Hi, just came across this forum on Google. I am contemplating buying a memory foam bed to help alleviate back pain I have been dealing with for far too many years. Currently sleeping on a very firm spring mattress and while it is holding up nicely, I wake up in pain each morning.
I am contemplating the TempurPedic Rhapsody but also came across the Select Foam Regalis HD which costs about $1k less and seems to have superior specifications. I do like that the Select Foam does NOT use petroleum based foam.
I sleep primarily on my stomach but also on my side, rarely on my back unless I am watching TV. 5’10, 165 pounds, so weight is not an issue.
Mattress shopping is truly a science project, I have been shopping off and on over the past couple of years and have a headache from it. Hoping someone can give me advice or opinions between these two particular beds.
The Select Foam is one of the better online options for memory foam which is why I included them in the online memory foam list in post #12 here.
They designed their mattresses to have a similar feel and firmness to the various Tempurpedic models so that you could get a sense of what each one felt like (although it won’t be exact of course because each type of memory foam has different characteristics).
NOTE ADDED: Select Foam was a member of this site but because of ongoing customer service issues and delays their membership was terminated and I would read the warning here before considering them.
Memory foam and stomach sleeping can be a little tricky and risky because of the risk of hammocking. In general … stomach sleepers would do best with the thinnest firmest layers that provides good pressure relief in their other sleeping positions. The "key is “just enough” memory foam in the comfort layers for pressure relief but no more than you need … especially on your side.
Like the others on the list … they will give you some guidance in your selection and testing the Tempurpedics to see which one is most suitable would also be more accurate than “theory at a distance” and would also help them help you better. Your own personal experience and careful testing specifically for pressure relief and alignment for at least 15 minutes fully relaxed (and perhaps longer on memory foam which takes time to soften) is always more accurate than trying to build a mattress by specs (either yours or the mattress).
As you have seen … there are many better options than Tempurpedic with equivalent quality of foam and much better value.
I have paralysis by analysis. Last night after I created this thread, I came across the Ultimate Dream bed from Brooklyn Bedding and it is hard to ignore the price and excellent reviews. I know it’s not memory foam, I just want a bed that will not kill my back and hopefully will not kill my wallet. I’m half tempted to give it a whirl before shelling out $2k+ for a memory foam bed.
It is truly ridiculous how many options there are in beds!
I understand the difficulty and challenge of having lots of good choices and as you likely know from reading the forum the manufacturers of the Ultimate Dreams are a member here and I think highly of them. As you also likely know … they also give the members here and add a free shredded latex pillow to your purchase if you tell them you are a forum member. The good news though is that you are choosing between good and good rather than between competing versions of “not good at all” which is where most consumers end up.
I would probably make my choice based on how you feel about having a latex vs a memory foam comfort layer and of course the other parts of your “value equation” as well. Some of the high quality memory foam options that are in the list I linked to previously are significantly less than $2000 as well.
I just came across SleepEZ while browsing the forum, definitely like what they have to offer but they are probably the most difficult beds for me to wrap my head around since the consumer is able to determine the foam specifications of each layer. Good news is TempurPedic is probably out based on the ridiculous price alone, but I am not a whole lot closer in concluding anything despite how urgently my back and neck want me to make a decision.
To my knowledge I am not allergic to latex, but have you ever heard where people have had allergic reactions to latex beds?
All the options just mean that there is something for just about everyone I agree it can be overwhelming though.
My husband and I purchased the Ultimate Dreams from Amazon a little over a month ago and we love it. We both knew we didn’t like the feel of memory foam so after a little research and trying some latex mattresses, we picked the Ultimate Dreams. It’s been great so far. Also with the money we saved, we were able to splurge a bit on a nice topper and other bedding items.
I would totally recommend trying a latex mattress at a local store since the feel is quite different from memory foam. Make sure the latex mattress you try has the latex in the upper layers (not the support) since that will give you a closer representation to the Ultimate Dreams. You also might want to make note of the firmness level that you like since that will help you choose your firmness level if you do decide to choose the Ultimate Dreams.
