives to this bed. I’m struggling to find those alternatives, so I was hoping for your input.
I’m not sure what you’ve read since you found the site but just in case you haven’t read it yet … the first place to start your research is 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.
While again nobody can speak to how any specific mattress will “feel” for someone else because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … outside of PPP which is the most important part of “value”, the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label (or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new) so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/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.
It would depend what you mean by an “alternative” …
There is more information in post #9 here about the different ways that one mattress can “match” or “approximate” another one. Every layer and component in a mattress (including the cover and any quilting materials) will affect the feel and performance of every other layer and component and the mattress “as a whole” so unless you are able to find another mattress that uses exactly the same type of materials, components, cover and quilting, layer thicknesses, layer firmnesses, and overall design (which would be fairly unlikely) then there really isn’t a reliable way to match one mattress to another one in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP based on the specifications of the mattresses (even assuming that you can find out all the specifications you would need for both mattresses you are comparing in the first place).
Mattress manufacturers generally try to differentiate their mattress from the mattresses made by other manufacturers and don’t normally try to “match” another mattress that is made by a different manufacturer so unless a manufacturer specifically says in their description of a mattress that one of their mattresses in the same general category is specifically designed to “match” or “approximate” another one in terms of firmness or “feel” and PPP and/or they are very familiar with both mattresses and can provide reliable guidance about how they compare based on the “averages” of a larger group of people that have compared them (different people may have very different opinions about how two mattresses compare) … the only reliable way to know for certain how two mattresses would compare for you in terms of how they “feel” or in terms of firmness or PPP (regardless of anyone else’s opinions of how they compare which may be different from your own) would be based on your own careful testing or actual sleeping experience on both of them.
If you are researching online memory foam mattresses … the mattress shopping tutorial includes a link to a list of some of the better online memory foam options I’m aware of (in the optional online step) and several of them make good quality mattresses that also include both memory foam, and latex and are in the same general category (although some of them have latex support cores rather than a latex transition layer) but they have different designs, materials, and components (such as different types of memory foam or latex or different layer thickness and firmnesses) and would likely have a different “feel” or firmness level.
Off the top of my head … some of the manufacturers on the list that make mattresses that include both memory foam and latex (or have an option to use a memory foam layer instead of a latex layer) include …
dreamfoambedding.com/ (I believe that you can replace one of the layers in the Aloe Alexis with memory foam but I would call and ask to confirm this)
Hybrid_Mattress.php They carry several mattresses that use both latex and memory foam. ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: lakemattress.biz/Hybrid_Mattress.php
https://www.christeli.com/ Their Luxe Estate and their Palais Grand Royale both contain latex and memory foam.
A few of the simplified choice mattresses in post #2 here also use a combination of memory foam and latex in the upper layers although they use latex on top of the memory foam rather than the other way around…
While I can’'t speak to how any of these would compare for any specific person in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … when you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else and their guidance will give you the best chance of success.
If you know the specifications of all the materials and layers in two mattresses you are comparing (see this article) then making durability comparisons based on the specifications of both mattresses and on the quality/durability guidelines here is simpler than trying to compare “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (which is much more subjective) but the durability of the materials in a mattress has very little to do with how if feels or performs because a mattress that uses lower quality and less durable materials can feel the same or very similar to a mattress that uses higher quality and more durable materials in a showroom or when it is still relatively new … it just won’t last as long.
There may also be some local mattresses that use a combination of memory foam and latex as well and if you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of.
Once you have narrowed down your options to a list of finalists that are all choices between “good and good” and none of them have any lower quality materials or “weak links” in their design and if at this point there are no clear winners between them (which is usually a good indication that you have done some good research) then you are in the fortunate position that any of them would likely be a suitable choice and post #2 herepersonal value equation can help you make a final choice based on your own local testing and/or your more detailed phone conversations about each of them, the firmness and suitability of each one, their prices, your preferences for different types of materials and components, designs, or types and blends of latex, the options you have after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or exchange or return the mattress or individual layers and any costs involved, any additional extras that are part of each purchase, and on “informed best judgement” based on all the other objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your that are most important to you.
