Looking for Latex Mattress Suggestions in the Bay Area

[phoenix]

Hi fidel cashflow,

I tend to ‘sleep hot’ so I realize a memory foam will most likely not be the right solution for me, I also don’t want to have to deal with the mattress ‘de-gassing’ while I’m moving into a new place.

You can read more about the many factors that can affect the sleeping temperature of a mattress in post #2 here. While memory foam is the most insulating of the foam categories … there is a wide range of breathability between different types of memory foam and there are many other factors that can affect sleeping temperature as much or more than the type of foam in your mattress.

All mattresses (including latex) will have some initial odor when they are new although some are certainly worse than others and the smell is certainly different between them. There is more about offgassing and other “safety” issues in post #2 here that can help each person answer “how safe is safe enough for me?”. By most people’s standards … mattress materials that have been certified by CertiPur (memory foam or polyfoam), or OekoTex (latex as well as other materials and fabrics) or other reputable testing standards are generally “safe enough” even though they will still have some initial odor.

1. To make sure Latex is a good idea for me as well as the type of mattress I should be focused on - I prefer soft over firm but can be amenable.

The choice of materials in a mattress is always based on personal preferences and there really isn’t any “should or shouldn’t” in terms of materials other than making sure that no matter what material you prefer that it’s good quality. All materials come in firmer and softer versions and can be part of a very wide range of mattress designs that can be made to be suitable for almost anyone.

2. Narrow down the list of places to visit. I’ll be staying in Mountain View for a few days before I move to my apartment in the city but will have a car so I should be pretty flexible.

The best way I know to narrow down the list is by browsing their sites and then talking with the ones that most interest you on the phone about your specific criteria and budget (along the lines of this article) and asking them for some general suggestions and if they have some mattresses that they feel may be suitable for you to test that are in your budget. This way you will have some preliminary information about what they carry on their floor and the level of knowledge, experience, and guidance you can expect when you visit them to test their mattresses.

As long as you don’t expect them to provide pricing and details of every mattress they carry on the phone (some won’t provide their specific or “best” prices on a phone call but will generally talk in terms of budget ranges) you can get a very good idea of who you will be dealing with by talking with them before you visit them. There are too many individual criteria involved to start eliminating retailers or manufacturers that may be an ideal choice for one and not as suitable for the next. Issues of personal preference both in terms of the type of materials or mattress design you prefer and the type of retailer you prefer to deal with are always best decided by each person individually. I would personally never visit a retailer or manufacturer unless I had talked with them first and the research you do at home on the phone can save you a substantial amount of time and frustration and can be one of the most important parts of your research.

Phoenix