Northwest Indiana resources

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
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(2/22/23)
Hi,
Do you have any suggestions for Northwest Indiana? I live between Gary and South Bend (46360 zip).

67yo female, 115#, 5’4", side and back sleeper. Looking for full size mattress. Shoulder pain started 9 months ago and I think it is caused by my mattress. Given my age and size, I am concerned about being able to lift the packages of any mail order bed if I went that route.

I’ve gone into 4 stores so far and lain on about 45 mattresses. The only thing I’ve learned is I seem to like the medium firm mattresses. Store staff has been worthless.

Thank you for any suggestions on where to shop. I am intimidated by Chicago traffic but would reluctantly go there if you don’t have any resources in northern Indiana/ lower Michigan.

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Hi winter1 and welcome to the Mattress Underground :slight_smile:

67yo female, 115#, 5’4", side and back sleeper. Looking for full size mattress. Shoulder pain started 9 months ago and I think it is caused by my mattress. Given my age and size, I am concerned about being able to lift the packages of any mail order bed if I went that route

Remember…as you already experienced with your extensive local testing (BTW… good job on that!) any mattress you finally choose will be unique to you, based on your Stats (height, BMI, sleeping position(s) and any underlying health concerns) and your PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences). Thanks for providing your Stats! As you have a lower BMI, there are many mattress options that will provide support as well as comfort. You don’t say what type of mattress you currently sleep on, or what types of mattress you are looking at - foam? Latex? Hybrid? You can compare the Mattress Specifications You Need To Know to the Mattress Durability Guidelines to see how different mattress components hold up over time. You might also want to read the Mattress Shopping Tutorial to see how to find a great retailer. Have you narrowed things down
to the type of mattress you like? I would recommend a pocket coil mattress, as it’s lighter and easier to handle.

Do you have any suggestions for Northwest Indiana? I live between Gary and South Bend (46360 zip).

Unfortunately, with all the turmoil with businesses over the last few years, we cannot provide a geographic listing of manufacturers and showrooms; however a few Trusted Members of the site are located somewhat near to you:

-My Green Mattress has latex, foam and hybrid models in La Grange IN which is about 50 miles from you;

-Quality Sleep Shop is also in La Grange and has latex, innerspring, and hybrid mattresses as well as organic wool, cotton latex and other organic materials

-Mattress To Go is in Shelby MI and carries a variety of foam, latex and hybrid mattresses

-DIY Natural Bedding is in lafayette, they have latex mattresses and DIY components
you can call for an appointment to view their showroom

-Naturally Nestled is in Chicago and have a variety of latex mattresses.

If you need to order online, the shipping should be somewhat less for these. As you have seen, most of the major mattress brands lack transparency in their materials, components and construction, and are staffed by salespeople who have very little information on the products they carry…I would not wish Chicago traffic on anyone! In person testing is
best, but if you need to order online, just make sure they have good return/exchange policies.

If you find any mattresses you like and have any questions, feel free to ask and we can possibly comment on them.

I wish you success in your search for a great new mattress!

~ Basilio

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Thank you. I’ve read the shopping articles and they confuse me.

My Green Mattress/Quality Sleep Shop are in LaGrange Il, not Indiana, and according to the map, it looks like the store is not far from O’Hare. I’ve been watching the Beducation videos on YouTube from Mattress to Go. But Shelby MI is north of Detroit which is too far. I contacted DIY Natural Bedding in Lafayette, IN (there is also a branch in MN). The MN branch contacted me and said the Lafayette “showroom” was in the owner’s house and as the owner is in the process of selling the business, she no longer has the home showroom. Naturally Nestled is not too far from Midway Airport in Chicago. Sigh.

Even though I’ve “tested” a lot of beds, I have no idea what I’ve been testing.

Store #1-saleswoman said the information on the card is all she knew, but she could ask her manager.
Store #2-I sat on the edge of the bed and it collapsed down making it hard to sit on. I commented on that. Salesman told me I was wrong, that it doesn’t collapse, and he layed down on the bed to prove it.
Store #3-salesman kept talking about their sale.
Store #4-I asked if there were coils in the mattress I was trying. I also asked if they had any latex mattresses. He said I was over thinking things; I didn’t need that information; to go by how it feels on my body; and not to read or believe anything I see on the web about mattresses.

