Plush Beds Botanical Latex

Been shopping for a while, how does the Plush Beds Botanical Latex compare to the Sealy Embody? Big sale this weekend so I’m thinking of taking the plunge!

Hi Elkie,

While I would certainly choose Plushbeds over the Sealy Embody in terms of value … if you are looking at an online purchase there are also better options with similar or better quality and better value available at other online outlets and manufacturers. Post #21 here includes a list and some brief comments about the members of this site who specialize in online sales.

The Embody latex line uses 3 - 6.5" of lower quality synthetic “smart latex” in the comfort layers over two different types of polyfoam cores. the Plushbeds (and many of the other choices listed in the post I referred to) use higher quality and more expensive latex support cores. There is little comparison in terms of value.

If by “big sale this weekend” you are referring to Plushbeds … their sale prices are all year long. I have never seen them sell mattresses at their regular price. If you mean the typical “memorial day sales” at the chain store of mass market outlets … then this is mostly a marketing gimmick. Better quality and value outlets and manufacturers sell mattresses with good value every day of the year and don’t rely on sales to create value. The “giant discount” sales should be a warning to “stay away” from the types of outlets that use them to mislead customers or create the impression that they have better value. This article may help you to avoid most of the gimmicks, traps, and pitfalls of mattress shopping and help “point you” to better quality and value.

A search on the forum for “plushbeds” will bring up lots more information about them.

Depending on the city you live … another good option would be a local factory direct manufacturer or a sleep shop that carries alternative or local brands. If you let me know wheere you are I’d be happy to look and see if I know of any near you. These types of outlets will usually have much better value every day of the year and you have the advantage of being able to try the mattress to make sure it fits your needs and preferences. An online purchase can also make a lot of sense of course, especially if there is not similar value available locally and they have the knowledge and skills to help you make your best selection. Local testing to get a sense of the type of layering that works best for you can also make an online purchase more “accurate”.

Phoenix

Thank you for your response. I’m located in VA 22611. I also like most of the Sealy mattresses I sleep on when traveling. Seems like Hampton, Best Western and others use them. I stayed at an Holiday Inn Express for 2 weeks and contacted the manuf. of that bed. She told me there was no way to replicate it even with all the model #'s. Very disappointing. I also purchased the Jamison “Courtyard” Mattress 13 years ago. Nothing like the one in the hotel. Have had back problems all these years.

Hi Elkie,

Hotel mattresses have a wide range of styles, quality, and type so there is no single “hotel mattress” that Sealy (or any manufacturer who makes hotel mattresses) makes. Most hotels also use more of a “sleeping system” which includes the bedding on the mattress including various types of mattress pads which can affect how the mattress feels and performs. The only way to “duplicate” the mattress at a specific hotel is to know all the layers of the mattress (or the closest consumer version that is available) and then to add the same “extras” that were used in the hotel as well.

You can see some examples of Sealy Hotel mattresses here and here and here and as you can see they range from plush to firm and have a variety of different types and quality levels. In general though they will be layers of plush foam over a good quality innerspring and cater to a “feel” that the majority of people would enjoy in the short term sleeping environment of a hotel stay. This doesn’t necessarily translate into a mattress that is suitable for longer term use.

Your area and the General vicinity of the DC corridor is somewhat of a “desert” in terms of quality mattress outlets and there are no factory direct outlets that are close to you. There are a few places though where your odds of buying better quality and value are better and they are listed in post #2 here.

In addition to this list …

http://www.wolffurniture.com/current/stores/wolf_furniture_stores.aspx is a retail outlet with a store in Leesburg and other locations that carries Restonic which may also have some mattresses that have better value and may be worth including in your research.

http://www.kiblersfurniture.com/ is a retail outlet in Woodstock, VA that carries Imperial mattresses which is a high quality and better value local manufacturer in Huntington, WV.

Before driving any distance though … I would definitely phone an outlet you were considering and ask some good questions to get a sense of how knowledgeable, helpful, and open they are about their mattresses. This article This article may help you with this.

In areas like this it can often be a good idea to include the possibility of an online purchase as one of your options. This way you can test various mattresses locally to get a sense of your needs and preferences and if the value that you want is not available or reasonably close to an online purchase … then you can use your local testing as a guideline for an online purchase. Some of the members of this site that specialize in online purchases, have good value, and are good at giving guidance that takes into account your testing experiences and preferences are listed in post #21 here.

As I mentioned in the article I linked to … I would not consider any of the major manufacturers such as the “S” companies (Sealy, Simmons, Serta, Stearns & foster) or most of the largest brands to have good quality and/or value and in most cases the materials in their mattresses don’t justify the prices they charge. Even lower quality materials can perform well and be comfortable in a showroom (or hotel) but they don’t tend to stay that way for as long as they should. The models that they make that do use higher quality materials are also not in a competitive price range when you compare them to the many similar or better quality choices made by many smaller manufacturers.

Phoenix