Peabody Dream Bed, Latex beds... I'm still researching

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 I’m 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! :frowning:

I’m hoping to find something as comfortable as a waterbed, without the water. I’m 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 “sleep hot” - 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 I’ve 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 “Peabody Dream Bed” can be bought. I thought this might be my answer, but my stay was in 2005 and I can’t help but wonder if changes have been made. I called to get information, but since they sell through a website it’s hard to get any accurate info. When I first called I asked about the construction and I know it’s made by Simmons/Beautyrest of BlocFoam, PurFoam, and convoluted foam. The sales rep didn’t 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.

Here’s 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 “sorry, it’s discontinued”. I then asked if this was the same Dream Bed they used in 2005 and I got a “The ones available are the exact same as we have in the hotel. Hope you enjoy!” So… a non-answer and a brush off (polite, but still…). Since researching and learning of the new fire regulations, I’m 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, there’s no way I can know (and that’s unlikely to happen with my current commitments). I’ve searched online for reviews or info and really can’t 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 I’ve still not totally crossed them off. That Dream Bed was awesome.

Airbeds aren’t even an option. I slept on one for 2 nights at a friend’s 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 “grabby”. While I like sinking into a bed, I don’t like being swallowed alive by something that feels like a predatory alien lifeform.

I’m 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. It’s the only “traditional” box spring type mattress where I was not distracted by the springs. While that’s obviously not an issue with latex, I did notice from the samples I got that I’m aware I’d be sleeping on a solid mass of latex. I had the same issue with our old sofa - it wasn’t “hard” exactly but it was solid and not a love match for me. Our “new” (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. They’re actually what I’m 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. :stuck_out_tongue: 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 it’s memory foam. Feathers/down allows me to sink in without trying to swallow me alive. It’s 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 I’ll 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? It’s $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. I’m 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. I’ll take that as honest since she avoided the chance to sell me something, lol! I haven’t searched a lot on these since I’m trying to look at non-drowning options, but it’s still in the race.

I did test out a PureLatexBliss World’s 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 didn’t 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 isn’t 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.

Hi Stardustgirl,

I think you may have dodged a bullet by not purchasing the Peabody Dream Bed. You can read a little more about hotel mattresses in post #3 here and the posts it links to but hotel mattresses made by major manufacturers are typically not even in the same quality/value range as similar consumer versions of the mattresses made by the same manufacturer and I would avoid their consumer mattresses as well since they tend to use lower quality and less durable materials than many of their smaller competitors.

The first place I would start your mattress research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which has all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choices … and perhaps even more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.

FWIW … many people who are changing from a waterbed like the “feel” of latex mattresses since in the right design and firmness level they can be a great choice in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) and they are also more “lively” than other types of foam which many people who are switching from a waterbed seem to like. Latex in general is also the most durable of all the different types of foam (polyfoam, memory foam, and latex foam). Of course this is only a preference and not a “better worse” choice and others may not have the same preference so your own testing and experience is always the best way to know the types of mattresses you tend to prefer.

The tutorial includes a link to a list of many of the better online manufacturers and retailers I’m aware of that sell a wide range of latex and latex hybrid mattresses and if you let me know your city or zip code I’d also be happy to let you know of any of the better options or possibilities I’m aware of that are local to you.

I’m looking forward to finding out what you end up deciding and of course any feedback or questions you may have along the way.

Phoenix

I think you’re right. :cheer: It really is an amazing feeling bed, but from everything I’ve read about Beautyrest, it sounds like that is a short-lived thrill, so I’m trying to figure out how to get that feeling in a better quality bed. What’s odd is that I never found any reviews from people who purchased that particular bed. I did find a number of people raving about it after a stay at the Peabody, but no actual buyers.

I’ve been reading this site for hours a day over several days now. It’s been very helpful, thanks! I’ve learned a lot and have been comparing the options. I wish there were more stores here with some of the lesser-known options. We seem to be memory foam / traditional springs country.

