I wanted to post my experience in choosing and purchasing a mattress in order to add to the great information already on this forum. I spent hours combing through old posts and reading up on experiences to educate myself on a quality mattress. My mattress hunt started because I tested out my guest room mattress (previously our in master bedroom) and was appalled at how badly I slept on it. I felt I could not ask our guests to endure that mattress!! After debating my options, I felt that my best route forward was to get a new mattress for our bedroom and send our current mattress to the guest room. We were not experiencing any sleep problems with our mattress, a seven year old Simmons Beautyrest Portola Hill (specs quote 5/8" memory foam over 3/4" talalay latex, over coils), though I did notice some very minor body impressions when making the bed. I would describe the mattress as feeling soft on top, but very supportive underneath. The mattress plus matching box spring was 17 inches high and looked very nice on our sleigh bed frame.
Locally, I was able to visit The Original Mattress Factory where there were great innerspring options, but I was already leaning toward memory foam or latex. I found the latex options there to be either too firm or too soft. Next, my husband and I tested mattresses at The Healthy Back Store. My husband had an instant dislike to their latex offerings (from Pure Bliss), as he felt they were too springy. We both liked the new memory foam line from The Healthy Back Store (probably even more so than the Tempurpedics they sell), but the more I researched, I kept coming back to latex - for its durability, for its hypo-allergenic properties, for its lack of chemical processing. Luckily, my husband is flexible and convinced he can sleep on anything. He assured me he would be happy with whatever I chose.
We are both of average stature and light-to average weight. Both side sleepers, though my husband wakes up on his stomach fairly often. I was leaning heavily toward buying from Brooklyn Bedding and emailed/chatted with them several times to decide on which mattress or firmness would be best for us. Their sales folks were very responsive to my questions and I was absolutely impressed with their service. Initially, I thought we would go with the Aloe Alexis in queen at $1399 - it seemed like a great option for us, as it offered two layers of latex over high quality foam. Brooklyn Bedding recommended a 6 comfort level for us and I was very comfortable with the exchange policy in case our initial choice was off on the proper comfort level. But the more I thought about it, I wanted a full latex mattress. Unfortunately, Brooklynâs Total Latex is only 10 inches high. I knew that was going to look too short for my current bed frame (which does have slats less than 3 inches apart, so it would work as a base for a latex mattress); I wanted to match my current look as closely as possible.
In reading more Mattress Underground reviews, I started looking more closely at Sleep EZâs options. I felt like the SleepEZ 10000 and the SleepEZ 13000 were good choices, plus Sleep EZ offered a 5 inch or 9 inch foundation. Thus, I would have a fully customizable mattress that was either 15, 18, or 19 inches high with foundation. I would find this more attractive on my bed frame. I called Sean at Sleep EZ and described our sleep habits, weights, and stature to him. Sean assured me that we did not need the 13000 and would be very happy with the 10000. He also indicated that 85% of his customers end up using some version of the standard layering of S-M-F (for the 10000) or S-M-F-XF (for the 13000) and that either of these would provide us with a multitude of layering options if we needed to customize further. This fact was the breakthrough that led to the purchase decisions for meâI donât consider myself or my husband to be especially sensitive, hard to please, or have health or sleep issues. If 85% of Sleep EZ customers find this combination (in some layering form) to work for them, it seemed highly likely that we would, too. Sean was slightly concerned about my husbandâs stomach sleeping, as that could require a firmer mattress. He wanted to know if my husband preferred stomach sleeping or simply ended up on his stomach because of inadequate pressure relief for his hips or shoulders. I asked my husband and he felt that he was primarily a side sleeper. Sean strongly recommended that we do split latex layers for our queen bed, so that if our needs were different, we would have all options available. He stressed that split layers did not affect comfort (cannot feel the seam) or longevity and do not move around. Sean also said that, based on everything I had described to him, we should go with the Talalay latex.