I don’t know if I’ve been trying memory foam, coils, poly. I doubt I’ve tried any latex. I’m frustrated and confused. The two Chicago stores are about 70-80 miles one way.

Quality Sleep Shop has delivery service to my area for $75. That’s a positive. Naturally Nestled’s website says they deliver by FedEx which means I would be wrangling the boxes.

Question: Would it be foolish to go into Quality Sleep Shop and buy whatever they want to sell me? I know you shouldn’t buy the first time you try, but doing a 150 miles round trip in Chicago traffic more than once is daunting.

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Hi winter1

Thanks for the update…I was looking at roughly the 150 mile radius from South Bend, hoping the shipping would be a little less expensive, but that doesnt seem to be the case. There have also been a lot of changes as far as in-person visits to showrooms since the pandemic; many businesses moved to online only sales. Our Trusted Members of the site are smaller manufacturers/retail showrooms who take great pride in providing good quality sleep solutions, and we have vetted them for quality, transparency in materials and construction, good exchange and return policies, and excellent customer service.

Even though I’ve “tested” a lot of beds, I have no idea what I’ve been testing.
Store #4-I asked if there were coils in the mattress I was trying. I also asked if they had any latex mattresses. He said I was over thinking things; I didn’t need that information; to go by how it feels on my body; and not to read or believe anything I see on the web about mattresses.

I don’t know if I’ve been trying memory foam, coils, poly. I doubt I’ve tried any latex. I’m frustrated and confused

Your experience with the ‘big brands’ are unfortunately not unusual. These big companies are looking more at volume sales, and many of their products have proprietary formulas of foam and they obtain raw materials from multiple sources, so they don’t bother giving detailed specifications to the retail outlets…add to that the aggressive sales tactics, and it’s no surprise consumers get frustrated. And there is no excuse for the shabby treatment it sounds like you have had! Unfortunately (and especially if commissions are involved!) they just want a sale. The salesperson comment about you ‘not needing the info’ about whether it was latex is just poor customer service.

Question: Would it be foolish to go into Quality Sleep Shop and buy whatever they want to sell me?

It’s difficult to make any recommendations without you having any specific types of mattress in mind. If you can’t visit showrooms in person to see what type of mattress you may prefer, just to ‘cross off’ some types from the list, you are basically operating in the dark. While I would not just ‘buy whatever they want to sell me’, I will say that Quality Sleep Shop is a long time Trusted Member of the site, and will do everything they can to assist you to find a good mattress, and as they carry many different types of mattress, you can try them out and see how they feel… without the high pressure and lack of information you have previously experienced. While we can’t make any promises, you should be in very good hands, as they are easiest for you to visit. Please let us know how your visit turns out!

~ Basilio

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I tried another 20 beds today. There were 3 that were sort of ok. None felt really supportive in the small of my back. 67 yo female, 115#, 5’4", back and side sleeper. Looking for full size. Thank you.

I am not sure what I like in a mattress. Could you please identify any commonalities between these 3 mattresses since they were all ok? What should I be looking for?

Bed A-Therapedic Immunity Terracotta Smooth Top Firm
ICE NatuVerex Copper Cover
2" Latex Foam (all it said)
2" Copper Memory Foam
1" Plush Foam
1057 Quantum Edge Pocket Cell
1" Base Foam

Bed B-Therapedic Lakeshore Pillow top—Flippable :
1" Gel Performance Foam
1" High Performance Foam
1" HyPurGel Foam
1" Plush Latex
¾" Support Faom
ComfortCare Encased Coil with Superior Foam Encasement, 660 coil counts for full size.
¾" Support Foam
1" Plush Latex
1" HyPurGel Foam
1" High Permormance Foam
1" Gel Performance Foam

Bed C-TheraLuxe Whitney Luxury Firm
Cooling Stretch Knit Fabric
2" 2# High Performance Foam
2" Firm Natural Latex
1575 Nano Micro-coil (for full size)
1" 1.8# Support Foam
TheraLuxe HD QLX Coil System featuring Quantum Encased Coils and Heavy-Duty Foam Encasement

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The information about Beds A, B, C were on their signs. There was no other info about density, type of latex, etc.