Yes! That’s exactly what draws me to the Talalay latex. I dislike “dead” surfaces. And while spring mattresses may be springy, I also can unfortunately feel every one of those little steel fingers poking me when I lie on one. I like that latex is “continuous”.

I’ve checked a few of those online sites, and did order samples from FloBeds. They’re one I’m considering. What’s available in the 46123 zipcode? We have numerous bigbox mattress places but it seems I get a lot of people who confuse my question of “do you have any Talalay latex mattresses” with “do you have memory foam mattresses” when I call. Ugh! Everyone around here really pushes those and I know for certain they aren’t for me.

I did try that PLB mattress at Village Mattress in Zionsville. Very nice people at that store, no hard-sell. He really did think I’d like one of the memory foam options (I guess people liking soft beds like the one he picked) so I tested it just to go along. I think he was surprised at how vehemently I disliked it :lol: They sound like they offer good customer service and free delivery, but I don’t feel the PLB was the latex mattress of my dreams. It did let me know I should pursue that option further, though.

Thanks, Phoenix!

Hi Stardustgirl,

Unfortunately this is much too common in the mainstream parts of the industry. I’m constantly amazed when I talk to some retailers on the phone and ask about any latex mattresses they carry and they assure me they carry them and then proceed to talk about their memory foam mattresses or their gel memory foam mattresses and they genuinely don’t appear to know the difference.

The better options and possibilities I’m aware of in and around the Indianapolis area are listed in post #2 here.

Phoenix

Thanks for the suggestions! I had actually called Niagara to ask if they had a latex mattress in their showroom. They’re in a not-great area and a pretty good distance from me, so I wanted to confirm. When I called, the person on the phone wanted to set up an appointment right away. I replied that I needed to check with some friends that I wanted to accompany me first (it’s not an area I’d visit alone, though I didn’t want to offend them by saying that), and I just got the vibe that I’d feel pressured when visiting. This was confirmed when I got a call a couple of days later asking about my plans to come in and a mention of a sale incentive. What was weird about that was I did not give them my phone number when I called, so they must’ve taken it off their Caller ID. I found that way too aggressive for my taste and got off the phone quickly. Maybe some other shoppers would welcome that assertiveness but I found it to be a real memory-foam sales tactic - too doggone grabby! :evil:

I’ve decided that organic is a priority, and that “simple” is usually best (cotton / wool / basic fabrics as opposed to ActiveFusion or CoolTemp or any other proprietary R-ball names). It’s a strategy that has worked well for other trouble-free purchases, so I think it would work for me with a mattress as well. I’m drawn to the way that the assemble-it-yourself latex mattresses can be adjusted or repaired in the future by replacing a component and not having to chuck the whole thing.

I spent a lot of time on the CozyPure site, and their offerings look very nice, but I really want Talalay. I’ve been comparing options between SleepEZ and FloBeds. I’m leaning toward FloBeds. I spoke with Dewey today and he patiently answered my questions and even made the suggestion that I could re-use part of my old waterbed foundation when I said I’d probably be building my own since I have budget constraints. Their foundations look really nice and it would be great to have it match the mattress, but I’d rather save on the foundation than save money by choosing blended talalay over 100% talalay (just personal preference). I know less-expensive foundations are available elsewhere, but from the looks of those I can build a nicer one for much less. I think I need to focus my money on the actual mattress.

Hi Stardustgirl,

Thanks for the update and feedback … I appreciate it.