I ended up ordering the SleepEZ 13000 for its flexibility and aesthetics. I felt that the 13 inch mattress plus 5 inch foundation most closely matched our current mattress. I also felt that the four split layers of latex allowed us the full gamut of comfort options, should we need them. The 10000 plus 9 inch foundation came out to $2025; for $200 more dollars (the 13000 plus 5 inch foundation), I could have even more options available. I placed my order on a Friday. Sean told me I could expect the mattress the following Thursday (and this was confirmed by the UPS tracking numbers on my emailed receipt).
The mattress arrived early on Thursday morning in many boxes, all of which were clearly marked. I had read reviews of the SleepEZ unpackaging process, so I thought I knew what I was in for. I unpacked the foundation first. It assembles without tools, though I had to re-do the assembly a few times, as I did not realize at first that all four sides of the foundation have velcro to help the slats and cover adhere; initially I had some velcro on the top and some on the bottom of the foundation. Once I got that straightened out, it was smooth sailing. I assembled the four sides and middle support of the foundation, stood inside it to lift it onto my bed frame. At this point, it was unwieldy, but not too heavy for a single female. Once on my bed frame, I unrolled the slats and made sure they attached to the velcro on the foundation. Then I fit the foundation cover over the slatted foundation. This may be obvious to others, but it wasnât to me: the foundation cover goes over the TOP and four sides of the foundation, not the bottom and four sides. Thus, you do not need to put the cover in place until after you have the foundation and slats assembled.
Next I located the box with my top (S) latex split layers, as this is where SleepEZ puts the mattress cover! I unpacked it and found that SleepEX had sent me an organic cotton/wool mattress cover - very nice! I spread it out over the foundation and tucked it under/to the side as best I could. Then I opened the box containing my bottom (XF) layers of latex. Make sure you open the box right next to your bed, as the less you handle the latex, the better, so it does not stretch or tear. I learned to keep the split layers sort of folded onto themselves, as I carried them the short distance to the bed then put them on the middle of each side and let them spring open almost into place. Then I gently âwavedâ them into a perfect fit on each side of the bed. The split layers were very easy to handle for one person. I am not sure if a single layer of queen-szed latex would be easy to handle alone. I did the same with each successive layer - firm, them medium, then soft, carefully pulling the mattress cover around each layer as I was put in place. The fit was tight, but I did not have any trouble zipping the cover when I was done. All told, the process probably took me just over an hour and I was working by myself. The foundation took me the longest and that was due to my velcro mix-ups initially.
The new bed looks great and seems of excellent quality. The wool-quilted cover seems to mitigate the springy-ness of the latex slightly; my husband is not bothered by it at all. In fact, he has either gotten used to it after 2 weeks or it has lessened enough so that he doesnât notice it. Our sleep has been good, but we did not have sleep problems to begin with. I will say that I appreciate that the latex sleeps cool. It has turned into summer overnight here in the past two weeks and I usually have trouble transitioning seasons with the nighttime temperature changes (we do not keep our AC temps as low as our heat at night). I have not been troubled by heat or night sweats at all on the latex bed. We are both using the standard layering (S-M-F-XF) andâso farâit seems to work. I keep describing my feeling on the bed as one of floating on top of still water. I am definitely on top of this mattress, yet it supports every part of me. I was struck by a recent comment by Phoenix, as it perfectly describes how we are feeling about the mattress so far: it does not âwowâ us, but instead disappears beneath us because of its well-designed support. We have both noticed that we are waking up earlier (with approximately 30-45 minutes less sleep than before), but more fully refreshed and awake.
Of course, the search is not over, as I am looking for a mattress protector. I like the current feel of the mattress and donât need to modify it. Would the Geneve St Dormeir or the Natura Wash and Snuggle have less effect on the feel? I am also considering the Tempflow Organic Cotton Mattress protector ($129) suggested by someone on this forum. Please help me decide⌠I donât need waterproof and donât want to sleep hot!
Finally, I love the shredded latex pillows that SleepEZ sent. They are overfilled right now - I could probably make a third pillow out of them, but I find them great for back support when I am sitting in bed and I also use one between my knees at night. I may eventually transition to using them for neck support when sleeping.
Many thanks to all the folks on this forum who contribute their knowledge and experiences! I feel like I made a great purchase!