I decided to return the mattress. That said, though, the mattress was very well made, especially the organic cotton and wool cover. SUPER soft to the touch and slept pleasently cool.
The mattress is definitely soft and conforming, but surprisingly supportive when laying on my back. If you are of average weight and height, the soft will be a decent choice if primarily a side sleeper. If heavy, I would consider a firmer mattress.
So why did I return the mattress? It was a latex thing — as much as I wanted to love latex, it just wasn’t for me.
I’ll say this about SOL — THEY ABSOLUTELY ROCK! Fantastic customer service from purchase to return. I requested a return by email and get this — they scheduled the mattress pick up on the SAME day. 2 gentlemen from “Got Junk” removed the mattress from my bedroom upstairs with my credit card to be credited within 5 business days.
Thanks for taking the time to report back. I’m sorry that you found out that you’re not a “latex person”, but I’m happy that SOL was very responsive with processing your return.
Sorry to revive this thread, but my experience seems to be similar although I’m not sure what to do. My issue is that I’m primarily a back sleeper (5’10" 145lb so pretty skinny for sure), and I went with the SOL medium mattress since my partner weighs about the same and is primarily a stomach and side sleeper. They advised us that back and stomach sleepers would definitely need a medium and not soft mattress, but the medium is way too firm for my partner. So we added a 2’’ soft dunlop latex topper from SOL. That works for my partner, but for me sleeping on my back without the topper I find the mattress still too firm. The weird thing is that with the 2’’ soft topper it just feels too soft for me. So I was considering getting either a 1’’ soft topper for my side or exchanging the whole mattress for the soft version.
My concern with the exchange is that I get stuck with a mattress that is too soft and thus can’t be easily firmed up with a topper the way a more firm mattress can be. But everything I’ve read leads me to believe that the “soft” dunlop latex mattress is really close to a “medium” spring mattress. So I really am stuck at this point not sure if I shot roll the dice with the 1’’ topper or spring for the soft SOL mattress. This is my third mattress in 6 months, and I can’t go out shopping again and again like this. Any advice?
I understand why you’d be concerned with getting “stuck” with a soft mattress and you are correct that it is “safer” to go with a slightly firmer option because you can always soften the upper layers and improve pressure relief and “comfort” but it’s much more difficult to firm up the support of a mattress that is too soft because this involves removing or replacing layers or components that are too soft (instead of adding to them) which could be much more difficult to do. Either of the two options you mentioned could work, but unfortunately, I’m unable to predict what might be best for you because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is that you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress.
In the last couple of months Sleep On Latex transitioned to slightly softer versions of foams to accommodate the consumer “need” for more plushness. I don’t know how long ago you purchased your mattress from them, but it is possible that this slight change could be just what you need in terms of comfort. I suggest you give SOL a call and provide them with details about your current mattress topper combination and the results of your experiments along with your body type and sleeping positions and your preferences to see which of the options has the best chance of matching your desired level of comfort.
Thanks for the reply! My mattress was purchased very recently. So it’s surely the “softer” version. Unfortunately, it just is too firm for my back. I’m going to try out a 1’’ topper to see if that makes any difference and then move over to a more conventional spring mattress. It’s what I wanted to avoid (especially purchased from a large chain store), but at this point I can’t risk the soft latex one not working out. It’s a shame because I found the quality of the product compared to the crappy memory/polyurethane foam beds to be much higher and appreciated that it’s non-toxic.
As Pure Green medium was too firm for both of you and adding the 2" soft topper proved to be good for your partner but too soft for you, I agree that probably the 1" topper may be the best solution for both of you to have the “middle ground” softness/firmness combination. As your partner is primarily a prone sleeper I would be hesitant to suggest the softer version of SOL as this may cause sleeping in a swayback position that might result in lower back pains. There’s a bit more information about common sleeping positions and appropriate sleeps surfaces here.
If both you and your partner decide to switch to a spring mattress, I would pay the most attention to your own careful and objective testing which will tell you how the innerspring performs in combination with the other layers and materials in a mattress (versus using a latex core) and to the quality of the materials above the innerspring which is normally the weakest link in a mattress. You certainly can find a comfortable combination using springs or latex. There is more about the different types of innersprings in this article , in post #10 here and in post #16 here
and you can use your previous experience and testing and seek guidance from some of our Expert and Trusted Members that carry innerspring hybrids and can use the information you provide them with about your body type and sleeping positions, your preferences, and the history and experience with the previous mattress to recommend something that would be suitable for both you and your partner.
