Hi ckozy,
I certainly can.
The Chicago list is in post #2 and #4 here and one of the members of this site which has some of the best quality and value mattresses in the country is right at the top of it. They would likely be the first and probably the last place I would visit if I was in Chicagoland. 
Phoenix
Thanks for the heads-up. Have been researching mattresses and shops and have been tempted by some āSā models at local big box stores. Will be heading to Quality Sleep Shop this weekend to check out their mattresses.
Hi lwondo,
I have a feeling you will be quite impressed and Tim and his staff to a great job educating and helping their customers.
Iām looking forward to your feedback after you visit them
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
Iām new here too and I have been trying to sort through this wealth of information and I am impressed by your knowledge and honesty.
My husband and I are looking to purchase a new mattress. We live near Ottawa/Kingston Ontario, Canada. We bought a traditional spring mattress from Sealy about 7 years ago and it is already toast. I am starting to have a lot of back trouble and headaches. We are both heavy people.
I have been looking at the Novosbeds and I found a post on here from about a year and a half ago where you said you wouldnāt recommend them b/c they probably use Chinese foam. I havenāt found anything more recent and I am wondering if this is still the case ( I have read other positive comments about the transparency of Novosbed).
We also went to Sleep Country and tried the Serta foam bed āDirectionsā with the latex and gel layers, which is apparently only available at Sleep Country. Sounds like youāre not a fan of Serta though either.
We liked the Tempurpedics but our budget is around $2000-2500CADā¦
We are thinking that foam will be better for my back, but my husband sleeps hotā¦otherwise I donāt care what type, as long as the quality is decent and supportive.
Still combing through your site for answers but feeling overwhelmed. What would you recommend for a pair of chunky Ontarians looking for a good mattress? LOL
Thanks
Hi Phoenix,
Ok so I read all of your mattress buying guidelines and they are soooo helpful!
I went back to the Novosbed website and they now are sporting the CertiPur-US seal and the BBB logo as well. Does this change your opinion of Novosbed? Everything else feels good about them but I trust your opinion and Iām desperately seeking approval!! :lol: 
Hi SleepyD,
Yes ā¦ Novosbed changed their suppliers (see post #7 here) and that along with my conversations with Sam Prochazka (who is one of the founders) since that time where he was very transparent and knowledgeable about their mattresses and open about their company and some of their past āmistakesā and what they learned from them resulted in them being included in the list of some of the better online memory foam sources in post #12 here.
They are also registered as a member of the forum and have provided some helpful advice to some of the forum members here.
Phoenix
[quote=āPhoenixā post=1226]
https://www.mattressmattress.com/ Retail outlet in Edmonton that carries Pure latex Bliss (blended Talalay), and Sova (and some other alternative brands which that may have better than average value).
Phoenix[/quote]
Thanks for the updated info Phoenix!
I believe MattressMattress has different owners (like a franchise) - and my experience at two different locations was like apples and oranges. The woman I spoke to at the Sherwood Park location was very open and not pushy at all, even though they work on commission. Several weeks later I stopped at the one on St. Albert Trail to remind myself what they had, and the guy there was pushy, answered questions with what sounded like memorized answers (that often made no sense), and was even a bit creepy - he stood and watched me the whole time I laid on a mattress.
Hi jwind55,
Thatās not so unusual in my experience when there are either franchises or many retail locations for a manufacturer or retailer. I would usually tend to call first to see what kind of knowledge, service, and information I am likely to receive before visiting any retailer or manufacturer because as you mentioned I have seen a big difference between the knowledge and service at different locations of multi store retailers or manufacturers.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
I have read several pages in this topic, but not all 35 :ohmy: , so I may have missed the answers to my questions/thoughts below.
We are researching to replace our iComfort Prodigy, which is bothering both of us after 11 months. Thankfully, the big retail store we got it from offers an exchange before 365 days are up, and supposedly a refund of any price difference (or you pay if your new choice is more $). We are hoping to just get a new mattress for our daughter and a refund of the rest. Weāll see how that goes.
