Mattress Shopping: A Painful Experience

This website is quite amazing and I have recommended it to several friends after discovering it myself. Nevertheless, all of the information has left me sleepless and confused.
The problem is that knowing more (and after spending time on your site I surely know more about mattresses than most mortals) I find I am only more dismayed about pulling the plug and making a purchase. And purchase I must as an independent, double-blind study with one participant (me) has determined that yes, indeed, it is my 18.5 year old Nature’s Rest mattress that needs to be retired as I have been waking with worse and worse lower back pain–– nearly spasms––which does NOT happen when I sleep on the much newer guest bed, also a Nature’s Rest. I have the most important guest ever, my son, arriving in a few weeks and so need to pull the plug and replace my own bed so HE can sleep on his beloved bed.
I have a Queen Sleigh Bed that requires a lo-rise foundation. I want a firm mattress. I am about 5’5" and 118 pounds, sleeping alone unless and until Lancelot rides in on a white horse.
At the suggestion of friends I went to a nearby store, a local chain called City Mattress here in Naples, Florida. (No I am not a Floridian…a New Englander who somehow ended up here, aka Mars.) The salesperson was incredibly knowledgeable and really took time to listen to my wants (very firm but cozy bed) as well as asking questions about my former bed, etc. Armed with this information, she pointed me toward a few choices and I did the silly seeming stretch-out and pretend I am going to go to sleep on several beds. The Prana ASANA 6.2 with lo rise European foundation felt sublime, I must say, but the price is $3,000. (Yes, I know, that will be amortized over many many years, with luck.) And I have read here that people have experienced rather quick loss of integrity in their Prana beds.
I also have been looking at Charles P. Rogers Powercore Estate 9000 Plush or Extra Plush https://www.charlesprogers.com/powercore-estate-p-580.html?cPath=4_290 which would come in at about $2,450—and I will have to wait several weeks to arrive here. But shipping from NYC is free. I also spoke to Nature’s Rest which now sells direct and ships free. With a discount, their top of line Organic Latex in Luxury Firm https://naturesrest.com/products/natures-rest-organics-all-latex-mattress?variant=27463871041 is about $3,250 with custom lo rise foundation.
Don’t the Japanese just use mats on the floor? It is beginning to seem a fine idea…
While I did go through your list of member companies, many are “foam” mattresses, others don’t offer the lo rise foundations or don’t ship. And some simply confused me with the choice of “ingredients” that they zip into a bag. I need this mattress to be brought into my house and for it to be set up for me. The idea of wrestling with some unfolding hunks of foam (might I be smothered…found days later? Woman found dead after wrestling with foam bedding…) or building the foundation myself (“It’s easy…just watch the short YouTube video”) does not work. I want the whole white glove thing.
So, oh wise ones here at The Mattress Underground, I remain tossing and turning in Naples, Florida awaiting counsel.

Hi forrest,

Welcome to the Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

Thank you for the compliment and your very entertaining post!

I’m assuming that you’ve read the mattress shopping tutorial here. I suggest reading it as you would a good book, referring to it and not attempting to memorize things.

To make things easier, 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 (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) … 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 (see the durability guidelines here).

  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.

I would always make sure that you find out the information listed here 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. This mattress uses a 6" polyfoam core, on top of which is 2" of Talalay latex and the 3" of polyfoam quilted to the ticking. Unfortunately neither City Mattress nor PranaSleep provide the density of these polyfoams or the blend of their Talalay latex on their web sites, so you’d want to inquire about those layers before making a decision.

Like the PranaSleep, the complete specifications are incomplete about the Charles P. Rogers mattress, so I would phone them to see if they would provide for you that information about the mattresses you are considering. You can read some of my comments about Charles P. Rogers mattresses here. They do use some good quality componentry but you would need complete specifications in order to make an informed decision.

This would most likely be the closest to your current mattress (I don’t know the exact makeup of your 18.5 year old mattress but I’m assuming it would be mostly latex), and it is available in many different firmnesses, using all Talalay latex layers, which would be a good quality and durable material. One thing to note is that while shipping is listed as "free’, it is actually a cost that is already bundled into the overall price for your mattress.

You may be referring to a “futon”, which originally referred to the “makura” (pillow) in a traditional Japanese sleep system that consisted of the “shike” (bottom futon) and the “kake” (top futon). More “Western-style” mattresses are being purchased in Japan, but like most Asian countries, a firmer style of mattress / sleep system is most popular.

