I went back last night to try this mattress one more time. They carry 5 different all latex mattresses under the Natural Expressions brand. I laid on 4 of them (the 5th I know is too hard) and I just couldn’t seem to find one that I really loved last night. I was still leaning mostly toward the one I’ve detailed in this post. It does seem pretty comfortable while flat. It is on an adjustable base and I plan on purchasing an adjustable base so I put it in a zero g type configuration where I was comfortable for a while. If I’m going to sleep that way on the mattress, I should probably be testing the mattress that way. I was comfortable but began to think that my lower back may be rounded too much and that it may not be as supportive as I would need with the head and feet raised. It seemed like it was starting to strain my lower back, but I’m not sure if I’m just not used to it being relaxed that way and that is good. When testing a flat mattress you want your spine to have the normal s-curve. How do you test for proper alignment on an adjustable base? I really feel like I took two steps back last night.
The other disappointing part is that I asked Phil to call and find out if the Talalay is a blend of natural and synthetic rubber and he got upset with me. He basically said he’s not going to call and that he’s been selling their products for many years and that he’d know by now if there was anything not natural in the product. It is called Natural Expressions after all. He was also pressuring me some to make the purchase, which I didn’t really care for. I really wish there were more places in this area with comparable mattresses. I also asked if we could get the mattresses with a zipper cover so we could change layers in the future if we wanted to and I was told no. I’m not sure that I really need this but I thought it would at least give me more options in the future. He had previously mentioned that each mattress is not made until he places the order, so I thought this would be an easy thing to get. I also asked if he could get any other configurations of the latex combinations since I wasn’t finding exactly what I was looking for that night and I was told no. He carries those 5 models and that is all I could get.
I have been referencing Post #143 here,
We went to Matter Brothers in Tarpon Springs and had a very bad experience with one of their managers. She was very rude to us. As an example, they have an 11" all latex mattress. I said that I’d like to find out about the different layers in the mattress. She said that it is one solid piece of latex. I said that from what I understand it would be unusual for it to be made that way. I said that usually there would be a firm layer on the bottom, maybe 6" and then one or two more softer layers of latex on top of that. She said, “No, it’s one solid piece.” We almost walked out of the store, but with so few places to go locally I continued trying their mattresses. The sales person we were dealing with was very nice and offered to find out from the factory. I also asked if they offer to use wool instead of chemicals for the flame retardant. I called the owner the following day (yesterday) and he said he appreciated me letting him know about the situation so they could improve upon it. Shortly after that the sales person called to tell me that the owner will be calling me today with the answers to my questions and that they can use wool for the flame retardant. I am still considering their mattresses at this time depending on the information that I can find out and more personal testing.
I went to two different Bed Pros locations. Unfortunately, they only carry two versions of the Pure Latex Bliss mattresses. One is too firm and the other is too soft for me. The sales person at the first location I went to was not very nice. I said that I would like to know the details in the layers, including the ILD’s and I was told that he doesn’t sell that way. He finally called someone to find out but was not very nice about it. He said that all the stores carry the same options. I tried another location just in case but they did only have the same models. I told him some of what I have learned on this website and he told me that you can’t believe what you read on the internet.
I went to Mattress Dr also. The owners were the ones trying to help me and they also weren’t thrilled with my questions. They carry mostly memory foam, which I keep trying but don’t often like. They also have a few latex mattresses to choose from. They found out the OLD’s for me but there was some type of a polyfoam base and they didn’t know the density of it. I didn’t really love anything they had so I gave up and left.
We went to Famous Tate first. It is actually where I purchased the latex mattress that I have now. It can be really hit or miss there depending on the sales person. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I believe the only Therapedic mattress they carry is the Tommy Bahama model. We didn’t spend too much time with that mattress while we were there and I didn’t see any Englander mattresses there. I may need to go back. The sales person was pushing us toward the Beautyrest Black. It was after we left there that I started reading this website again and quickly crossed it off our list.
After my experience with Bed Pros I have been hesitant to drive all the way to Mattress Avenue since they aren’t too close. I think I will call them and 810Beds. The healthyhome.com website doesn’t work so I’m not sure if they are still in business. The other places I haven’t mentioned are further away but I think I’m going to start calling them to see how that goes.