(FYI for others out there who are still considering the iComfort line: the Prodigy has a thin layer of āslow recovery foamā that is supposed to give it a little more support/less sinking in than the Savant, which we found to be too soft. But I think I sink through the 2" or so of memory foam above this slow recovery layer and make enough contact with that to cause pain in my hip. However it is not soft enough for my shoulder to sink in & that hurts as well (arthritis issues there). And I canāt sleep for long on my back because of the softness and lumbar disc issues. I thought my body pain issues were mostly me and not the mattress until my DH began feeling sore in the a.m. Now weāre sure the mattress is not good for either of us. The newer models just seem to have ānew & improvedā gel foam layers, but Iāll bet theyāre no better and they are higher priced.)
So now Iām investigating latex and have found 2 all-latex mattresses in the appointment-only showroom at Land and Sky/Natural Bed Store, one partial latex at Denver Mattress (the iChoice), and am considering visiting Midwest Bedding in Omahaāin spite of their one-page, not much info, musical website.
The two at Land and Sky were OK. The Heaven & Earth has an independent 2-3" latex pillow topper with a quilted wool fire-barrier, and was OK, but didnāt really support my waist/lumbar well, and we donāt want a pillow topper. The Rainforest felt better, more supportive, but could have been a little softer for my shoulders. The sales rep seemed quite knowledgeable, though I couldnāt get ILDās revealed, but they can customize the mattress layers and also both sides if requested. The H&E was quite priceyājust shy of $5000! The Rainforest was $2800, but the sales rep told me that the basic mattresses were the same, just the pillow topper added to the H&E, and that some customers who bought the R years ago are now adding the pillow topper for comfort to it. I canāt quite swallow that this pillow topper would be over $2000 though. They use all organic materials and natural Dunlop latex.
In the topic āDenver Mattress iChoice and Jamisonā where the iChoice was being asked about, you said you thought it had good quality layers, but that the inability to choose different comfort layers for the included 3" talalay topper was disappointing. That was the only mattress/piece I have found so far that relieves the pressure points in both my hips & shoulder, but they donāt sell that topper separately and it doesnāt seem that the whole set is worth $2400, esp. since it includes a couple layers of polyfoam-even if they are good quality. Were you ever able to find out the ILD for that very soft, slightly bouncy topper? They did return my call today but ādidnāt have that informationā for me either; surprise, surprise.
So today I spoke with Mark from Midwest Bedding who said they have solid core (one firmness layer) Talalay latex mattresses, a variety of comfort levels can be achieved with different materials & firmnesses. In post #21 of the current topic, Joe P said he was going to Midwest Bedding in Omaha, then in post #29 he said he went to Midwest Mattress and spoke to Mark, and chose a bed there. These two do not appear to be the same company, do you think he confused the names? The mattress he mentions is in the price range I was told by Mark that Midwest Bedding has. Joe P does not appear to have responded with how his mattress selection went 
I hope no news is good newsā¦
Do you have any feedback about Midwest Bedding? Iād really rather buy local than online and do need to be able to try what Iām going to buy.
Thanks for reading & thanks so very much for all this great info and help. I wish there was some way to expose the major mattress brands and get the info about whatās really important out to the āmassesā. But every major news network likely has ties to a major brand mattress manufacturer. :dry:
Hi LastchanceNE,
You can see the layers and my comments about most of the iComfort line in post #11 here (including the layer that arenāt listed on the Serta site). The āslow recovery layerā in the Prodigy (besides the memory foams) is slow recovery latex which can feel firmer than slow recovery memory foams. Both of these would normally be considered to be āsoftā mattresses and on the softer side of the comfort scale but the Savant would feel softer for most people.
Donāt forget that pain in the AM most often (but not always) relates to alignment issues and a mattress that is too soft. Hip pain can also be related to comfort layers that are too thick and soft and side sleeping where the hips can become hyperextended and stretch the joints and ligaments.
Comfort/pressure relief is mostly about what you feel when you go to sleep at night.
Alignment/support is mostly about what you feel when you wake up in the morning (with or without back pain or discomfort)
Durability is all about how quickly the foam softens and what you will feel in a year or two down the road.
Both of these mattresses have fairly thick comfort layers and would be more risky for alignment than for pressure relief (although each person is unique).
Iām a little unclear about whether you are exchanging a mattress and only have the options available in the store you purchased from of if you are starting all over again (or both).
