Hi Phoenix,
I was at the Victoria Home Expo today and tried the T3 Recovery Mattress by Ironman being marketed by a Parksville, BC dealer. It felt amazing. But even the “special” home show price of $2899 for a queen, delivered and installed in Victoria, seems prohibitive.
I’m interested to learn more about natural latex mattress options. Your site is simply an AMAZING resource.
What do you think of adding a high-quality latex topper to our existing good quality coil mattress, which is just a few years old? My husband and I both suffer neck and shoulder pain as primarily side sleepers.
I read your 2011 post on Victoria mattress dealers and didn’t see any standout businesses. Is the best option still the Foam Guy in Nanaimo, BC? I’d really like to try some options and compare a topper versus a full mattress.
Thanks!
Anita
Hi anitabean,
The T3 mattress uses good quality materials but it is also not the best value … unless the comfort, support, and “feel” of the mattress is so much better than anything else you had available that it would be worth the extra money for someone compared to any other similar mattress that was available that had better “materials value”. It would also be important to make sure you get a layer by layer spec sheet for any mattress you buy so you have a meaningful way to compare it to other mattresses.
If your mattress is too firm and has no soft spots or hills and valleys and is still even on top … then a topper can certainly make sense to improve pressure relief. There is some risk involved though with adding any unknown layer to your sleeping system unless you have tested the specific mattress/topper combination in person before you buy it because it can be difficult to predict how any layer that you are not familiar with will interact with the layers of the mattress you have and with you. There are some topper guidelines in post #2 here that will give you better odds of making a good topper choice and of course any return policy offered by a retailer or manufacturer of a topper also reduces the risk of making a choice that doesn’t work out as well as you hoped. if your mattress is suitable for a topper though … it can certainly be a much better option than replacing the whole mattress and it also allows you to exchange just the topper for another one or to make changes down the road if your comfort needs change.
The Victoria and Island list is still up to date as far as I know and my comments on the list would still apply. There is some good quality and value available in the Victoria list but the Foam Guy in Nanaimo also has some great quality and value mattresses that are a little different as well that may well justify a trip over the hat. This would be a personal choice based on your own personal value equation, on how attractive their mattresses were to you compared to what was available in Victoria, and on whether any differences in the mattresses available and/or prices justified the time and travel expenses. I would certainly start with testing in Victoria at least and then expand to up island testing if your experiences indicated it was a good idea. As you probably know from reading the site … each person has a different set of factors that are more or less important and my focus is more on helping the members here with how to choose and how to make meaningful comparisons then with what to choose.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
Thanks so much for your exceptionally speedy reply! I have been reading extensively in your site and I am so impressed with the quality and depth of response that you offer to every person.
My existing mattress is in near new condition, totally even and supportive – just too firm. I’m definitely going to explore local options to see if I can find a retailer willing to let me try a sample at home before I buy, or at least provide a good option for returns/exchanges.
I’m not wedded to the T3 by any means. It just helped me to see that quality latex offers better comfort for elbows and knees than any memory foam or pillow top I’ve experienced. I’ll be trying to find a good 100% natural latex topper, 3" for optimum side sleeping. Coolness is important. Springyness is important. No odor or chemical residue is important. Proper fit on a queen-sized bed is important (I see some promise “true” sizing to standard beds while others tend to be smaller).
If you have any other tips or advice on specific brands or retailers, I’d be pleased to hear from you.
Fingers crossed for much more comfortable sleep in future!
Again, thanks so much for the considerable effort you put into your replies and research. Outstanding customer service.
Anita
Hi anitabean,
Besides the Victoria options … there is a list of online suppliers that ship in or to Canada in post #21 here. Some of these sell latex but you would need to check their websites and/or call them to find prices and details of any return policy they have.
Costco also sells a blended Talalay topper but only in a single ILD. It may be a little firm for some people but with their refund policy there is little risk in trying it (outside of time and the effort involved in returning it should that be necessary) for those who are comfortable with a 3" latex topper in a medium softness range.
You can read about blended Talalay vs 100% natural Talalay in post #2 here.
Phoenix
Hi Phoenix,
Thanks for directing me to this additional, excellent information. 
Cheers,
Anita