First, I wanted to say how impressed I am with your depth of knowledge! I have learned so much on this site, and thank you for your tie and dedication.
We purchased a Cloud Luxe Breeze about 2.5 months ago and are now working to find a mattress to replace it. We made this choice because my husband really wanted memory foam but I sleep very hot and this was our compromise. What we have found is that the breeze cover takes away from the molding that you expect from memory foam and the bed feels harder than we wanted.
We have been researching latex and are very close to purchasing the Bliss Pristine from Health Back. I love it, but my husband thinks it is like sleeping on a bowl of jelly. I agree to some extent, but I imagine one would eventually get used to the feel. It is comfortable, and he agrees, but he just doesn’t like to springy feel.
I am going to ask HBS if they will allow us to try a cloud luxe (the new one without the breeze). That is the one that my husband really wants. We purchased the first one (the breeze) from Mattress Discounters, so they will not let us do another trial. I think HBS honors their 90 trial themelves vs. MD, which relies on Tempurpedic to honor the trial, so I am hoping we can get another chance so to speak.
My question is do you know anything about the new luxe and whether the protective smart climate cover really makes any difference? I would hate to have to return yet another bed!!
To be honest the latex is really the way I want to go (and my husband is willing to compromise), but I really want him to be happy, which is why I am willing to give memory foam another shot. Although truly I like the idea of a natural material to sleep on…he isn’t sold on that.
I am no Phoenix but I had my heart set on a memory foam mattress for a long time, even though I am a hot sleeper. Not only could I not tolerate the warmth but after a short adjustment I find the latex far more comfortable and not at all hot. I actually have come to love the jello feel of latex, so much so that we only use a stretch knit cover with no quilting.
While a cover can certainly make a difference in the feel and performance of a mattress … I suspect that the difference you are feeling is in the gel memory foam vs their non gel memory foam not so much in the cover. Adding gel to memory foam in any of the many ways that gel can be added (see post #2 here) can certainly change the way the memory foam feels and reacts (for better or for worse depending on the person) compared to “regular” memory foam.
It may also be worth trying other types or designs of latex mattresses because there can be many differences between latex mattresses (or between different designs in any mattress category) that use different types of latex or different designs. Some people may love one latex mattress and not like another one even though both of them are “latex mattresses”. It’s also true that latex is different from other materials and may take some getting used to. The properties that some people love about some types or designs of latex mattresses may be the same properties that others don’t like at all.
I would never rely on anyone else’s perceptions of a mattress because each person’s experience can be very different from someone else or even the majority of other people. Every material and component in a mattress will make some type of difference … but the real question is whether the difference will be “enough” for you and whether it will have a tradeoff that you don’t like and other people’s experience can’t tell you this. Tempurpedic doesn’t give any specific details (outside of marketing speak) about their covers and I have never slept on it but when you see “cool to the touch” it usually means that there is some type of gel material involved which can help with temperature regulation for a short time while you are going to sleep until temperatures equalize and generally the benefits won’t last over the course of the night.
There are many things that combined together can affect temperature regulation and the sleeping temperature of a mattress for each person (not least of which is where someone is inside the oven/iceberg range) but memory foam in general will be warmer and more insulating than other types of materials. There is more about the many factors that together can affect sleeping temperature in post #2 here that may be helpful. In some cases … even a different mattress protector or sheets can make “enough” difference for someone that would otherwise sleep too hot on a particular mattress.
As you can see in the tutorial post here (which hopefully you’ve read) … I personally wouldn’t consider a Tempurpedic mattress in the first place.
Actually, the breeze cover seemed to work very well in terms of cooling. I know because sometimes I would wake up on my back and find that I am sweating only on the front part of my body…but my back would be dry. That is not saying it is effective at keeping the person cool, though…only the part of the body that touches the bed.
We actually did some pretty extensive experimentation on latex with the Saavy Rest mattresses. We tried many different foam combinations including various firmness of dunlop and talalay. I was disappointed with the mattress encasement itself…it didn’t feel very sturdy to me. I did like the opportunity to mix and match foams, and the fact that you had 90 days to switch it up, but did not like that they had no return policy.nnI was also disappointed that Saavy did not offer the celsion material in their assortment of foams. But the whole experience was a great education. What I did learn was that to get what I got with the Pristine, I would have been paying a lot more with Saavy Rest.
I did scan the tutorial but did not catch your opinion on Tempurpedic, other than your comments about off gassing and the ability to move in bed – which were obviously pointing away from memory foam. I am totally with you on both of these issues!! My husband, on the other hand, couldn’t give a hoot!! He likes the feel of memory foam…period. But luckily he is willing to make a sacrifice to keep me happy and COOL. I in turn felt guilty for getting my way which made me feel that perhaps I should give Tempurpedic another try. I am glad I decided against it and now we are moving on!
In the end…today actually…we decided to go with the Pristine bed. It is 100% Talalay foam with the Celsion cover. I initially was not big on having so much Talalay because I like a more study feeling mattress, however, this mattress seemed to deliver everything I was looking for. My husband is compromising. But my hope is that after sleeping on it, he will realize that memory foam is not all it is cracked up to be.
This would be from the combined effect (in terms of temperature and moisture wicking) of the layers underneath you including the memory foam, the cover, the mattress protector, and your sheets and bedding … not just the mattress cover alone.
One of the main parts of Savvy Rest’s marketing focus is the use of natural materials and Celsion (now called Talalay GL fast response) is blended latex (about 70% synthetic/30% natural) so it wouldn’t fit inside the natural or organic market they are targeting. In most cases … the gel that is added to latex isn’t really necessary because Talalay latex is already a very breathable material but it will make a “slight” difference for some people. The Savvy Rest cover is also a very high quality and very durable cotton twill quilted with wool and is a much more costly component than the cover in the Pure Latex Bliss mattresses (which is a stretch knit synthetic blend).
Of course the quality or cost of the materials has little to do with how a mattress feels and performs in terms of PPP and the blended Talalay and Talalay GL in the Pristine is also a very high quality and very durable material and there are also many people who prefer an unquilted cover that puts them closer to the “feel” of the latex.
You can see my comments about “major brands” (including Tempurpedic) in item #1 in this article and about Tempurpedic as a brand in the list of the top 15 manufacturers here and much more detailed comments about them in post #2 here and the posts it links to. While for the most part (with a few exceptions) they use good quality materials … they certainly wouldn’t be in the same “value range” for most people as many other memory foam mattresses that use the same or better quality materials and are in much lower budget ranges.
The Pristine is certainly a high quality choice and the blended Talalay latex it uses from top to bottom is a very high quality and durable material so there are no weak links in the mattress. They are very similar to the “regular” Pure Latex Bliss mattresses which use the same combination of materials.
Most importantly though … it sounds like the Pristine is the best match for the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you … and congratulations on your new mattress. I’m looking forward to your feedback when you’ve received it and you’ve had the chance to sleep on it for a bit.
I hope that both you and your husband enjoy it for many years to come