Hope that the new mattress/toper combo will work out for you and I look forward to any updates you might have along the way
Well I’m in luck in that a local foam supplier is willing to cut my 2’’ thick “soft” dunlop latex mattress topper in half to give me a 1’’ piece to work with. I have my suspicion that this still won’t do it and I’ll just end up getting a different mattress, but I appreciate all the help either way! Will report back if it’s a success. Otherwise, assume not.
It sounds like you have a good plan. Nice that you found a local solution to slit the topper to make it thinner.
Keep us posted! I’ll be interested to know if the 1" made the difference.
So here’s the update. I was able to get the latex topper cut to 1’’ at a local foam supplier! Just cost me $10. Unfortunately, it still does not seem to be working out for me (after a week of sleeping with it). 1’’ is definitely better for me, but I’m still getting some upper back pain, though it’s much reduced. Today was the first day it didn’t hurt a ton for me, but I’m going to go mattress shopping this weekend as I don’t think this latex mattress is going to work out no matter what I do with toppers.
I don’t think my back will “adjust” more or anything to this mattress because I shouldn’t have any back pain after sleeping on an adjusted mattress after a week. I really don’t buy the whole “30 days to get used to it” mantra. Pain should appear in the adjustment period.
It saddens me because I really don’t have time to keep swapping mattresses, and my city has only mattress firms and a few $3000 minimum organic bedding stores. So I’m going to have to roll the dice with a mid-level beautyrest I think
I can’t fit a bunch of visits to the specialty stores into my schedule to find a bed that’s out of my price range already, and I’m about to send my 3rd mattress to be recycled. It’s so wasteful for no reason (who knows if they even actually get recycled). I just need this process to be over, hopefully for a good while. I’d love to try a different latex supplier, but I can’t deal with the hassle of the returning yet another bed in a box.
Thanks for the update.… Oh well, …at least you gave it a chance to see if it would make the difference for you. You’d be surprised at how stubborn our bodies can be at times… once they learn a pathway it takes a great deal of patience and skill to convince it to unlearn a “bad habit”, but I understand if you feel that you are done with it.
I can’t agree with you more regarding the wastefulness and I am glad that you are mindful of the environment and the ecological footprint. We have a few experts and trusted members that would cheer up with you.
I’d be very curious to find out what worked for you in the end after you visit some local stores.
Update! I tried a latex hybrid (latex/coil) system from Nest Bedding that seemd nice, but I was able to get an exchange extension from sleep on latex. So I’m going to try the SOL soft mattress (a risk since I’m primarily a back sleeper that prefers a medium to medium firm mattress) and see what I think of it. My partner thinks I might just need a hybrid latex coil mattress for more bounce/support, but I’m going to give 100% latex a shot one more time. Will report back once I’ve had time to try it out.
I’m strongly considering a Latex mattress myself, and have heard the phrase “…as long as you like the unique feel of a latex mattress…” mentioned many times. Can you describe why Latex didn’t feel right for you?
You are at a good starting point with asking the right questions about the differences in feel of various materials. I noticed from your other post that you’ve already found Post #7 here that describes the main differences in feel between Talalay and Dunlop Latex, but if you … like many other people looking for a new mattress are used to a spring or memory foam mattress I’d suggest that along with some “theory at a distance” you do some local testing to “compare and contrast” different foams and mattress types based on your needs and preferences. I’d also make sure to have a look at the differences between latex and other types of foam in Post #2 here for latex vs memory foam comparison and in Post #2 here which has some pros and cons of latex vs polyfoam.
Just made an account here to say thank you for all the valuable information in the forum (and this thread in particular)!
My girlfriend and I have been looking for a mattress and we think we’re going to give Sleep on Latex a try. Neither of us have had a latex mattress before, but we liked the feel of them when we tried a few out in-store. Like others in this thread, the biggest point of contention for us is determining what firmness level to order. I’m a pure side-sleeper while my girlfriend is usually on her back (she doesn’t want a mattress that’s too-soft for that reason), so we’re trying to find a firmness that’ll work for the both of us.