The options you are looking at will give you some great final choices :slight_smile:

Phoenix

For anyone in Southern California or elsewhere looking for the Berkeley Ergonomics product at a great deal, I found it at a store in Irvine called Cantoni. The price was better than anywhere else (I checked three different stores) on this all natural and organic product. The latex is from Europe and has no fillers, the cotton cover is organic. As you may or may not know, wool is the best natural FR (fireproofing) you can buy and has no toxic chemicals in it. The wool in the Berkeley bed is generous and all natural and the coil system, as explained by Cantoni’s highly knowledgeable mattress specialist Richard, is from Sweden and is dual tempered carbide steel - built like a tank. The Berkeley Ergonomics bed comes with a 10 year non-prorated warranty, but I have been told by many customers while doing my research that the mattress has lasted them 14+ years thus far. After a year of my own research, I am sold on this product. I have tested every organic mattress by Savvy Rest, Natura, Naturepedic, Vi-Spring (Cantoni carries this as well - but it’s out of my price range). For price, cleanliness, durability and comfort, the Berkeley Ergonomics product just can’t be beat. I hope my extensive research helps some of you find your next mattress and happy shopping! :slight_smile: Wildon

P.S. I have included a picture that I shot while at Cantoni. The bed on the left is the deluxe with a Euro Topper. If you buy it with the topper, you can turn the topper instead of the entire bed, which is better on the back for sure! As Richard explained to me, he has had many customers just buy a new topper after 10 plus years at a fraction of the cost of a new bed. The bed underneath stays unblemished and the topper takes 90% of the bodies abuse.

I made my purchase and my bed is here! Here’s a bit of how I narrowed things down and ultimately decided to go with FloBeds for my bed.

I could easily rule out the airbed and traditional innerspring options since I’ve slept on both and hated it 99.99% of the time. This eliminated a lot of mattresses. Latex seemed the way to go, so I only had to narrow my choices between various shops.

PureLatexBliss - tried one in a local store, it felt OK, the shop owner was very nice and non-pushy, but there were no options to swap layers at a later date, and I wasn’t in love with the mattress covering (it seemed a bit thin, not cushy). Also, I was told the model I liked best (World’s Best Bed) did not have a zip-off cover unlike some of the others, so that meant it would forever be one floppy big thing requiring the hiring of movers if I need to move it, and I couldn’t air the top. (Initial delivery is free). Even with some serious discount offers, cost was more than that of FloBeds or SleepEZ, and after seeing pictures of the foundation here, I can’t say that the workmanship warrants the price tag.

CozyPure - loved that care is taken with sourcing the organic materials, usa made, great informative videos, but I really wanted talalay latex. There are no returns on mattresses, and they are delivered in one piece. That’s actually a drawback for me since the idea of wrestling with a huge floppy mattress is a nightmare. Imagining delivery guys trying to maneuver around all the furniture and decor items in my bedroom aren’t pleasant thoughts either. Packing and moving things to make room for that scenario made me shudder. Also, the way a layer of latex is stitched to the mattress cover means that hanging it outside in the sun to freshen up wouldn’t be possible without risking damage to the latex (I’ve read that sun can damage latex), though it does say you can on their website.

I did order my mattress protector from them though. I wanted an organic cotton cover and am not worried about any serious waterproofing, so went with theirs. Their comforter and sheet offerings look nice too, so I’ll be keeping them in mind for those as well. I find their YouTube videos really helpful for seeing those items up close and in detail

SleepEZ - great prices, great options for assembling a mattress (I’d at one point thought a mix of Dunlop and talalay was what I wanted, but later thought all-talalay was probably more to my liking). Their trial period and returns policy are nice, since an online purchase is a bit of a shot in the dark, even with research.I like the assemble-it-yourself aspect. I found their videos and website a bit generic and impersonal though. The videos seem more like an infomercial production, and while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this type of presentation, I find I am more drawn to the way both CozyPure and FloBeds personally go into detail with their items, even if the resulting videos are not polished.

FloBeds - I keep hearing about their stellar customer service and quality products. Great return policy and exchange policy. I’ve had great communication both via phone and email with them. I was able to get samples of their materials, which went a long way in making me feel more familiar with their product. Their videos are great. Plus bonus points for whimsy - the seriously cute sheep fabric of the mattress cover. This may be a non-issue for most people but I love touches like this. Drawback: more expensive than SleepEZ, but after getting my bed I can see where that’s likely because the quality warrants it (I’ve not seen a SleepEZ in person so don’t mean to insult them at all - just that I notice the quality of FloBeds).