In any case ā¦ if you are looking for a new mattress then youāve probably seen this (based on what you are looking at) but the better options and possibilities Iām aware of (depending on the specific mattress you are looking at) in the Omaha area are in post #2 here.
ILDās are a comfort spec and have nothing to do with quality so they are often not disclosed in a local store. With Dunlop, ILD is not exact anyway and ILD is only one of the factors that determines the softness or firmness of a foam. With local testing itās much better to test carefully and objectively and let your body tell you what is soft of firm enough in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) than ILD numbers which in some cases have little meaning.
No ā¦ I have made several phone calls but nobody I have talked with has known and the ones that said theyād call me back havenāt.
I donāt know whether he confused the names but Midwest Bedding is not the same company as Midwest Mattress which is one of the members here and is in the Des Moines region. Based on his posts and on the fact that he mentioned Restonic I would think it was Midwest Mattress but I donāt know for certain.
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Other than the fact that they are a local manufacturer so the odds are higher that they will be knowledgeable and transparent about their mattresses and the materials they use and have better quality/value ā¦ I havenāt had any conversations with them no. I tried to call them as I was writing this but they were closed so as time permits and I am able to reach them Iāll give them a call to see if they can provide more information about their mattresses but in the meantime based on āoddsā and on your comments it would be well worth including them in your research.
One day at a time and one person at a time it will happen ā¦ at least if I have anything to say or do about it
Iām looking forward to your ongoing feedback and of course any questions you may have along the way.
Phoenix
Thanks, Phoenix,
Your reminders about the diff between pressure relief & alignment (p.m. vs a.m. feel) make a lot of sense in our case.
I guess itās both, since we have to exchange, and I am hoping to exchange our Prodigy for a suitable and much less expensive mattress for our DD (am reading the forum topics on mattresses for kids-sheās 12) AND get a refund of the price difference, which I then would use to help purchase a good mattress elsewhere for myself and my DH, since we didnāt find a good replacement for ours at the original mattress retailerāNebraska Furniture Mart. (Does that clear things up? It still sounds muddy as I re-read.)
And I guess if they wonāt honor their agreement to an exchange with a large refund, and require us somehow to buy a set closer in price to our Prodigy, we will have to pick the best value supportive mattress we can find there and look for a topper for a comfort layer (am also looking at those relevant forum discussions). And all by the end of the month :ohmy:
I have visited all the stores youāve suggested for the Omaha area with the exception of Midwest Bedding. I also checked on the Pure Bliss Latex retail outlet locator & the only locations within 100 miles donāt seem to carry them (one is an Amish furn store & the other seems to be a web-hosting siteā¦?). Please do let me know if you have any further impressions of Midwest Bedding.
I keep thinking about that iChoice at Denver Mattress, though, and how wonderful the topper felt for my pressure pointsā¦and itās about the same price that our refund would be. Just not sure about the support piece (the actual mattress set), its durability, or the value (have read a lot of what you have to say about that).
A trip to the KC or Des Moines areas isnāt completely out of the question, but would rather avoid that if possible.
Thanks!
Hi LastchanceNE,
That makes perfect sense to me ā¦ and certainly solves my confusion
The base iChoice mattress is certainly good quality and has no obvious weak links. The only lower quality material in the comfort layers is the 1" of 1.35 lb polyfoam and this is under 2" of latex and is only an inch thick which is inside the guideline I would normally use of no more than around an inch or so of lower quality materials in the upper layers. The topper is also a high quality material (all Talalay latex). Other than quality though I would questioin its āvalueā ā¦ especially compared to the āmostly latexā mattresses they used to make. One person I talked with today believes the topper is the same ILD as the top layer in the Snowmass which was 24 ILD.
I also had a chance to talk with Mark at Midwest Bedding to today and spent about an hour on the phone (that went past his closing time). It was a great conversation and I was very impressed with what he had to say. He uses good quality materials in all his mattresses and has great value as well. He is an āold timeā manufacturer and what I call āmattress peopleā and will disclose all the information about the mattresses he makes. He also carries some larger brands to fill in any gaps in his lineups. Mostly makes what he calls low to moderate priced mattresses (that would be much higher priced in a mainstream outlet), mostly 2 sided mattresses, still used techniques like inner tufting of materials, and also makes some all Talalay latex mattresses as well (also with good quality/value). Also has a few memory foam mattresses that use higher density memory foam but like most long term manufacturers he uses memory foam with discretion. All in all they would certainly be one of the places I would include in my research anywhere within reasonable driving distance of Omaha.
