I have the opportunity to buy a floor sample of the Natura Organics Ecosanctuary mattress at a great price, but I cannot find many reviews on Natura. Does Natura make a good quality mattress and is their organic line truly organic? I read a review on Amazon claiming that Natura’s organic mattresses are not really organic and another review stating that Natura mattresses often suffer from quality issues. I am looking for a latex mattress that doesn’t use chemical flame retardants and that will last me a while. I am considering a mattress from Flobeds, but with the great deal I can get on the Ecosanctuary I would actually save a lot of money going with the Natura. I was also able to try out the Natura and I really liked it, but I am concerned with it breaking down or changing feel once it is broken in.
Hi Infantrytroop22,
I would be very cautious about using other people’s reviews or experiences on a mattress (either positive or negative) as a reliable source of information or guidance about how suitable a mattress may be for you or the durability of a mattress and in many cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on or vice versa (see post #13 here).
Outside of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) … a mattress is only as good as its construction and the quality and durability of the materials inside it (regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label) and without knowing the specifics of all the layers and components in a specific mattress (see this page) it’s not possible to make any meaningful comments about the quality or durability of the materials or the mattress as a whole or identify any potential weak links in a mattress.
Having said that … Natura makes a very wide range of mattresses but they all tend to use good quality materials and they normally don’t have any obvious weak links in their materials or design that I’ve seen
Their organic line uses various combinations of 100% natural Talalay, 100% natural Dunlop, and a wool quilted cotton cover. The Dunlop is GOLS certified organic and the wool and cotton are certified organic as well but the Talalay isn’t certified organic (there isn’t any Talalay latex that has an organic certification)
There is more about organic latex in post #6 here and there is more about organic certifications in post #2 here. The most accurate description of their “organic” line would be that they contain organic materials but all the materials aren’t organic and the mattress “as a whole” also isn’t certified organic. There are only two manufacturers that make some organic mattresses where the whole mattress is certified organic rather than just the materials inside it which are Organicpedic and Naturepedic.
You can also read a little more about floor models in post #16 here. Outside of how you feel about sleeping on a mattress that many people have been lying on … I would make sure that you are comfortable with a mattress that has no warranty and most floor models also don’t have any exchange options after a purchase so the sale would be final and I would make sure that the discount off the “real” retail selling price is significant to make the additional risk worth it to you.
Thicker layers of wool will compress to some degree under the areas where you sleep the most but this isn’t a defect and generally won’t affect the comfort/support of the mattress. It will also even out over time if you sleep on different areas of the mattress where you don’t normally sleep to even out the compression (see post #3 here) and rotate it on a regular basis as well (see post #2 here).
Phoenix
Thanks for the reply. I will check out the links that you posted. I am okay with the mattress not being 100% organic, as I realize that talalay latex won’t be organic. I was more concerned about there being fire retardants or other harmful chemicals, or about the company being misleading about using a natural memory foam or similar false claim (like Essential claims with their “safe” memory foams. The mattress does not seem to have been laid on much, but I didn’t realize that floor models do not come with warranties. I actually have a question in to the store on this point. The discount is pretty good, as I would be getting a California King EcoSanctuary Dual for $2k. The cheapest I have found for a new one is $3,600, so I think it might be worth getting this floor sample.
Hi Infantrytroop22,
The “value” of a mattress purchase is always relative to the other mattresses you are comparing it to or that are available to you (locally or online) and I would compare any mattress you are considering with other similar mattresses not with a “retail price” for the same mattress which may not be particularly good value (see post #6 here).
There are component latex mattresses for example with 12" of 100% natural Dunlop and/or 100% natural Talalay latex with a wool quilted cover and that have a full warranty, component layers that can be fine tuned after a purchase, and also have a good layer exchange and return/refund policy that retail for well under $3000 so it probably wouldn’t be unreasonable to look for a bigger discount for a floor model IMO and I would make very sure that you are confident that the mattress is a good match for you in termsof PPP and that you will sleep well on the mattress because you won’t likely have any recourse if you don’t.
Phoenix
I have looked at many of the less expensive options, but my wife and I really like the design of the Natura. Specifically, we like the feel of the mattress being two separate parts because it seems to conform to our bodies more than when all the components are in one cover. We also like the cushioning that the 1" convoluted latex and wool provide on the top. I have not been able to find a mattress that matches the two piece design and the convoluted latex top. The Flobeds mattress I was considering has a convoluted layer of latex on top, but it likely feels different than the Natura since the Flobeds components are all contained in one cover. The Flobeds mattress is also about $1k more than I can get the Natura mattress.
Hi Infantrytroop22,
I can certainly understand that you like the Natura and the most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is that it’s a good match for you in terms of PPP.
I wasn’t so much suggesting that you consider another mattress but that the prices of other similar mattresses would be useful reference points that you may be able to use to negotiate a better price for the Natura floor model. A discount from $3600 to $2000 looks more significant than a discount from $2700 to $2000 for a used floor model.
Phoenix
I understand and I appreciate that advice. I really wish that there was a cheaper option that had the same type of design as the Natura. We have tried the SavvyRest models, which are similar to the SleepEZ and many other brands in terms of design, and they just didn’t feel as good to us as the Natura. That’s why I was looking at Flobeds, since they at least offer a top convoluted layer similar to the Natura. The model I was considering was $3k though and I would have to pay tax and shipping on top of that. I did not realize that floor models do not come with warranties, however, and I am still waiting to hear back from the store on this point. If I cannot get a warranty on the Natura, then I will most likely be getting the Flobeds instead. Unless, the store is willing to take the $1,500 that I offered them for the floor model Natura. 