After spending most of my life happily sleeping on a full-motion softside waterbed, I find myself in the unfortunate position of having to shop for a new mattress. The waterbed woke me up a few weeks ago in a big puddle at 3am, and Iām loathe to repeat that experience anytime soon. It leaked beyond the liner, dripped through its foundation and onto the floor and items under the bed. Nightmare! 
Iām hoping to find something as comfortable as a waterbed, without the water. Iām a side-sleeping small female with no back issues - and a serious Princess-and-the-Pea thing going on. I can almost always feel every spring poking at me in hotels. I do not āsleep hotā - probably just the opposite. Most mattresses are absolute instruments of torture, in my experience from stays with friends and at various hotels. I wake up feeling like Iāve been beaten with a 2x4.
The exception to the torture-rack experience was a 5 day stay at The Peabody in Memphis. That bed was so impressive I remember it to this day. I raved about it at the time, and found out that the āPeabody Dream Bedā can be bought. I thought this might be my answer, but my stay was in 2005 and I canāt help but wonder if changes have been made. I called to get information, but since they sell through a website itās hard to get any accurate info. When I first called I asked about the construction and I know itās made by Simmons/Beautyrest of BlocFoam, PurFoam, and convoluted foam. The sales rep didnāt know what kind of foam other than that. The box spring is 8 3/4" and the mattress is 12 3/4". I mulled it over for a week or so, and called back to order - and was told it was discontinued! I was crushed. I started researching (how I found this site) and I also called the hotel and expressed my dismay on Twitter. The bed is still advertised on their website.
Hereās where I started researching further options: When I called the hotel to find out what was up with the mattress being discontinued, I spoke with someone who took my phone number AND my email address, but who has yet to communicate with me (3 weeks and counting). The response to my Tweet was first a reply that it was indeed still for sale, and a suggestion that I call the customer service number on their website. They were surprised and apologetic when I told them that was the source of the āsorry, itās discontinuedā. I then asked if this was the same Dream Bed they used in 2005 and I got a āThe ones available are the exact same as we have in the hotel. Hope you enjoy!ā Soā¦ a non-answer and a brush off (polite, but stillā¦). Since researching and learning of the new fire regulations, Iām guessing the Dream Bed I slept on may not be the same as what they have now. Short of traveling to Memphis and staying there again, thereās no way I can know (and thatās unlikely to happen with my current commitments). Iāve searched online for reviews or info and really canāt find anything about it.
When I started reading here (and other reviews online) I saw a lot of complaints about the pillowtops of Simmons not lasting, and their lackluster customer service record. It makes me wary, but Iāve still not totally crossed them off. That Dream Bed was awesome.
Airbeds arenāt even an option. I slept on one for 2 nights at a friendās home and it was like concrete - except I think concrete may have been less noisy and more breathable.
Memory Foam is totally creepy. I laid on one on a whim in a store while shopping for something else and it was just weird. I hated how it seemed āgrabbyā. While I like sinking into a bed, I donāt like being swallowed alive by something that feels like a predatory alien lifeform.
Iām beginning to think layering toppers may be an answer for me. When I think of the Peabody bed, I remember it had more than one layer atop the mattress. Itās the only ātraditionalā box spring type mattress where I was not distracted by the springs. While thatās obviously not an issue with latex, I did notice from the samples I got that Iām aware Iād be sleeping on a solid mass of latex. I had the same issue with our old sofa - it wasnāt āhardā exactly but it was solid and not a love match for me. Our ānewā (7 years!) sofa however, is a dream. It has cushions that have a foam core, but also a very generous amount of feathers/down wrapped around the outside of it. I sink into them, but not so much that they grab me. More cloud and less quicksand. Theyāre actually what Iām sleeping on now, though they tend to separate while I sleep and I wake up with part of me on a really hard oak floor. 
I also have pillows that are feather/down combo and all down. I love them. They are nirvana. I am 99.9% sure no matter what mattress I wind up with, a feather topper is going to be on it. I like the sinking-in feeling of them, where I hate it when itās memory foam. Feathers/down allows me to sink in without trying to swallow me alive. Itās more floaty.
Latex - I love the idea of the lack of chemical outgassing (I notice that sort of thing in a big way), the bounce of Talalay, and the organic fabric options (again, I really do notice the difference) but I wonder if Iāll miss the motion of a waterbed and it looks like this is the priciest option.
Peabody - been there/done that , was impressed. :woohoo: Not sure if I can get the same thing today and the amount of faux fabrics and their assorted smells (not to mention the new fire retardant thing) makes me hesitate. Is it possible to negate that factor by zipping things up in protectors? Itās $1475 for a split Queen, plus another $60 for the mattress pad (part of the cushy feel) and $225 for delivery.
Waterbed - been there/done that, was happy but there is the hassle factor and I really was unhappy with waking up soggy. Still, I like the way it mimics floating on a raft in a pool. Iām also concerned about quality today and availability in the future. Mine was ancient, and 6 years ago when I replaced the heater I asked about new mattress bladders and the saleswoman told me to hang onto the one I have because it was made better than what was out now. Iāll take that as honest since she avoided the chance to sell me something, lol! I havenāt searched a lot on these since Iām trying to look at non-drowning options, but itās still in the race.
I did test out a PureLatexBliss Worldās Best Bed (softest one in the store - and my favorite). The website price is very far out of my price range, but the local price was a lot better (almost by half). While the basic comfort level was OK, I didnāt care for the feel of the cover fabric, and I also read here (thank you to the person who posted pics) about their foundation construction, which isnāt impressive at all. Still, it gave me an idea of what ILD numbers may work for me, and that latex feels OK to lie on. I got samples from FloBeds and really like their organic cotton/wool cover fabric.
Out of the novel-length rambling, does anyone see some things I should be looking at further? I think I am leaning toward Talalay Latex, but am still researching like crazy.
I was home, yet he didnāt ring the bell or knock on the door to let me know he was here. He couldāve also just left them on the front porch where the front door is, but noā¦ he dumped them in the driveway, not even with plastic to cover them (thereās always a threat of rain here this summer - itās been wet). Fortunately, FloBeds wraps everything in plastic inside the boxes so they likely wouldāve been OK, but I canāt help but remember that our recently retired UPS guy never wouldāve slacked off like this (and yes, I complained to UPS customer service and got the expected canned, generic, apology). I had to wrangle the 50+ pound boxes alone over to the front door. Of course, this is not at all a failure on the part of FloBeds, itās an UPS fail, but since you do have to pay for shipping you really should get what you pay for. /end grumble