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Phoenix
Phoenix,
Thanks so very much! Great news on Midwest Bedding! I really appreciate your taking the time to call and talk with them and so glad your impression of their company is so favorable! I would not have known how to get that much information from a phone call or been able to assess it. (May I tell them how much I appreciated their willingness to take the time talk with you in depth?)
And way to go for getting an approximate answer on the iChoice latex topper ILD! I know itās not always a very helpful spec, but I was curious what level of softness it is since it felt better for my pressure points than anything else Iāve tried so far = every major brandās top lines and several lesser-knowns.
Looks like a trip to Omaha is in order nextājust as soon as I finish researching mattresses for kids & toppers on supportive mattresses, to cover all my bases.
Hi LastchanceNE,
Iām looking forward to your feedback when you go there ā¦ and thereās no problem in letting them know how much I appreciated their openness and the time they spent talking with me
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
Just went to Midwest Bedding in Omaha and tried his latex. Iād love your opinion on this:
Its is an 8" firm blended Talalay, forgot to ask what the blend is, will do thatā¦ with HR poly in the top quilting, $959 for a Queen set with foundation.
He let us try it with a 1" piece of soft Talalay on top, which he could adhere to the solid core when making the mattress for comfort. I doubled this & it felt even better. So with a 2" layer on top and on bottom (flippable), the cost would be about $1200.
(I might even think about 3", or a 3" separate topperā¦)
With it being a blend, does this sound like a good value to you, if it meets our PPP needs?
There were also some preference options on the foundationāhave to research that, too.
We really enjoyed talking with him, heās not a high-pressure sales person, he really knew his stuff & history & has been selling for 30 of the 60 some years Midwest Bedding has been in business in Omaha.
Thanks!!
Hi LastchanceNE,
Blended Talalay would be a 30/70 blend with 30% natural rubber or NR and 70% synthetic rubber or SBR. It is a high quality material.
They are poured in molds taht are just under 6" and then cut to different layer thicknesses from there so the 8" mattress would probably have single 6" core and then a 2" layer on top of it (although it could have any combination that added up to 8").
It certainly is a good quality material and would be great value for a queen mattresses that uses 8" of blended Talalay latex or 12" with the softer layer on each side of the mattress
Phoenix
Phoenix,
Mark said he thinks his Talalay blend has a higher natural content than synthetic but would have to find & check his specs to be sure of the %'s, but he says it is from Dunlopillo. Now, I have searched this online & in your mattress forums & found out about the company (US?) going bankrupt in 2007 & being bought & split up, & not all users of that name even make latex anymore, etc. Mark at Midwest Bedding said that his is European. (There were posters from Dunlopillo on his wall that could well have been pre-2007.)
So I plan on asking a little more about this when weāre up there today. Iām sure heād rather not disclose EVERY detail of his business, but the Dunlopillo thing makes me a little uneasy. However, he said that he gets it in one solid core ILD, but that it is manufactured with different sized holes on the edges & middle for a little more support, which I saw described in your article on latex. Any further thoughts you have on the Dunlopillo thing would be helpful.
I am also wondering now whether to have an inch or two of soft Talalay adhered to the firm Talalay mattress itself (both sides) or to get a separate 2 inch topper made (he said he could do this, too.). [OR one inch adhered to one side and a sep. 2 " topper, which would give me the option of 2", 3", or none. So many possibilities! :woohoo: ] Any quick thoughts on this?
Almost doneāThanks!
Hi LastchanceNE,
As you mentioned, Dunlopillo no longer makes Talalay latex and is just a brand name. In North america the brand name is owned by latex International so Dunlopillo Talalay is Latex International Talalay and they make a blend which is about 30% NR and 70% SBR. They also make a version of Talalay that is 100% natural rubber (no synthetic) but it is more costly and less durable in softer versions.
