Looking for Local Latex Options in the DC Metro Area

[phoenix]

Hi rtb001,

It seems latex mattresses would not give that same feeling.

You’re certainly right that latex and memory foam are very different materials with very different properties. There is more about how latex and memory foam compare in general terms in post #2 here.

1. A lot of the 100% latex mattresses seem to have similar construction. 3-4 layers of latex stacked inside a cotton cover which has maybe 1" of wool in the top for a total thickness of 9 to 12 inches.

Every layer and component in a mattress (including the cover) will have an effect on the feel and performance of every other layer and component above and below it and on the mattress “as a whole” and there are hundreds if not thousands of latex mattresses that are very different from each other that use different types and blends of latex, different layer thicknesses, different layer firmnesses, and that have very different designs. Some of them may be a great “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your Personal preferences) and some of them may be completely unsuitable for you to sleep on.

I’m assuming that you’ve read the mattress shopping tutorial but 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 that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP 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.

2. So you kind of stack your own mattress, with the advantage of being able to swap out layers to customize for different levels of support.

The mattresses you are referring to are called component mattresses and this is certainly one of the advantages of having a component mattress with loose layers vs a mattress with glued layers and a cover that doesn’t have a zipper. There is more about the pros and cons of a “finished mattresses” that has glued layers vs component mattresses with unglued layers and zip covers in post #15 here and post #2 here.

3. The high quality Talalay latex is only produced by 1 (or 2?) companies which supply all the US mattress manufacturers.

Any type of latex (either Dunlop or Talalay and made with synthetic rubber, natural rubber, or a blend of both) is a high quality and durable material relative to other types of foam and the choice between them would be more of a preference and a budget choice rather than a “better/worse” choice. There is more about the different types and blends of latex in post #6 here and more about how Dunlop compares to Talalay in general in post #7 here but the best way to know which type or blend of latex you tend to prefer will be based on your own testing and personal experience. As you mentioned there are two manufacturers that make Talalay latex which are Talalay Global (previously called Latex International) and Radium and both of them make a range of different types of Talalay latex including 100% natural and blended.

4. A benefit of many of these latex mattress companies is that their Twin XL is essentially half the price of a King size (compared to say Sealy, where a twin would be like $500, but a king is only $800), and it seems like a good idea (to me at least) to buy 2 Twin XLs to piece together a King bed, without much of a price hit. This way my tossing and turning won’t translate over to my wife’s side of the bed, and if we ever get an power bed foundation in the future, we can adjust them separately. Also, at least conceptually to me, I don’t like the idea of two stacks of 2-4 layers of latex inside one king mattress. If there’s going to be 2 stacks, why not just wrap each stack in its own cover?

There are some comments in post #8 here and in this topic about the pros and cons of a split king mattress (two twin XL mattresses instead of an eastern king size mattress).

So here is my ultimate question: I go to Healthy Back tomorrow, and for the first time in my life, try their Bliss latex mattress, and say I like it and it does not have that sink into a hole feeling of my parent’s cheap memory foam mattress. Now if these are literally just layers of latex in a cotton cover, why pay $1700 for a Bliss Serenity 8" mattress, when I can have Sleep EZ mail me a 9" latex mattress for $950?

The biggest reason to buy any mattress is because it would be a good “match” for you in terms of PPP vs a different mattress with a different design that you may not sleep as well on.

There is more information in post #9 here about the different ways that one mattress can “match” or “approximate” another one. Again … 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, layer thicknesses, layer firmnesses, and overall design then there really isn’t a 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).

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 that have different designs would compare for you in terms of how they “feel” or in terms of firmness or PPP would be based on your own careful testing or actual sleeping experience on both of them.

When you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed 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.

Presumably they are made with latex manufactured by the same company? Sleep EZ seems to be the cheapest latex manufacture by far compared to say FloBeds. They seem to have been in business for several decades, and have been selling online since the 90s (and seem to have a website that never got updated since the 90s!). Is the mattress cover on the Bliss that much better than EZ’s? Is that “Celsion” thing they claim to help you sleep cool really worth an extra thousand bucks?

As you probably know from your reading here both SleepEZ and Flobeds are members of this site which means that I think very highly of both of them and I believe that they both compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency although the mattresses they make have different designs. They would both make great quality/value choices.

There is more about Talalay Active Fusion (aka Celsion) in post #4 here. It would probably make a “slight” difference in termperature regulation compared to blended Talalay but a wool quilted cover would be a more effective method of temperature regulation yet. If the only difference between two mattresses was that one used a layer of Celsion on top and the other one didn’t but they were otherwise identical then IMO the Celsion wouldn’t be “worth” an extra $1000 but it’s unlikely that this would be the only difference between two mattresses.

Would really appreciate your thoughts on 1) generally whether you feel the price premium for a full latex mattress is worth it, and 2) if there are any particular reasons why I should avoid the cheapest option, that being the Sleep EZ. It seems to me that Sleep EZ’s prices are low enough to be competitive with hybrid latex mattress and even non-latex mattresses.

If you are asking about an all latex mattress vs a latex/polyfoam hybrid then outside there there is more about the general differences between them in post #2 here. Of course a latex/polyfoam hybrid can also have a significantly lower price than an all latex mattress.

There isn’t a “formula” that can be used to assess or “calculate” the value of a mattress because there are so many different variables and criteria involved that can affect the price of a mattress that can each be more or less important to some people and not to others who may have completely different criteria or definitions of “value”. The “value” of a mattress purchase is also relative to how a mattress compares to the other finalists you are considering or to other mattresses that are available to you in your area (or online if you are also considering online options) based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you. There are many reasons that a mattress that may be “good value” for one person or in one area of the country may not be good value for someone else that has very different needs and preferences or that lives in a different area.

I or some of the more knowledgeable members of the site can certainly help you to narrow down your options, help you focus on better quality/value choices that are available to you either locally or online, help you identify any lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that you may be considering, act as a fact check, answer many of the specific questions you may have along the way that don’t involve what you will “feel” on a mattress, and help with “how” to choose but only you can decide which specific mattress, manufacturer, or combination of materials is “best for you” based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

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 relative to your weight range and if 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 here can help you make a final choice based on your local testing or mattresses you have slept well on, your more detailed conversations about each of them, your confidence about PPP and the suitability of each one, their prices, your preferences for different types of materials, the options you have after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or exchange or return the mattress or individual layers, 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 personal value equation that are most important to you.

Phoenix