Hi Everyone!
To say I’m ‘new’ here isn’t exactly the truth. I have read and read and read on this site for MONTHS! After lots of research we decided to go with a SleepEZ latex mattress. I’m not good at figuring out this site and this is my first post, so bear with me. I normally wouldn’t post but thought it might be helpful for someone to read about our experience, when considering a new mattress.
Where to start? I’m 41 years old and 5’5", weigh 280 pounds. My husband is 35 years old, 6’ and weighs 160 pounds. If I don’t have enough support from a mattress, my lower back acts up, That’s no fun. But WORSE… I get the horrible pressure points if a mattress is too firm. My shoulders and hips ache so badly, I toss and turn all night. Some days my body literally hurts all day. I’m a back and side sleeper. So is my husband. In fairness, my husband can sleep on just about anything - he doesn’t care or have issues! However, he likes firm… but too firm and he comments in the morning if maybe a bed was a bit too hard.
We had a sealy posturpedic reserve lynrock cushion firm euro pillowtop. We tried a feather bed on top. We tried a 4 inch memory foam topper on top. We tried both together, on top. Not only were the toppers a pain in the backside because they constantly moved… neither of us liked sinking into the memory foam and feeling ‘stuck and we always got sooooo HOT with the memory foam’. The feather bed alone didn’t offer enough softness. Our mattress had great support, just no comfort!
So… we went on the quest for the perfect mattress. We had never even heard of latex mattresses. I’m happy to say though, we are now the proud owners of a Sleep EZ King Size mattress. I’m going to detail the important parts of our experience.
I hope if you’re reading this post, you have already researched all about latex. If you haven’t… I promise everything you need to know is on this site and I also looked at reviews and data from sleeplikethedead.com and researched latex itself all over the world wide web…
After research about latex and understanding the difference between Talalay and Dunlop and ILD numbers and how latex is different from memory foam etc… we decided we wanted a latex mattress. We also decided 100% natural latex was important to us…not synthetic foam. This decision did not come quickly or easily. It literally took weeks of reading and researching to really understand latex. Some days I found it so overwhelming I decided to just stick with our old mattress. Until I’d hurt the entire next day after sleeping on it, so the research resumed. Even after coming to the decision that we wanted to go the latex route, there are no latex showrooms in our area. We requested a free sample from Saavyrest. They gave us an idea what latex felt like but really no clue what it would be like to lay on them.
I also have a latex sensitivity. I get a rash if I use a latex band aid. I slept with the samples in my pillowcase for a couple weeks to make sure there were no issues. There were not and even after all the handling of the raw latex after we got our bed, no issues!
Through our research we decided that we needed at least a 12 inch mattress (due to my weight). That would be four, 3 inch layers. Based on that information, we narrowed our two options down to Foamsweetfoam and SleepEZ. We were torn between Foamsweetfoam and SleepEZ. Obviously no one wants to spend more than necessary, but it wasn’t the price. We were willing to pay more if it meant the perfect mattress, as this was going to be a considerable investment regardless.
Foamsweetfoam offered a five layer mattress for a total of 15 inches. We were originally thinking due to my weight, 15 inches would be better than 12. I can’t speak from experience whether 15 actually makes a difference versus 12… but we did end up with 12 inches. Part of the reason we hesitated with Foamsweetfoam (and I should add here that Scott at fsf is awesome and very helpful), but while they do allow you to return the mattress after 90 days if you’re not satisfied, there’s an 18% return fee. Considering the amount we were spending, that would be a substantial fee to NOT have a mattress. But we were hesitant with only getting a 12 inch mattress from SleepEZ. In addition, FSF has an extra - extra firm layer and SleepEZ only went to extra firm. More later on how we ultimately made the SleepEZ decision and why.
Now initially we narrowed it down to these two companies based on reviews, length of time in service, lack of complaints etc. etc but also because we knew we didn’t want to go less than 12 inches in a mattress. As you read on, you’ll see that the configuration we went with… possibly could have opened up other vendors but by the time we got to the configuration, we were already decided on SleepEZ for their return policy and prices (more on that later)…
Ok… back to… we never laid on a latex mattress. We decided before investing this much, we had to at least try a mattress. About 2 1/2 hours from where we live there’s a mattress store in Lancaster, PA called Gardner’s. I cannot speak highly enough about the store and the staff. They carry saavy rest beds. We already decided we weren’t going with Saavy Rest… A) because they don’t disclose their ILD numbers. Their rationale for not disclosing absolutely makes some sense; however we still couldn’t understand why not disclose anyway? B ) They’re priced much higher than SleepEZ and C) they only do 3 layers in a mattress. Which as it will turn out later… would have been okay… but the price and lack of ILD info already ruled them out for us.