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Hi winter1,

I tried another 20 beds today. There were 3 that were sort of ok. None felt really supportive in the small of my back.

Wow, that’s a lot of Mattress testing! As you know, any mattress you choose will be unique to you based on your Stats (height, BMI, sleeping position(s) and underlying health issues) - thanks for providing those! - and your PPP (Posture & alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences).

I am not sure what I like in a mattress. Could you please identify any commonalities between these 3 mattresses since they were all ok? What should I be looking for?

As a lower BMI sleeper, you have many options for sleep systems available to you. You certainly should not have to settle for a mattress that ‘feels sort of okay’…though it can take anywhere from 3-6 weeks to ‘break in’ a mattress, and your body to acclimate to the new mattress as well, feeling ‘unsupported’ can indictate a matress is not a good fit. As for ‘commonalities’ with the matresses you listed…they are all hybrids; 2 have innersprings as well as microcoil layers - which can provide additional support for higher BMI sleepers - and only the TheraLuxe has any information on density of (one) foam layer, and one (Therapedic Immunity) has a 2" latex layer…the common thread here is that there is no transparency of density or components, any quite a bit of proprietary jargon in the components as well; this can hide inexpensive and insufficiently dense foams. Remember, no one can tell you what type of mattress you will prefer or which you will feel comfortable on.
For foams, we suggest any foam in a potential mattress has no more than an inch or so of lower grade foams (for memory foam no lower than 4 lbs/cuft for normal range weights, and 5lbs/cuft for higher range weights) and if polyfoam is used, with at least 1.8 lbs/cuft density, just to ensure you have good support. If the densities and layer thicknesses are not available, personally I
would ‘cross off’ these mattresses from the list…but that’s something to decide for yourself.

I know it can be tedious and frustrating trying so many mattresses; and without an idea of what you do or don’t like, it can be frustrating as you have found. Have you been keeping any sort of list of types of mattress you definitely do or don’t feel comfortable on?

As you have tried many mattresses which you are able to test in person, without luck, not sure what to suggest…keep the Mattress Specifications You Need To Know and the Mattress Durability Guidelines in mind; as you’re hesitant to order online without first trying - but, if you had a ‘short list’ of mattress types you found comfortable for you, you do have the option of reaching out to any of the Trusted Members of the site…if you provide your Stats, PPP and mattress history, and the ‘feel’ you want to achieve, they can assist you in finding a good mattress that meets your criteria.

~ Basilio

8

Some comments for others in Northwest Indiana. Google did help me locate small mattress companies in northcentral Indiana, from South Bend and to the east, but they did not have delivery so I did not investigate them. There appears to be a Denver Mattress in the Mishawaka area. I didn’t check if they had delivery because I had decided I didn’t want to drive east. There also appears to be a Denver Mattress in Lafayette and I almost was willing to drive south, but not quite willing enough. If MU’s recommended diynaturalbedding company still had a show room in Lafayette I might have gone (bc of MU’s rec) and then would have also stopped to see Holder Mattresses in Lafayette. But I talked myself out of driving that far.

I went to Mattress Firm and Indiana Furniture in Valpo. I wanted to try BedzzzDirect off of US30 in Valpo but I got so frustrated with the other 2 Valpo stores that I went home instead. I went to American Mattress and Naturally Wood in Michigan City. After lying on almost all the beds in those 4 stores I was none the wiser about the beds or about my preferences.

I did not want to drive to Chicago to see Quality Sleep Store but I did. Getting there was very easy. Take the TriState and dodge the road construction and rolled over semis. Easy peasey. My nerves were pretty jangled when I got to the store. Seriously, the store is easy to get to. I just hate driving in Chicago.

