I read on some previous posts about places to try out latex mattresses in Iowa (Lebeda and Midwest Mattress). I have tried out both of these and the beds were reasonably comfortable but both were ‘finished’ mattresses with non-latex foam on top and so it was hard tell if I liked the latex or just the top foam (though I think I actually liked the finished feel as it reduced the bounce of the latex). Two additional places that I have not previously seen listed on the site which offer SavyRest and you can try out different layers are:
http://www.earthborn.com/ (Fairfield, IA)
http://www.ia-bednbreakfast-inns.com/SpauldingInn.htm (Grinnell, IA; this is actually bed and breakfast where you could actually sleep on the bed for a night though they said if the room was not booked you could also try out the bed without staying the night). Actually being able to sleep on the bed sounds very appealing as it hard to tell what you like in a short period of time in a store with salesclerks watching you.
I haven’t gone to either of these yet but hope to in the next couple of weeks.
Hi David888,
Earthborn was a little far to include in the Des Moines or Cedar Rapids lists (or some of the other forum lists in the general area) but I appreciate you mentioning them and especially for including the city so they can show up on forum searches for those that are in the area.
Spaulding Inn as you mentioned is not really a mattress store but it would certainly be a great way to test the mattress overnight. Do you know if they just have “standard” layering or if they have other layer options available where you can try different combinations (either for testing or for an overnight stay)? If they do then they would probably be worthwhile adding to both the Des Moines and the Cedar Rapids list as a “testing” option.
Thanks again for adding the links and their city 
Phoenix
PS: I thought I’d take the opportunity to take a look around Fairfield and there are a couple of other possibilities there as well.
http://www.theorganiccompany.com/ Fairfield, IA. I taked with them and they are good people. They sell 6" organic Dunlop latex cores and 2" and 3" Dunlop latex toppers as mattress components in various firmness levels. They also sell fabric and have a local connection which can sew them into mattress covers. The cores are available for local testing for those who want to test different firmness levels. They also sell wool toppers.
http://www.mcgregorsfurniture.com/ Ottumwa, Fort Dodge, Marshalltown, Coralville, Mason City, Waterloo, West Burlington, IA. They carry Restonic latex hybrids and gel (no all latex).
Thanks for additional sources.
When I talked to the owner of the B&B she asked if we had a preference so I think they some ability to customize (she also mentioned that different rooms had different configurations and the king size beds had different firmness on the two sides). My guess is they would be probably be beneficial for more of a ‘long term feel’ of whether you liked sleeping on latex rather than finalizing exact configurations.
Hi David888,
I would tend to agree and from that perspective they could be very helpful. While pressure relief and alignment are the two main functions of a mattress … how certain materials “feel” and provide your other preferences are also a very important part of a purchase and the generic “feel” of certain materials is also very important and more difficult to “fine tune” than the other two.
Phoenix