We just went to the store knowing we weren’t going to be trying a latex mattress from SleepEZ and Saavy could be different than sleepez but we just wanted a general idea. It is a true statement that memory foam is like sinking into a cloud and latex is like sleeping on air. (Sleeping on top of a cloud, but not sinking in). We were satisfied that we did like latex and there were no blatant issues and felt confident we could order online. The staff at Gardner’s let us try so many different configurations. And gave us space and time to lay on each configuration for long periods of time, to really get a sense of the feel and support. Ultimately with the Saavy Rest we decided on the bottom layer firm dunlop. Middle layer medium dunlop. Top layer medium Talalay. It was admittedly difficult to not gravitate toward the soft Talalay as the top layer. But after spending a good amount of time on the soft, I decided at my weight… it was too soft and I sunk through too much and it was almost wasting a layer. Though very soft and comfy. Medium talalay provided softness, enough. (Also more on this later because I felt a tad disappointed I couldn’t get a softer feel and SleepEZ really helped with this issue). We tried all dunlop. All talalay. All medium. All firm. Medium and firm. Dunlop and talalay. This is why I say… Gardner’s mattress store… patient, awesome people! I tried some configurations more than once because I couldn’t remember which I liked better. We were there for a long while!
Fast forward… now we’re back home. We decided overall we liked latex. The Saavy Rest configuration we decided on in the store for only 3 layers (9 inches) would have been $4000! JUST FOR THE MATTRESS and foundation! I’ll tell you everything we got for a thousand less…later. We decided because the Saavy Rest bed did feel fine at 9 inches and only 3 layers, we probably were okay going with just 12 inches (4 layers) at Sleepez versus 15 inches (5 layers) at foamsweetfoam. If I didn’t sink through 9 inches, then 12 should offer plenty of support.
Now we had to decide the configuration. Saavy rest didn’t have extra firm. SleepEZ did. I also read on other posts that some people found SleepEZ to be firmer through their layers, in comparison to other brands. I was starting to wonder if maybe it would be too firm. At the same time, I worried due to my weight… if it wouldn’t hold up enough and we’d be better with 5 layers from FSF. This is the totally UNSCIENTIFIC method I used to decide:
First I contacted Scott at FSF. Provided all our info and he confirmed the layers he would go with would be bottom XXFirm, then XFirm, then Firm, then medium (all dunlop) then the top layer of medium talalay. Then I spoke with Sean at SleepEZ. Sean is also awesome and helpful and answered so many questions and took multiple calls. As well as Jeremy and Heidi at SleepEZ. They were extremely patient with me! I gave Sean all our info. He recommended bottom layer XFirm, then Firm, then medium (all Dunlop), top layer medium talalay. So both places knowing our weights and sleep preferences recommended almost the identical configuration… difference being one extra layer at FSF in XXFirm.
So… I took the ILD numbers for 4 layers at sleepEZ, added them all up and divided by 4 for an ‘average’. I took the ILD numbers from FSF for the first 4 layers (leaving out the bottom XXFirm 5th layer), added them up and divided by 4. Like I said… UNSCIENTIFIC… however… even with noting ILD numbers can vary by +/- 1 or 2… the SleepEZ overall ILD was higher than the FSF ILD…for a lower price. Even if I added in the 5th layer of XXFirm at FSF… the overall ILD would only increase by 23.5. (XXFirm ILD is 46 at FSF but remember I was averaging all numbers together). I decided we could get the same support from 4 layers of SleepEZ, maybe even more support than 4 layers of FSF and if I wanted a 5th layer (15 inches)… I could look into a topper. So… SleepEZ it was. And again their prices were considerably lower than FSF. As well as their full refund policy… there’s only a small set fee for a full return. Not an 18% fee. And they offer the same flexibility in exchanging layers.
So now we’ve decided on SleepEZ and the configuration. But what kept nagging at me was the thought that this might not be soft enough for me. Knowing the difference in the feel of soft talalay vs medium talalay. Knowing the pressure point issues. Knowing SleepEZ seems to have a little more firmness across the levels. To spend this amount of money and still wake up aching and sore would have been such a disappointment. That also coupled with the concern we’re going to invest this much and even if we get it right, what if it won’t hold up under my weight?