After doing some research on their mattress, we think we’re going to choose the 9" Soft. General sentiment seems to be that the “medium” firmness runs a bit “firmer” than expected (but of course, it’s all qualitative), and combined with our relatively light weight, soft will hopefully still be supportive enough for her. There’s only so much research we can do I suppose, I think we’re at the point where we just need to actually try it out!
If Sleepymucho is still around, I’d be very curious to see what they think of their SOL soft.
I was curious about any follow up with your mattress purchase. Did you settle on the Sleep On Latex soft? If so how was the support for two different sleep types (side and back)?
I am also curious what those who have purchased from Sleep On Latex have felt with their mattresses. I am a 5’11" 165lb male and my wife is 5’8" 155lb. She is a side/back sleeper and I am a back sleeper. I tend to like firm, as I have enjoy a good floor sleep more than the next guy. I am trying to decide between their medium and firm mattresses. The firm sounds tempting to me because like the initial post stated, it is easier to make a firm bed soft than a soft bed firm, so this may come down to us getting the firm and adding a topper to one side of the mattress. Luckily Sleep On Latex has their free return policy, though it is only for one purchases every 365 days from the looks of it, so if the first purchases did not turn out, purchasing a second makes me wary. Any thoughts from anyone?
I’ll chime in to update. The soft mattress didn’t work for me as well, but I found good relief with another brand of traditional spring mattress (winkbeds). Here’s the thing with the sleeponlatex beds. Even though feel is subjective, I can assure that their medium mattress is much closer to the feel of a firm mattress if you are a normal weight (that describes you and your partner, Cameron). I can guarantee that the sleeponlatex firm will feel like an absolute rock, if that’s what you’re going for. You will absolutely need a topper for that one, and even then it may be too firm. Even with the medium, with my 155 frame, my butt barely sunk down enough to give me comfort.
Something to keep in mind that no one talks about. If the mattress is too firm, it can be nearly impossible to fix it with a topper (you end up sinking in and losing support). People often say, “you can always make a firm mattress softer” but that doesnt mean it will provide the balance of comfort and support that is ideal for a given sleeper. 3" of soft latex might work if the medium or firm SOL mattress is too firm. You can also do one comfort exchange with their mattresses, but then you’re stuck with the second mattress no matter what.
Thank you for the posts and questions. And Sleepymucho, thank you for your input as well, very helpful to get more perspectives. As you may have noticed Sleep On Latex is one of the trusted members of our site which means that we think highly of them and that they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency so I would highly recommend calling and talking to SOL about the differences between their soft/med/firm and how they may apply to your particular needs and preferences. Ultimately you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and what may be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people in terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range).
There is no doubt that sleepymucho makes very good points about the ability to make a firm mattress softer. In some mattress companies, the difference between firm and medium may only be 2 ILD differences, and when put into a cover the difference is distinct but not as far as “sleeping on a rock”. More importantly, as we many times state in articles and in multiple forum postings … every person is unique and has different needs and preferences and the best and the perfect comfort/support fit is highly personal as it involves some testing, and research as well as a deeper body awareness as it relates to its sleeping needs,. You can read a bit more about this on Sleep On Latex firmness thread here.
There is no doubt that SOL uses high-quality materials, and many people have discussed there high-quality customer service, which is very important. I’d certainly make sure to talk to the people at SOL and ask all the questions you can as they are much more familiar with their own mattress designs and materials than anyone else (including me) and they can use the information you provide them about your body type and sleeping positions, your preferences, your history on different mattresses, and the results of your local testing to make suggestions based on the “averages” of other customers that may be similar to you. The more accurate and detailed the information you provide them the better you will help them to help you make the best possible choices out of the options they have available.
You can also read about the SOL shipping and returns page about one item per customer returns - 12 month period, which IMO is fair and common business practice.
Good luck going forward and please send updates or other questions you may have.
Thanks for all the great info. I was set to order a firm SOL but after reading thread this will go with a medium. I’m in Hawaii so shipping is an extra $150 so getting it right the first time is important. That said its for my 6 year old and anything will be an upgrade on the $350 spring mattress from the chain store he (and often I) sleeps on:) Now off to go get that discount code;)