I have definitely read through the tutorials and referenced links. I also appreciate you sharing a list of options. I’m hoping you (or someone) could comment on cooling. As mentioned in my OP that is going to be a critical factor in my decision.
Do the gel memory foams actually work? It seems there are a number of options with that as a top or second layer. I’ve been intrigued by the Loom and Leaf because of the unquie gel cooling pad, but hesitant because of some of the durability issues you’ve pointed out in the past.
I’m also open to all foam or a mix of foam and latex
While it’s also not 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 the types of materials and components that are most likely to keep you in a comfortable temperature range.
Latex in general is the most temperature neutral of all the different foam materials and memory foam is generally the warmest although there are many versions of every type of foam (latex foam, memory foam, polyfoam) that can vary in their breathability and temperature regulating properties. There is more about the general differences between latex and memory foam in post #2 here.
In very general terms … the materials, layers, and components of a sleeping system that are closer to your skin will have a bigger effect on airflow, moisture transport, and temperature regulation than materials, layers, and components that are further away from your skin and softer mattresses will tend to be more “insulating” and for some people can sleep warmer than firmer mattresses. Memory foam in general (with or without gel) also tends to sleep warmer for some people than other types of foam and while thermal conductive materials (such as some types of gel or copper) or phase change materials that are infused in the memory foam will generally make a mattress feel cooler when you touch it and can provide a temporary benefit when you first go to sleep at night … once temperatures equalize the temperature regulating benefits don’t tend to last over the course of the night. There is more about some of the ways that different manufacturers are using to cool down memory foam in post #6 here and while it would generally only involve a minority of people … it would be fair to say that there are a larger percentage of people that tend to sleep warmer on mattresses that use memory foam or even gel memory foam in the top layers than other types of more breathable and more temperature neutral foam or fiber materials.
In the end though … outside of these very general guidelines which will let you “play the odds” a little more effectively … the only way to know for certain whether a mattress will be “temperature regulating enough” with the sheets and bedding and mattress protector that you use will be based on your own personal experience because there are always some people tend to sleep warmer on mattresses that most people would be fine with.
Thanks again Phoenix - I admittedly never considered that the cooling memory foam would be obviously cool when first laying down for the night, but then that benefit would essentially be non-existent (or go away) during the course of sleep.
Based on your feedback, it seems I should be focused on finding a mattress with a latex comfort layer at minimum, or perhaps a 100% latex to achieve optimal cooling… Given my other PPP criteria (being a side sleeper, but still wanting top quality lower support for alignment and durability), would you recommend a softer Talalay latex comfort layer, followed by a more firm middle or core/support layer?
If temperature regulation is one of your most important priorities … you can certainly shift the odds in your favor by choosing combinations of materials and components that are likely to keep you in a more comfortable or “neutral” temperature range but there are so many different types of memory foam with different properties (and other foam materials as well) and there are so many different variables that can affect temperature regulation (even outside of the materials and components in the mattress itself) that the only way to know for certain whether any mattress or sleeping system will keep you in a comfortable temperature range will be based on your own personal experience. I would also keep in mind that in more general terms … even the “hottest” memory foam will only sleep “too warm” for a relative minority of people.
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to you or compare to another mattress based on specs (either yours or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than your own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or your own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
Assuming that the materials in a mattress you are considering are durable enough for your body type and meet the quality/durability guidelines here relative to your weight range … the choice between different types and combinations of materials and components or different types of mattresses are more of a preference and a budget choice than a “better/worse” choice (see this article). The best way to know which type of materials or which type of mattresses you tend to prefer in general terms will be based on your own testing and personal experience because different people can have very different preferences and different sleeping experiences on the same mattress.
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 …
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.
Checking to make sure that there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress you are considering relative to your weight range that could compromise the durability and useful life of the mattress.
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.
Hello Jmadden! I have been eyeing this cool bliss mattress as well as their all latex mattress and wondered what you ended up choosing and how it is working out for you and your wife…? Would love to hear from you. Thank you.