I was disappointed with the staff at QSS. Other reviewers have talked about how helpful and informative the staff was. Mine was not. He recommended ~ 3 beds for side sleepers but didn’t mention one of the beds that was listed on their website for side sleepers. When I asked about that other bed, he said he didn’t know what the website said. From reading, I was interested in the Emily, but when I laid on it it felt like my feet were higher than my head. I had experienced that at some of the other stores. I asked him what caused that sensation. He said he didn’t know. The Kathryn Hybrid Latex felt nice, but sparklers did not go off. I stopped looking at it as I thought it might be too heavy for me to rotate and it was pricey. I might have considered it more had the staff been more educational. Who knows? I did test the Kelly, Faith, and Megan. Faith wasn’t on the website. When I asked about the differences, staff spoke quickly and I didn’t understand really how they differed. The Megan felt warmer when I laid on it and since I sleep cold, this was fine with me. After rotating between the beds, my hip was sore. I commented on that but staff didn’t provide any explanation about what caused that and what I should be considering based on the hip feeling sore.

I was thinking of getting a flippable mattress. Staff said that their experience has been that flipping does not help the longevity of the mattress. He said full size mattresses weigh between 80-100#. As I move toward my 70’s, I wasn’t sure I would have the strength to flip it so I let that idea go. I did get handles put on the mattress.

Anyway, they do deliver to NW Indiana for a charge. The delivery staff was excellent. Polite. Extremely prompt. Helpful. They took care of the old mattress and foundation for me. I’m in LaPorte county. I take it they used GPS to locate me because they asked how to get to Gary for their next delivery. I told them they’d driven through Gary to get to my place. (For non-NW Indiana people, it’s a pretty straight shot from their store to get on the TriState tollway which runs right into Interstate 94 and Interstate 94 cuts right through Gary.)

Frankly, I had decided that I would buy something, anything, from QSS to spare myself further shopping. Fingers crossed.

9

Thanks for the write-up/info- I was planning on visiting QSS myself so the less-than-stellar experience you had was somewhat concerning, hopefully my visit will go better. Which bed did you end up getting, and how do you like it so far? I’d love to hear more opinions about their offerings.

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Have you checked out Elkhart Bedding? I lived in Elkhart for many years and bought a couple of mattresses from them. They build mattresses locally and have many to chose from. They may be willing to build something custom for you.

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I don’t want to sound negative about QSS. Based on reviews, their website, and Mattress Underground’s recommendation I think it is a good company. I just got a very low key sales person and my personality would have fit better with a “hand-holding” type of sales person rather than a laid back person. Others may very well like that approach. I would encourage you to check out the store. I did get the MU discount too.

The website had mentioned the Megan for us older side sleepers. The Megan is the one the staff did not mention for side sleepers. One of the reviewers had said her mother was a side sleeper, and on the “over half-a-century” old side of things and the reviewer said her mom really liked the Megan. The sales staff said that Megan was softer than Faith and Kelly, the other two styles I was looking at.

I bought the Megan. It isn’t broken in yet–meaning the store model felt more comfortable. I have a mattress pad with a thick cotton layer which has helped the Megan feel softer. My review needs to be read with the understanding that I had not identified what I like in mattresses. (And I still haven’t identified what I like.) Maybe I really like pillowtops? I don’t know. The Megan is better than my 15 year old previous mattress and that’s good enough for me.

The staff said that the store is usually very quiet during the week and busy on weekends. Perhaps if I had gone on the weekend I might have had a more chatty sales person.

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No, I didn’t try Elkhart. I Googled places out that way, Nappanee, etc., and I would be interested in Amish made beds, but none of the websites indicated they had delivery outside of their area. So I looked west rather than east.

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I actually made it down to QSS myself the other day and spoke with Tim, the owner. I had a great experience- as soon as I got in he looked at me and, without my saying anything, was able to determine I was mainly a side sleeper who wasn’t getting enough shoulder support with my old mattress (which was true). He pointed me to a couple of different beds and after I tried each one was able to answer my various questions- specifics about the types and densities of materials, why he recommended those mattresses for me, and more. The basic configurator on their website actually pointed me at one of the Katherines, and when I asked why he didn’t recommend it for me he was able to tell me why (he looked at my shoulders and determined that they would be too firm). Aside from answering my questions he stood aside and let me try all the mattresses and make my own decision. Prior to going I read a bunch of other reviews of QSS on this forum that were much older-from '14-'15 or so- and I’m happy to say that most of what they said about their experiences were still true for me, minus a couple things (I didn’t ask about custom mattresses and when I asked why they didn’t double-side the Emily Tim said that the double-sided Emilys were the only mattresses he sold that he had problems with sagging if the owners weren’t super diligant about flipping them). It sounds like I had a much bettter, informative experience than you, unfortunately- if only every salesperson were as knowledgable as Tim, though I guess it’s rare you get to talk to the person actually making the mattresses.