Initially I was going to make my own foundation to save some $$$ (I already had a skeleton from my softside waterbed foundation), but when I went to make the purchase someone offered to foot the whole bill , not just the mattress, so I opted for their basic pine foundation. I’m not heavy so figure I didn’t need the extra strength of the fir option, and I was told that the Euro model isn’t great for queen size when someone is sleeping in the center.

Hi Stardustgirl,

Thanks for taking the time to share such detailed and helpful feedback about your final choice and the reasons behind it … I appreciate it!

As you know I think highly of Flobeds and I think you certainly made a great quality/value choice.

Most importantly … congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

Phoenix

Thanks Phoenix B)

The ordering process went smoothly, I got exactly what I ordered with no missing parts and no delays. The only disappointment in the experience was an UPS failure - the guy left 6 heavy boxes in my driveway! :angry: I was home, yet he didn’t ring the bell or knock on the door to let me know he was here. He could’ve also just left them on the front porch where the front door is, but no… he dumped them in the driveway, not even with plastic to cover them (there’s always a threat of rain here this summer - it’s been wet). Fortunately, FloBeds wraps everything in plastic inside the boxes so they likely would’ve been OK, but I can’t help but remember that our recently retired UPS guy never would’ve 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, it’s an UPS fail, but since you do have to pay for shipping you really should get what you pay for. /end grumble

I found it easy to set up and assemble and was very impressed with the quality of the wood used in the foundation (very smooth, no knots) and the screws with collars used in the assembly. It’s very solid. If I could change anything, I’d add a bit of padding to the corners of the foundation to make encounters with errant shins or elbows less traumatic.

My initial set-up was (bottom to top) M/F/S and F/M/S, just so I could compare the two. On my first night’s sleep I woke up on the M/F/S side and couldn’t get away from that fast enough. It was much too hard for me. The F/M/S side was better, but still not great (reminding me a bit of too-firm hotel mattresses). That was the combo recommended by Dewey, but their online calculator had suggested M/M/S, so I made one side to that spec. It does make sense to get the 3 options first since it allows for more testing trial combos. I slept on that for a couple of nights and while it was just OK, it was not amazing. It seemed very “still” or “dead” which is actually distracting for me.

After reading in another thread here about layering options, I just switched to S/M/S and notice that it is much livelier. It’s also much more comfy when I laid on my side for about 20 minutes (the other combos gave me some hipbone pressure), but I still think that ultimately I’ll be adding a topper for more fluff factor. I was going to stick with the M/M/S for a bit longer but decided that since I knew it wasn’t ideal I should just move on to another combo. Even though this sounds soft, FloBeds “soft” is a 22ild, and I know there are even softer options out there, this isn’t even remotely “squishy” for me.

I found the 2 free pillows useful. It never occurred to me that I might revert to a childhood habit of falling out of bed, but I came very close to doing so. I stopped having that problem with the waterbed, I guess because there was a slight “lip” where the mattress was below the foam rails and that was a subtle clue to not venture any further. Not so with this mattress, lol! I can roll right off of it, so I’ve placed the pillows like bumpers on either side until I either get used to the new set up (or leave them there because it seems that old habit won’t go away).

Hi Stardustgirl,

Thanks once again for sharing such detailed feedback ::

It will be interesting to see if and/or how your experiences change as you go through the initial break in and adjustment period over the first few weeks and the layering you end up deciding is best for you.

Phoenix

Just FYI, we purchased a Peabody Dream bed after sleeping on 1 at Hyatt Orlando. It has been 1 year and 10 months and we still love it!

Hi dock,

Welcome to our Mattress Forum! :slight_smile:

Glad to hear that you love your current mattress and I hope that you’ll love it for many years to come.

Phoenix