I’ve been meaning to come back and give an update and my opinion on the mattress I had made by Ken at Arizona Premium Mattress. First off, Ken is amazing and I cannot recommend him enough! From beginning to end he was extremely knowledgeable and patient with my ongoing questions until we narrowed down what we both felt was going to be the perfect design.
For some background information, my girlfriend and I are both in our early 40s with no health or back issues. I’m 5’8" 175lbs and my gf is very petite at around 4’11" 105lbs. I’m primarily a side and back sleeper with occasional side/stomach hybrid. She is almost exclusively back with occasional side. She loves a very plush “cloud-like” feel and while I do like a plush feel, when sleeping on my stomach, most hurt my lower back. We were coming from a memory foam mattress which held a lot of heat and we also didn’t like the “stuck” feeling of memory foam.
The mattress goals I expressed to Ken were something soft but not so soft it would hurt my back or wear out too quick. I wanted something that stayed cool. We also wanted something that would strike a balance between motion isolation but still maintain a little spring to avoid that stuck feeling of memory foam but not overly bouncy. I originally considered a pocket coil core but decided to go with a latex core due to the coils having a bouncier feel.
Ken proposed the following design based on our weight, sleeping positions and comfort preferences and it has been perfect! We did a split 6" blended talalay core in #32 topped with a split 3" #22 blended talalay transition layer. These two layers were encased in a 9" organic cotton cover. On top of these, we used a split 3" blended talalay topper. My half of the topper is #19 and my gf’s side is #14. The splits are held together at the seam with a flexible adhesive and then placed in a 3" stretchy bamboo cover. Ken’s reasoning for placing the topper in a separate cover was to give a more plush feel while still maintaining the same support. By combining all 3 layers into one encasement, some of the plushness would be lost due to the “drum effect.” You cannot feel the seam between the two splits and by using the #19 and #14, I still get a plush feel and enough support without sinking through the softer #14 or wearing it out prematurely. Due to my gf’s size, the #14 is perfect for her in feel, support and longevity. It’s hard to describe the feeling of an all latex mattress until you feel it for yourself. It’s soft but still supportive and you sink into it but it feels as though it’s pushing back against you.
It has now been almost 2 months of sleeping on the mattress and it is the best I’ve ever owned. My gf says it’s her favorite mattress as well. I can’t say enough about The Mattress Underground and the people who have contributed to the site as well as all those who offered me insight in the forum. I don’t know if I’ll ever sleep on anything other than an all latex mattress moving forward. If you’re even considering it, I strongly encourage you to reach out to Ken and let him help you find what will meet your needs.
Congrats on your new mattress purchase from expert trusted member Arizona Premium Mattress! I regard Ken Hightower’s experience and expertise highly as he is deeply knowledgeable of the latex category. Happy to hear that your mutual collaboration resulted in the “perfect design” suited for both you and your girlfriend.
You did a good job with your research and with understanding the significance that your personal preferences play when describing your needs to the manufacturer. An all-latex mattress certainly checks off the boxes of proper support of your back, sleeping cooler, and motion isolation, while offering a touch of springiness to its feel.
Thanks for including the spec details, along with your personal stats GeauxTigers. These will help answer questions for other consumers who may be considering personalized mattress layering options and how to shop for one.
This is a spot-on description of the responsive comfort feel and support of an all latex mattress :), excellent job!
We are happy to learn how much you both are enjoying your new AZ Premium All Latex Mattress. Appreciate the updates and review and hope that you’ll check in following its first year anniversary with more thoughts on your latex sleeping experience.
! Nice to see you again!