Advice is welcome…
Hi DeniseChirpich,
Post #1 here has a series of steps and guidelines which along with the information it links to can greatly improve your chances of finding the most suitable mattress with the best possible quality and value in any budget range.
You are also fortunate to be in the San Francisco area which has some great quality/value choices and options available in any budget range. The better ones I know of are listed in post #2 here. You may also find that this thread (especially the later posts) from another forum member with some recent feedback from the San Francisco area may also be useful to you.
Phoenix
Phoenix - I’m so happy I found your website. I am very grateful for the information you have provided and it’s prevented us from making an expensive mistake. Since my husband and I are in our forties, we have had a variety of beds: college futons, water channel beds, euro-pillowtops, and plush mattresses. We were about to buy a “custom” bed from Sleep ID (Comfort Solutions) just because it allowed us to get two different comfort levels in one mattress. We didn’t know there were other options available. And then I found your website!
I thought I might share our experience for feedback for independent mattress stores in the San Francisco Bay Area
Your description of the basic functions of a mattress was eye-opening. So simple, yet it is so easy to be confused in the store. And your discussion about mattress construction options was very informative.
With your information and the list of recommended stores in the San Francisco Bay Area, my husband and I tried many mattresses and kept our minds open. Mostly we tried to find the right feel for us.
We decided we both liked a hybrid latex and pocket coil mattress with at least 3" of latex. The pocket coil works better for me since I have narrow hips and my shoulders are wider. More shoulder relief than all-latex mattresses. We narrowed our choices down to two stores: The Natural Mattress Store in San Rafael and Bay Bed & Mattress in Santa Cruz. But before I give you detailed information on both, here’s some information on us. We’re both side sleepers. I’m 5’-3" and 117 pounds and my husband is 5’-10" and 165 pounds. We have a terrible Spring Air mattress right now that is both too hard for my shoulder and hips and too unsupportive for my husbands pelvis and back.
www.thenaturalmattressstore.com I highly recommend Wil and his father Steve at The Natural Mattress Store. They have a beautiful store with a large selection of high quality mattresses. They make shopping very relaxed. No pressure at all and they will answer any question when asked. I found a perfect mattress that finally felt as if I were sleeping on a cloud - so soft yet I was completely supported. What a revelation! My husband found a mattress that he liked, but he didn’t love. We looked at the Clarity model which features pocketed coils and a single layer of 3" talalay latex. The entire mattress is certified organic and with it’s high quality, I feel it is worth the $2,200 price for a queen and a good value. It is of much better quality than a similarly priced big name mattress. I found I loved the extra-soft and my husband liked the medium.
www.baybed.com With your list of Bay Area dealers I realize that we are indeed fortunate to have so many choices. Believe me, I’m sure we would have been happy to purchase a new mattress from the Natural Mattress Store (and it’s only 10 minutes from our house), but with your recommendation, we decided to drive the 1 hour and 45 minutes to Santa Cruz to Bay Bed. Dan, the owner was very good to us and he showed us two hybrid latex and pocketed coil mattresses. One model has 3 - 1" layers of talalay latex and one with 4 - 1" layers. So even though I found my perfect “cloud” at The Natural Mattress store, we decided to purchase our mattress from Bay Bed. These are the reasons why:
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I loved the mattress at the other store, but my husband only liked it. Dan’s system has four layers of talalay latex to adjust. This gives you many more options than adjusting a single 3" latex layer. So even though Bay Bed’s floor model wasn’t as soft as the mattress I liked, I’m fairly confident my order will replicate the feeling I desire. Dan also has pocketed coil options so it’s possible to not only adjust the latex, but also the support. My husband is getting coils slightly firmer. So with more fine tuning options, we think we can dial in the perfect mattress for both of us.
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Bay Bed mattresses have a foam encasement around the coils. The Natural Mattress Store’s mattresses do not. I know I roll to the edge quite often, so this was a big plus for me.
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The mattress was 28% less than the price at the Natural Mattress Store. Worth the drive to Santa Cruz. The Natural Mattress Store has good prices; Bay Bed has outstanding prices. However, to be fair, the Natural Mattress Store beds are completely organic and they have a spacious, beautiful showroom. Bay Bed beds can be ordered “natural” for an additional cost, but are not organic. Bay Bed is a little compact so one cannot walk around the mattresses freely and most beds are split firmnesses (but that can be good for couples to evaluate).
Thank you again for all the information you provide on your website. I’ve learned a tremendous amount. I feel so much better about this mattress purchase as an informed consumer. I’ll update my post after I have received our mattress.
Hi SeekingBlss,
Thanks so much for taking the time to write such a great review 
I particularly appreciate feedback that is so thoughtful and insightful and includes the background information about all the different things that you took into account in making your final decisions and the process behind it.
It seems to me that you did great research, made some wonderful “discoveries” and ended up with an excellent and well researched choice. I think too that a latex/pocket coil hybrid is often overlooked and can be an very high quality and comfortable mattress for those who prefer the characteristics of an innerspring support core.
I’m looking forward to any further feedback about your mattress that you’d like to share when you’ve had a chance to sleep on it.
Most of all … congratulations on your new mattress
Phoenix