I called Sean again at SleepEz to discuss. He assured me that Xfirm Dunlop, Firm Dunlop and Medium Dunlop would absolutely be supportive enough and hold up to my weight. He also assured me that Medium Talalay would also hold up to my weight… but had a suggestion! Now for this part you hopefully are already clear on the difference between a mattress cover (the case that zips around and holds the layers together to form a traditional looking mattress) and a mattress protector (the mattress pad that goes over the mattress to protect if from spills etc - we went with a wool protector that’s also supposed to help with temperature regulation). I told Sean about my concerns that it won’t be ‘soft’ enough in the comfort level for me,. I felt decided on the support… but was worried about the comfort. I knew my weight was too high to go with soft talalay, but was worried about spending this much and not having enough softness with medium talalay.
He suggested we go with a 3 layer mattress from them (9 inches), with a 3 inch topper of medium talalay. Here was the reasoning: He said the 3 inch topper is in it’s own case (not just a raw layer), but it wouldn’t be zipped into the mattress case with the other 3 layers. It would be free floating on top. He said when you zip it into a case with all the other layers, it compresses down with all the other layers a bit and you do lose some softness. When we tried the Saavy beds, all layers were zipped into one mattress case.
I was hesitant because we hated having the memory foam topper. It was heavy but still moved during the night and constantly had to be adjusted. He said this topper will be so heavy, it shouldn’t move at all. I was still hesitant. Then he told me that if we decided we liked the configuration but really just wanted the topper zipped into the mattress, we could send our 3 layer cover back and they do alterations for free. They normally only take a day and they send the cover back and then I could zip all layers into the mattress together, as if I had ordered a 12 inch mattress / 4 layer right from the beginning. But he didn’t think we’d run into that issue as he felt quite sure, keeping the topper free floating would provide a little more softness and yet the topper would be so heavy, it wouldn’t move on us. So I agreed to try it. As a side note… we ended up getting all solid layers in the mattress -explained below- and while sending the cover back for alterations sounded like a great option at the time, I’m relieved we don’t have to do that. Moving all solid layers out of the cover and back in again…(since they’re no longer compressed like they were when they were first shipped), I think would have been possible, but certainly not a fun task!
Then I asked about the mattress pad/protector. Sean said putting a mattress protector over the topper would reduce softness a bit, but the protector could be used over the topper and the mattress OR over just the mattress. I wasn’t keen on the idea of not having the topper protected, even though it is in a case. I also wasn’t keen on not having the wool against our sheets for temperature regulation. So being the protector would fit over both the topper and the mattress, resolved that issue and worst case, if it took away too much softness, I could just put it over the mattress and only put the sheet over our topper and then over the mattress.
Another benefit of the topper (not suggested by Sean)… just in my own mind, is we can much more easily slide a topper and turn it, in an attempt to avoid body impressions. It’s not needed for latex (turning or flipping), but at times, people do get some body impressions in the latex. If the impression is deep enough, it’s then covered under warranty. I have no idea if it will help, but when I wash sheets, I’m going to turn the topper. At least it can’t hurt.
After having received the mattress and put everything together and the topper… it doesn’t move while sleeping! It is HEAVY! Nothing like our memory foam topper. It’s so firmly in place, it might as well be zipped in the mattress cover. So no worries there. Sean did state that even if I didn’t put a mattress protector over the topper, at least the topper is cheaper to replace and I’m protecting the mattress itself from wear etc. The price for another layer in the mattress or the same layer as a topper, was exactly the same.
Next decision was whether to go with solid pieces of latex or split pieces. I had read (though RARELY), some people (again the RAREST of occasions) claimed to be able to feel the split in the middle. I didn’t want to risk that, even knowing the odds of that happening were next to nil, but because my husband and I agreed on the same configuration for both sides, we decided to go with solid layers. Great decision because we do at times snuggle up and sleep on each other’s side of the bed and also because we do sleep in the middle of the bed at times. However, I will admit… after getting the bed… we’re extremely lucky we don’t have to do any layer exchanges because sending a solid layer back would be a royal pain! If we had to send a layer back to exchange, I think I would have wished we did split layers!
Now we sound ready to order, right? Not me! I decided to sleep on it and continue researching for reviews and real life owners. In further research I came across another site. I hope it’s okay to mention the name… but in case it isn’t, I’ll just elude… it’s an old guy… who has a site and reviews mattresses. I admittedly got A LOT of my information from this site (themattressunderground) and on this other site, they mentioned that this site was perhaps a PAID site and given incentive to review for certain mattresses. This made me nervous. I had no way to verify one way or the other. This site said that wasn’t true. Other sites said it was true. I also couldn’t find any long term reviews of SleepEZ… mostly just people (who like me in this review), recently made a purchase.
