Recommend latex mattress topper & foundation for the Healthy Back store / PLB Pamper

[phoenix]

Hi huangshowen,

I wish the original poster gave us an update! I’m having the same problem. I’ve been sleeping on a Healthy Back Serenity for almost a month now and it’s too firm (though better than when I first got it). I’m in the DC area as well and the model they have in the Rockville store is much much softer than mine. Is there a chance that mine will never get that soft? I’m not sure I can bear how long that would take. Also, I tried the Essence in the store and call me crazy but the one in the Rockville store seemed a lot softer than the Tysons store. I’m worried that it might be too soft. I tried the 2" topper (using a loaner at home) on top but also felt that was too soft and I was going right through it. I definitely want something firm but with more pressure relief.

I would certainly talk with them and see what they say because it doesn’t make logical sense to me that the model in the Rockville store is so much softer unless there is a reason for this that they can explain. As far as I’m aware … this is the same as the “old” Pamper (except the comfort layer would be 21 ILD instead of 19 ILD) and for most people who spent time on their side this would be too firm with only an inch comfort layer. It’s unlikely that your mattress will get softer enough to make a difference. I have no explanation about why the Rockville store mattresses are softer than the Tyson ones but I would certainly ask them if this seems possible or if they know why it may be.

I’ve been looking into getting a medium firm topper (24-28 ild) online but 1) find it risky not being able to try it first

I understand and this is always a somewhat uncertain purchase but unfortunately there is no way to reduce the risk except by making as careful a choice as possible and perhaps testing local mattresses to give you a guideline that can point in the best direction. Of course choosing a retailer that has a money back guarantee would eliminate the risk but it is very rare to find this with a latex topper because it is considered to be a personal item. Post #8 here has some guidelines that may be helpful as well.

wonder if that’s much different than getting an Essence. Do you think that the 40 ild in the Serenity is very different than the 36 ild in the Essence?

The Essence is a very different mattress. While the core is slightly less firm … it has 3" in the upper layers over the core (2" of 21 ILD and 1" of 28 ILD assuming this is the same construction as the old version of the Nature with the exception of the active fusion in the top layer) which would significantly reduce the amount you would “go through” the comfort layer and feel the firmer core below it. “On paper” this would seem to be a more suitable choice for your body type and sleeping positions.

Have you tested this in the store for PPP (Pressure relief, Posture and alignment, and personal preferences).

It would be difficult to “match” the feel of the Essence with a topper on your Serenity/Pamper because the 1" 21 ILD layer would be under a 2" topper while with the Essence the top 2" of 21 ILD is over a 1" 28 ILD layer. You could somewhat approximate it by using a 2" 24 ILD topper which would give you an “average” in the top 3" of about 23 ILD which would be about the same as the “average” ILD of the top 3" of the Essence of 23.3 ILD but the different layering would mean it wouldn’t feel and perform exactly the same and this would only be an approximation.

If you are able to carefully and as objectively as possible test the Essence in the store (and confirm that they are both the same) then I would tend towards a mattress I had actually tested rather than taking on the uncertainty of a mattress / topper combination that I hadn’t tested in person unless there was a particularly compelling reason to do otherwise.

I actually really like the Technogel mattress with the latex (Armonia I think). I felt like that had the perfect balance of firmness and pressure relief. The cooling aspect makes no difference to me. I just think it’s too expensive. What do you think will get me closest to that experience? It’s too bad they don’t tell us what their latex ild is.

The specs of the Armonia are apparently (sent to me by a forum member that received this directly from Technogel) …

½" Technogel
2 ½" Latex 31 ILD
7" ? Latex 28 ILD

They didn’t provide the thickness of the bottom layer and just said that the rest of it was 28 ILD but the total height is 10" so either 6" or 7" would seem reasonable.

While the latex would be fairly easy to approximate … the Technogel is a very dense material (it calculates out to about 28 lbs/ft3) and this would have a significant effect on how the layers below it felt. If I had to guess then an inch or less of very dense memory foam (in the range of 7 - 8lbs) may somewhat approximate it but this is only a guess because I’ve never tried any of the Technogel mattresses so I have no personal reference point. There are other gel toppers in post #4 here and this latex/gel topper may approximate it to some degree as well (but again I have no personal experience with it)

It also looks like your Seven Wonders topper is sold out. But I’m not sure about shredded latex. Are the rods considered soft?

Yes it looks like they are sold out on Amazon but they may still be available from the Seven Comforts site. There would be no way to know the ILD of the latex that was used to make the “rods” (and if you see the video here they look more like “flakes” or “crumbs”) but the effect of them is what I would call “soft” yes. The Lanoodles is softer but also lighter and thinner (see post #38 here) for my comments about it.

Phoenix