I was also able to make it to the Foam Sweet Foam Anaheim showroom before closing today (9/1), and had about 40 minutes to check it out. As Yenal mentioned, they’re in a temporary suite (facing Anaheim Blvd) while their new suite (facing Center St Promenade) is being finished. I don’t know when they’re scheduled to move into the Promenade suite, since I didn’t get much time to speak with the one person there (presumably Scott, based on Yenal’s post). He was on the phone virtually the entire time, although he did offer to answer any questions at one point, in between phone calls. I declined since I was busy using my time to try out the different King latex mattress sets with the different permutations of latex types (Dunlop, Talalay) and multiple layers (Soft, Med, Firm, X Firm). However, I did mention Mattress Underground to him during that brief exchange, and he knew what I was talking about right away (he mentioned Phoenix by name).
That was the first time I had tried that type of latex bed, where there are multiple layers of latex comprised of varying levels of firmness, all in a zippered container. I was hoping that I would have a wonderful experience and be really impressed, especially since they have a 30 year warranty and allow you to swap out a layer during the first 60 days (according to the web site). Sadly, I didn’t have that wonderful experience I was hoping for. No matter which combination I tried, I felt like I wasn’t experiencing true pressure relief across my entire body, and that there were always some gaps here and there that caused uncomfortable pressure points in various places, and some strain. They also felt warm (including the ones encased in organic cotton), but there was no A/C for the store (that I could see), and the front door was open (again, it’s a temporary suite at this time). It seems to me that these types of multi-layer latex beds are of the “progressive construction” type. By the way Yenal, thank you for clarifying about the ability to mix & match Dunlop and Talalay layers - I was planning to ask that question while I was there, but never got around to it since I didn’t feel that those beds would be right for me anyway. I’m disappointed because it sounds like the materials are very high quality, and the 30 year warranty with 60 day layer exchange are great - although since it’s a pretty small operation, I don’t know how real that 30 year warranty is. What are the chances of anyone being around in 30 years, or 20 for that matter. There’s so much consolidation these days, for all types of business.
For reference, I’m about 6’1" and 200 lbs. My wife is about 5’6" and 120 lbs, although she couldn’t make it to the store with me today. When I try a mattress, I try it in three positions - on my back, and on each side - since those are the positions that I rotate between as I sleep (or attempt to fall asleep). So far the most amazing mattresses I’ve experienced (last week) were an Aireloom and a Kingsdown “My Side”. In both cases, the mattresses had a medium-firm support layer (my words for it), with a plush or pillow-top comfort layer. In each case, the comfort layers felt fantastic (great Sink in comfort with amazing pressure relief), without sinking too far down (great spinal support). The Aireloom had a very comfortable and cool quilted & tufted fabric (ticking), which really seems to fill in all the gaps just right. The Kingsdown comfort layer was filled with a gel (not sure what type of gel), and it also felt terrific, with great pressure relief. When we had tried those mattresses, I didn’t yet have all of the information from Mattress Underground available, so I wasn’t ready to ask the proper questions about how each section (comfort and support) are constructed, quality of materials, etc. However, I suspect that each of those mattresses is over-priced (they’re each $4K give or take), and the materials probably aren’t durable enough to last as long as one would expect when paying that kind of money.
In any case, it appears that both my wife and I are most comfortable on a mattress of “Differential construction” (at least so far), where the comfort layer (with plenty of “poof” from quilting and tufting) is clearly separate from the support layer, with a decent amount of “sink in” for the comfort layer, along with a decent semi-firm support layer directly below the comfort layer. That being said, the only progressive construction mattresses I’ve tried (so far) are those at Foam Sweet Foam. I look forward to trying additional mattresses at Flexus (although they’re out until Tues), and any other mattress stores in the area that might have a quality product and knowledgeable, customer focused sales people. We actually did purchase a Custom Comfort mattress several years ago (one of the mattresses we burned through in the last 12 years), but it didn’t last very long (a few years), and we didn’t feel like going through the ridiculous hoops they required to claim a warranty. I’ve heard mixed reviews about Custom Comfort, and given our own experience, I don’t know if we’ll give them another shot. They’re family owned, but it’s hard to know if they truly have the right work ethic and attitude when it comes to customer satisfaction (but that’s true for just about any business these days).
I hope we can find a great mattress with that just right support layer plus pressure relieving comfort layer, sold by someone that cares about the customer and that will really stand behind their product (which is rare). We have plenty of information now, so we just need to keep investing some time, and miles on the freeway. If we can’t find just what we need, we may look into having a custom mattress built where we have a manufacturer start with a standard semi-firm support layer, and have them add a comfort layer of our liking on top (e.g. Talaly latex, quilted, tufted, breathable wool fabric, etc).
As I said in my earlier post, this should be interesting.
Thanks,
Mike