Talalay Latex is made in 5.6" - 6" molds so an 8" core would probably be a thicker core with an additional 2" glued on top of it. There are no 8" molds. Regardless of whether it has the Dunlopillo name or the Latex International name ā¦ Talalay latex is a good quality material.
The design of a mattress really depends on how well it matches your needs and preferences in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) and this is based on your own careful and objective testing. A topper has the advantage of being replaceable without replacing the entire mattress while if you use the same layer inside a mattress that is enclosed (and doesnāt have a zipper thatallows you to remove the foam) then itās more difficult to replace it. The thickness and the firmness level of the topper that was most suitable for you would depend on your personal testing for PPP and on the specifics of the mattress underneath it.
I would make sure that you can test any mattress/topper combination in person whenever possible because the design of the mattress will affect the feel of the topper and vice versa and itās always best to test the combination you will be sleeping on. If you do decide to choose a two sided mattress I would make it the same on both sides and this has advantages in terms of durability but it would also be more limited in terms of the design because itās not a good idea to use too much soft foam on the bottom of a mattress because it can affect support/alignment.
It can be a good idea to have a two sided mattress with firmer comfort layers and a topper on top so you can flip the base mattress (which should be the same on both sides) and use the topper on both sides. If a two sided mattress is different on each side then it may lose the benefit of being two sided because one side may be suitable for you but the other may not be.
Phoenix
Phoenix,
Thanks for all your help! Thought Iād let you know how things have worked out for us so far; hope this is also helpful for anyone else looking for this info:
We did end up ordering a 2-sided latex from Mark at Midwest Bedding in Omaha. He was so helpfulāand patient, indulgent evenāin answering our many questions during both visits & several phone calls. He let us use a Queen-sized piece of soft Talalay to experiment with the comfort layer and showed me samples of the quilt/padding/covers and foundations he could use.
The mattress is a 6" firm Talalay, 1 piece as you noted, so the other 2" in the basic mattress are the quilting/cover on the top & bottom sides. We did go ahead with the 2" softer Talalay pieces on top and bottom of the mattress rather than a Topper. After much testing and discussion, we felt this would work best, probably mostly for Preference, but hopefully wonāt be too soft to affect support/alignment. I think the 2" will be firmer than the 1"doubled over that we tested, considering the properties (progressive resistance) of Latex you described in your article on Latex. We didnāt get a natural/synthetic blend % as he hadnāt contacted his rep yet, but he thought it was more natural than synthetic.
As I said before, Mark isnāt a high-pressure sales guy, but heās very knowledgeable-mattress people, as you say-- and willing to help, but also lets you figure out what is right for you. The store is a small older building with 20 or so floor models of several typesāno āSā brands at all. I probably wouldnāt have found or visited it if not for your emphasis on local retailers and inquiries with Mark at Midwest Bedding. So again THANK YOU!!!
We were also able to pick out an okay mattress for our pre-teen from Nebraska Furniture Mart (then we can get another āgoodā one in a few years) and have our iComfort exchange/refund process begun. Just have to wait for inspection of the iComfort when they pick it up upon delivery of hers. We did have a little fun with the sales reps there by asking specific questions. One asked if we wanted to know anything about what was in a mattress and when I asked what kind of foam he said, āOh, it could be anything, I donāt know.ā! Another told me that density really didnāt matter anymore, especially in the memory foam mattressesā¦!!! I had to bite my tongue 
. He didnāt stay with me very long after that. I felt like slipping several potential victims there a note with this web address on it. Or wearing a t-shirtāyou should sell some :lol:
So weāll get our new Latex in about 2 weeks and Iāll post a review when weāve had a few nights on it. And about how the NFM refund goes.
So excited! :woohoo:
Hi LastchanceNE,
Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with Mark and Midwest Mattress. As you experienced ā¦ it makes a real difference when you are dealing with knowledgeable and experienced manufacturers that really do put your interests above their own.
Your āstoriesā about dealing with some of the salespeople is a very familiar one to members of this forum and Iāve seen more than my share of eyes roll (or people disappearing from sight) when I start asking some questions in some stores
I hope everything goes well with the refund.
Most importantly of all though ā¦ congratulations on your new mattress! You certainly made a great choice and Iām looking forward to your feedback when youāve had the chance to sleep on it.
Phoenix