Good luck and let us know what worked out for you.
There’s little I can add to Coventry’s advice except to reinforce that local testing can help a manufacturer help you more effectively. Talking to them will also give you more information about what they offer.
I think a good first step to simplify the process would be to decide on which of the two basic premium foams you prefer between memory foam and latex so that you can exclude one or the other.
I would avoid the tendency to analyze “comfort specs” like ILD and combinations too much because it’s far more complex than most people would really want to know and I would focus more on how you feel about different layers you have tested and let the manufacturers know the specs about which ones were best for PPP (pressure relief, posture and alignment, and personal preferences). In other words I would “report” the comfort specs connected with your testing rather than analyze them. Let them do what they are best at which is giving you good guidance so you don’t have to re-invent the wheel and learn what they have taken years to learn. even then there is much more to a mattress than just the foam and they would know all the smaller details that can affect the performance of the mattress besides just the foam. Your job in other words is to give them good feedback about your needs and preferences based on local testing. Their job is to use your feedback to help you make better choices. Without this they will go by “averages” which is what an average person of your body type and sleeping style would normally prefer.
Regarding latex allergies … post #2 here has more information and helps explain why for the vast majority of people … allergies to latex foam is not an issue.
I called Shawn at SleepEZ today and ordered an Organic 13000–soft, medium, firm, extra firm, all natural talalay. Very anxious for it to arrive and I am thrilled with the ability to change around the layers to customize the bed to my liking. Until I came across this site, I thought I would have to bother with the hassle of returning an entire mattress if I didn’t get it “right” the first time. I still feel stupid when it comes to bed, but I am a lot more knowledgeable than I was just 10 days ago. Thanks for creating this site; mattress shopping is overwhelming and it is nice to have a site to help weed through the marketing and sales nonsense.
On a side note, I judge companies by how quickly they respond to e-mails; Select Foam never bothered responding, but SleepEZ and Brooklyn Bedding both responded to all of my inquiries within a couple of hours. If a company cannot even bother responding to a sales inquiry, how in the world will they handle any issues down the road?
Thanks too for the feedback about Select Foam. I have never emailed them (I tend to communicate with outlets on the phone because it is more conducive to the more complex or nuanced conversations that can be connected to mattresses, layering, and specs and I like to hear the “tone” of what they say) but I certainly agree that with online manufacturers or outlets especially, a timely response to emails is important … even if it’s only to say something like “thanks for your email, is there a good time to call you on the phone because your questions may be more complex than you realize”.
Thanks again for your feedback and I hope you have a chance to give us a report when you’ve had the chance to sleep on your new mattress for a few days.
GJBenn,
I just started actively browsing this forum. I came across your post of saying that we did not get back to you. If at all possible, can you let me know what email address you bothered reaching out to?
Also, if you have yet to buy a bed yet, I’d like to offer you 20% to make up for our negligence in missing your communication.
By the way, a mattress resembling the Tempurpedic Rhapsody does make the most sense for someone in your position. Anything without an HD foam in it isn’t ideal for someone with pre-existing injuries, and anything with more foam in it is simply overkill for your weight.
Has anyone purchased or tested a Regalis-HD and can they give their impressions against a TempurPedic Rhapsody? Select Foam hasn’t returned my call from 3 days ago so it’s given me more time to find some posts that say it is not a true apples to apples and that the Regalis is much firmer. I think my wife would be ok if it was more firm as this is her preference, but I’m a side sleeper and am getting over a frozen shoulder and would be concerned if it was much firmer than a Rhapsody. Thanks.
Have you been helped yet? When I saw this message I had our staff contact an individual, which I will assume is you? If not, you’ve probably gone on to purchase elsewhere, but I apologize for this lapse of customer service. We’ve gone through the rehiring process and admittedly there was a learning curve for our new associate.
If I can be of any help-in any way- please let me know.
I agree it can be overwhelming though.