I was wondering who sells a latex-free mattress similar to a Vispring but with zoning.
I’m a side sleeper and I’m having the hardest time finding a mattress that supports my back and hips while allowing my shoulder to not feel squished.
For some reason, every latex dominant mattress I try twists my back in some odd way causing lower back pain and discomfort. So my inclination is to avoid it.
So much so, that my back feels neutral when I tried a cotton + wool shikibuton with a 4" wool topper. The only problem with that set up is that my hip bone was bottoming out and my shoulder felt a bit too much pressure.
Something with zoned coils that would provide balance for my hips/back and shoulder topped with natural fibers that are plush enough to not feel too stiff and firm would be ideal.
Are you looking to avoid foam all together, or only latex? I see your preference is for zoned coils with natural materials in the comfort layer - like wool/cotton?
I forgot to mention. I have really broad shoulders and a small waist so I’m not too sure if zoning will be enough.
If there is any possibility of having the front 1/3 of the mattress be latex and the other 2/3 natural fibers, I think that would be close to perfect. Kind of like a zoned comfort layer.
I might not even need the zoning if the latex is soft enough.
I’m starting to think that this is not a thing. I’ve been told that even a zoned pocket coil mattress wouldn’t provide enough relief for my shoulder.
I asked Vispring if they’ll make me a zoned mattress but they said they can’t do that. Do I have to make the mattress myself?
If I could make a copycat Vispring mattress with the top 1/3 being their ‘soft’ firmness and the lower 2/3 being their ‘firm’ firmness, I think that would work. I heard they use Marshall coils?
Although I don’t know how I’ll be able to accomplish a double sided mattress with that much wool and to do the tufting as well.
It does sound like a special DIY leaning project. You may wish to speak to Ken Hightower at Arizona Premium Mattress. He’s a DIY guru who can help talk you through some options in terms of your specific needs/preferences and figuring out how to do this with natural materials.
I think it will be a difficult to accomplish a Vispring copy now that watched how they’re made on YouTube. Mostly because if I got someone to tuft the wool over the mattress, I wouldn’t be able to alter anything. I’d hate to settle with latex I’m still worried about how hot I’ll be when adding latex to the mattress. Also, I don’t know why or if this makes sense, but every time I’ve tried a mattress with latex, my spine/hips feel tweaked.
Here’s what I’ve thought of so far:
Combi-Zone core from Arizona Premium Mattress
3" VZone Layer from FloBeds
VZone Mattress
Combi-Zone support from Arizona Premium Mattress
2-4" Wool Topper (Inside Mattress Encasement)
What do you think of these options?
Option 1: Would a Combi-Zone core and VZone top layer be too much zoning? I’ve heard mixed reports on how noticeable/effective the Combi-Zone is. Especially for my height/weight. (5’ 7" 140 lbs).
Option 2: Is it even worth getting the Combi-Zone if I’d be putting latex on top of it? Should I just go all out on the VZone?
Option 3 has me really intrigued since I’d be able to swap things out later, and I’d be avoiding latex. I’m just worried the Combi-Zone won’t be enough. I guess I should just make sure I can return the wool topper if needed?
In your original post you mentioned that you dislike latex because it hurts your back but I have a feeling those beds were all dunlop (which has a very different feel from talalay). So in a roundabout way I’m trying to say don’t throw it out as an option because latex is one of the most durable and conforming bedding materials available.
Given you have very broad shoulders and a small waist (I have a similar problem) I would suggest maximizing your adjustability with your mattress. This means staying away from coil layers (since the spring rates are not adjustable). What makes the Vispring mattress so special (and expensive) is that they hand customize (coil layer, comfort materials, etc) each person’s needs. So in your case if you are looking for a one and done mattress I would lean towards a Flobeds V-zone. If you just had shoulder issues then you might be able to get away with just a simple zoning of the support layer but this sounds more like my situation where you really need the additional zoning ability to actually get this dialed in for you. You could also try to more of a DIY approach with trying to combine different materials (cotton, wool, latex, etc) to get what you want but it could be an expensive and time consuming venture given the circumstances.
Thanks for your reply. You’re right that most of the beds I tried were Dunlop but I did try a handful of Talalay.
I definitely see your point in trying to maximize the adjustability of the mattress. The vZone mattress seems like a great choice for this.
Do you know of any other one and done beds that could provide me with the adjustability the vZone provides?
Also, I’m a very hot sleeper, and am worried that I will get too hot using latex. I’ll be getting linen sheets, a wool mix pillow and a light wool comforter to try and help with this. But is it something I’ll just have to deal with in my case?
The Flobeds V-zone really stands alone in terms of the level of adjustability in an off-the-shelf latex mattress. You can also use a flexible euro base to help you achieve this additional adjustability but with supply chain issues ongoing they have been proving to be very hard to get.
I don’t find latex to be too hot compared to other materials (latex is pretty neutral since it’s an open cell foam) but if that’s a big issue I would look into systems that provide active cooling for you such as the ones offered by Eightsleep or Chillipad. Both of those systems would have no trouble keeping even the hottest sleeper quite comfortable. I would wait and try your new mattress setup first before assuming you’ll need active cooling, it may surprise you.
I’m still worried about how hot I’ll be when adding latex to the mattress. Also, I don’t know why or if this makes sense, but every time I’ve tried a mattress with latex, my spine/hips feel tweaked.