Hi nola,
I made a few calls around the area to bring my records up to date about what was available closer by. I also talked to Istrouma in Baton Rouge and I’ve updated the information in the link I mentioned on the last post. My sense is that a trip to Baton Rouge may be worthwhile. When you are looking at local retail outlets which don’t make their own mattresses … their ability and willingness to inform their customers about what exactly is in their mattresses is one of the major differences between better and more knowledgeable outlets and “the rest”. If you talk to any of these … make sure the person you are talking to is willing to find any of the specs of their mattresses that are important to you. I’ve also listed some of the brands each one carries that may include some better value models. I would tend to avoid any major brands that they also carry.
Mattresses – Bedding Plus Mattress New Orleans, Gretna, Harvey, Metairie, Slidell, Covington. Carries Jamison which makes some high quality mattresses.
https://www.furnituremarts.com/ New Orleans, Gretna, Kenner, Covington, LA. Golden, Restonic.
http://250pillowtop.com/product/mattresses Metairie. They carry several alternative brands which may have some better value models including Symbol, Golden, Bed Boss. They are more than happy to show you the spec sheets on their mattresses.
There are 3 different “categories” of foam which are memory foam, polyfoam, and latex. There is also an emerging category of memory foam which has gel added to the memory foam. Of these … memory foam tends to be the “hottest”, polyfoam is next, and latex is the coolest of all the foams. Gel memory foam is some cases can be cooler than regular memory foam although there is a wide variety of different memory foams and gel foams each of which has different properties.
Post #2 here has a little more information on what makes mattresses sleep “hot” and how to offset it. As you mentioned … a wool mattress protector is very breathable and can make a difference but it will also isolate the memory foam more from the heat of the body which can result in it taking longer to mold to the shape of the body or feeling firmer.
Memory foam is also most affected by room temperature and humidity and time it is compressed. Memory foam is only used in the upper layers of a mattress though (it’s all considered soft material) and the support level of foam used in support layers (polyfoam or latex) are not affected by temperature.
There is a lot of information about the pros and cons of latex here which includes most of the reasons that many people like it as a material in a mattress. Because it comes in a very wide range of firmness levels and there are also different types of latex and latex combinations (for example over an innerspring or softer latex over a latex or polyfoam support core, or even different ticking/quilting combinations), there is a very wide variety of different feels to a latex mattress. Besides it’s ability to relieve pressure in the softer versions … latex is also the most durable of the foam materials and has many other qualities (such as it’s ability to bear weight and support the body) that make it one of the most desirable materials in a mattress. Because latex is rubber though and is a “springy” foam or “bouncy” foam (some people will use other words like “jiggly”) … not all people will like the feel of it and some prefer it in the top layers only or even not at all. Overall though … good quality latex it is generally recognized throughout the industry and among manufacturers as one of the highest quality and most versatile materials that can be used in a mattress. It is also among the most expensive. How latex feels and how springy or bouncy or pressure relieving or supportive it (or any other material) may be depends a lot on the type used, the softness/firmness level, the weight of the person using the mattress, and any other materials used above or below it in the mattress so there is a wide range of “feels” involved in a latex mattress just like there is in an innerspring or polyfoam mattress.
Latex allergies are generally of the type IV contact type and are a reaction to the surface proteins of latex products like gloves and other rubber products. These surface proteins are mostly removed in the manufacturing of latex foam and allergies are very rare (almost unheard of) to the type of latex used in mattresses. As a matter of fact … latex can be a real help with the more common types of allergies because it is not a good environment for dust mites to live. Of course if someone has a more severe type 1 latex allergy which involves the possibility of anaphylactic shock … and can’t be near any latex products of any kind or eat in restaurants or the many other life changing adjustments that can come from a type 1 latex allergy … then it would likely be best to avoid latex in any form along with all the other life changes that are involved with this type of severe allergy whether it is to latex or any other allergen.
Hope this helps in your your search.
Phoenix