One thing I have noticed here is that you’ve stated that you want a “firm” mattress, but two of the three products you’ve mentioned are classified as “plush”. While terms for assessing the comfort of a mattress are subjective, it may be beneficial for you to stay closer to home for your purchase so that you may properly assess anything you’re considering and attempt to approximate the feel of your old mattress (when it was newer, of course), and also be able to arrange the level of service you desire for your delivery and set up.

One of the advantages of trying mattresses locally is that you can try many different types and styles and combinations of materials and components and firmness levels and compare them to each other in “real time” based on your actual experience rather than just “theory” instead of trying one online mattress at a time and not knowing how it compares to the other mattresses that you could have tried or purchased instead.

The better options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Port Charlotte, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, FL. areas (subject to making sure that any mattress you are considering meets the quality/value guidelines here ) are listed in post #2 here . From that list, I would check with the factory direct manufacturers to see what they might be able to offer in a “firmer” mattress and specifically in latex. In the retail listing, Naples Mattress, Lenny’s Furniture, and Mike’s Mattress all show that they offer all-latex mattresses.

I hope that information is helpful to you and provides you enough options to do the personal testing and receive the localized White Glove service that you desire.

Phoenix

This is very very helpful, Sir Phoenix. I am going to take the day off, conduct more research over coffee (very strong) and then set off with the goal of making a purchase today. The clock is ticking. I think you are right that I might be better off buying closer to home so that if I am miserable, I can make a change. I do very much prefer a really firm mattress. But the more knowledgeable folk seem to be suggesting that a bit of “plushness” on top of very firm is the way to go, especially as we age. Would a separate down or whatever pillow top achieve this or is it best to have an “plushness” element attached? Wish me luck and if anyone has any “plush” comments, I would love to hear them. : ).

I will report next week but have just placed an order with Bedmasters in Port Charlotte, FL who will deliver to me here…latex mattress with lo rise foundation. They were extremely helpful and knowledgeable. And, of course, I told them that I wouldn’t have known they existed were it not for The Mattress Underground. I did use the coupon and look forward to moving from the floor to a new bed. : ).

Hi forrest,

Thanks for your update.

Well, I guess that must have been a double espresso, as you didn’t waste any time going out and finding a new mattress, and by the way, congratulations on your new mattress purchase! :cheer: I’m happy that you had a good experience at Bedmasters and were able to apply your Mattress Underground discount. I do think highly of Bedmasters and I’m glad you found something there that you liked.

I’ll be interested in learning about the mattress you chose (layers of the latex inside if you know them) and of course your experience with the mattress once you’ve had a chance to sleep upon it for a while. Hopefully your period of adjustment to your new mattress will be a short one.

Phoenix

In fact it was two ristretto shots (and no sleep the night before) that powered my ability to finally pull the plug and order a mattress. As I wanted latex (having had Nature’s Rest all these years) Bedmaster suggested I choose “Medium Firm” over “Extra Firm” given that latex is already firm. That seemed to make sense especially as I am not “papa bear” size. I will certainly provide a “sleep review.” I do like that this mattress can flip over or simply be turned. A little acrobat. Honestly, shouldn’t ALL mattress be made this way? Then one can always add a topper of some sort should one want. IF I could sleep well enough to dream whilst I await my new mattress, I would dream of getting a new mattress. Reports will follow. Delivery should be by the end of next week. Thank you again for your help.

Hi forest,

I’m looking forward to the updates!

Phoenix

Although local mattress stores told me I should expect to experience up to several weeks of semi-discomfort when I got a new bed such has not been the case with my new Talalay Latex bed from Bedmasters in Port Charlotte, Florida. On the contrary: the bed has been perfect from the first night and my experience with Bedmasters, from the first phone call right through delivery was exemplary as well. I cannot recommend them highly enough. Sleeping Soundly in Naples. : ).

Hi forrest,

Thanks again for another update.

I’m glad that you’re still sleeping well. The poor sleep that often accompanies the switch to any new mattress (what I often term a “period of retrogression” like when you start a new exercise program) is common to most people and a three week to three month “adjustment phase” is quite normal. I’m happy that has not been the case with you. To your advantage, you did have a previous style of mattress (latex) that you enjoyed, and you new mattress is approximating that, which is helpful.

I’ll look forward to your future updates.

Phoenix