I ended up purchasing an Emily, though I haven’t gotten to sleep on it yet- they didn’t have the size I wanted in stock so they were going to make it for me first, though once I break it in I’ll probably post a review of it in a separate thread.

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I’m really happy that you had a great QSS experience! I hope the Emily is everything you need. I just counted and I’ve slept on the Megan for 9 nights now. I don’t know if this was the best choice for me but it will do. The Do Not Remove Under Penalty of Law tag showed that they made the mattress the day before they delivered it. I thought that was kind of cool–no sitting around in a warehouse for months and months. I hope your delivery experience is as good as mine was. I did tip them. I don’t know if that is standard, but they really were nice guys.

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Hi @cee_ess and @winter1,

Happy to hear you had a good experience
With @Quality_Sleep_Shop; they have been along time valued Trusted Member of the site and their reputation stands on every sale.
@winter1 I’m glad you looked beyond a ‘lower key’ associate and found them to be be friendly, and congrats on your new Megan mattress! Please let us know how it feels once you have spent some time on it…and @cee_ess congratulations on your new Emily and likewise, please do let us know your thoughts once you have some time on it. Tim is great and has a vast amount of experience in finding the right match for every sleeper!

~ Basilio

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I’ve slept on the Megan for 42 nights now. I’ve awakened 8 different mornings with a sore right hip. That’s about 19% of the time. But it could just be elderly aches and pains. I resist confessing to being “old” but I guess I’m not young. I don’t sleep on my left side because my left shoulder hurts if I try that, so the pressure ache is just on the right side.

Any tips on how to sort out if it is a bed issue vs. a no-longer-being-young issue? I do have a thick cotton mattress pad on the bed.

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Hi winter1,

Sorry you are having a less than optimal experience with your new Megan mattress. You are correct, it may be your body, or an unsuitable firmness of comfort layer causing these aches and pains. For example, I sleep on my side; but if I sleep on my right side I have all sorts of shoulder, hip, and back aches much of the time, and this is due to my ‘not so young anymore’ body and not the mattress.

If you are able you might want to remove any layers - like the cotton mattress pad - lay them on the floor, see how that feels compared to laying on the mattress without the pad, to identify what’s going on. I know you went through a bit of effort on finding a mattress, but trying different firmnesses of foam may allow you to see where the issue is as well…It’s difficult to assess objectively, as a too soft comfort layer can allow you to ‘sink in’ and bottom out on the layer(s) below…or alternatively if it’s too firm, your pressure points could be ‘too well supported’ which can also cause aches and pains.

As you are still within the 100 night sleep guarantee period from Quality Sleep Shop you can potentially modify your mattress once you determine where the issue lies; you also might want to call them to see what they suggest as a potential solution. Keep us posted on your experience!

~ Basilio

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how is your mattress doing now? are you still having pain or did you figure it out?

i’m not an expert in mattresses, just overwhelmed with searching just like you were. i live close to you, on the illinois-indiana border, and have been planning to visit quality sleep shop as well.

i was nervous because i saw a few different reviews of people who were not satisfied with their new mattress and were told to buy a mattress topper (i don’t understand why you should have to buy a topper for a brand new mattress).

i’m a pessimist, so i’m always worried if there is one person that has a bad experience with a product, i’ll be the unlucky person to have that same experience :sob:

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I don’t understand what you are asking me to do. You want me to lay the mattress pad on the floor and then lay down on the floor on top of it?

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I hear you, Cassandra. It is stressful! And I do not understand this too soft/too hard stuff…a topper might make it too soft or might make it too hard. Even though I did not have a good staff at QSS I would still encourage you to go and check the store out. I just wish I’d been there when the owner was not on vacation. Good luck with your search!