The old guy’s site had a quiz you can take and then he reviews your answers and suggests a mattress for you. There’s a particular mattress he recommends on the site and by all accounts, is a great mattress! Even Consumer Reports rated the mattress extremely high. It’s a combination of coils and natural latex. I started to think we should look into that mattress first, before deciding on the all latex. But that company doesn’t do returns. So it would be crazy to not try latex first, that we could return. Then if we hated latex and were stuck, go with this other mattress. I still took the quiz and got my results. They’re supposed to be personalized but it honestly read like a standard form letter, where they just plugged in some of my information from the quiz. And of course the suggestion was the one mattress he recommends on the site. No other options, just that one. This is entirely just my opinion…I absolutely could be wrong, but I feel like that old guy works for that particular mattress company. Or even if unpaid, has some kind of bias. So I went ahead and ordered the mattress from SleepEZ.
The next question was between 100% natural and 100% organic. I again spoke to Sean. 100% natural versus 100% organic has no difference in the materials used to make the latex or the process. The organic though are trees for example that are never treated with pesticides etc. There is a lot of testing that goes in to certifying everything along the way was completely grown and harvested organically. It does not at all change the ILD numbers or quality or type or feel of the latex or the cotton or the wool used in the layers or cover/case or pad/protector. It’s just a matter of if you want to be 100% green and with 100% green there’s an extra cost (because of all the testing and measures that need to be taken to keep it 100% organic). We decided 100% natural was fine for us.
The very last question was the difference between 100% natural talalay and blended talalay. Again Sean advised there is absolutely no difference in the feel between either. They’re both high quality, same ILD numbers across firmness levels. 100% natural talalay is ‘greener’ and has met the 15 year benchmark for durability and should meet the 30 year durability benchmark, however it hasn’t been in existence long enough to know for sure that it will hit the 30 year benchmark, while the blended talalay has been tried and true for over 30 years and meets all benchmarks. We decided to go with tried and true and ordered the topper in blended talalay. Particularly due to my weight, we wanted to go with what we could feel assured would be durable over time.
We also ordered a king size foundation from SleepEZ. They were running a summer sale. So in the end we ordered the following:
3 layer 9 inch eastern king size mattress (10000 series) with 100% cotton cover
Bottom layer XFirm Dunlop, Firm Dunlop, Medium Dunlop. No split layers, all solid.
1 - 3 inch king size topper with 100% cotton cover in medium blended talalay.
1 - King size foundation - the foundation is split
1 - King size 100% natural cotton and wool mattress protector/pad
With our order they sent us a free King size sheet set in white (great to have a spare) and also 2 King sized pillows made with shredded latex. The pillows are AWESOME!
Free shipping. Tax exempt out of state. Total was $2,984.25
Because the layers we ordered were not split, they shipped to us directly from their supplier. SleepEZ shipped all the rest. SleepEZ sent us their tracking numbers and the tracking numbers from the supplier. Everything arrived right when they were supposed to arrive.
We watched the short video on assembling the layers in the cover and it had some good tips. Like shaking the latex to move it because it’s sincerely heavy to try to pull to move into place. We also watched the video to assemble the foundations. Assembly took about 30 minutes total. No issues at all. We’ve been sleeping on it for the last 4 nights. Not long… but I assure you if there were any issue, I’d already know. We got the perfect configuration. I did put the mattress protector/pad over both the topper and then down over the mattress, it’s plenty soft enough and softer than when we tried the medium talalay top layer zipped into the mattress cover with the other layers when we tested at the mattress store. No issues with pressure points. No issues with support. I don’t think another layer would make any kind of difference. Worst case if we find for some reason we want another layer, we can order another layer from sleepEZ and get a cover to zip around that layer and the topper. We would have already had heat issues with memory foam. No such issues with the latex. The only thing I think could happen at this point is possibly body impressions. I promise if that should happen in the future or there are any issues in the future with this mattress, I will log in here and update. This site was very helpful to me and I feel like I owe it back to post this lenthyyyyyy review! Maybe it will help someone else who is in the process of trying to know all the ins and outs of latex mattress buying.
I should note I also looked into a bariatric latex mattress that’s marketed to overweight people. SleepEZ ILDs beat that company. So did their prices and warranty and exchange policies. If we hadn’t gotten the configuration correct, we can change the order of our layers (put the firmer on top etc); last resort would be exchanging layers. Luckily we DID get the configuration right and don’t have to do any of those things. If we did, I might be saying what a pain it is to try to deal with shipping back a solid layer. I’m glad to not know if it actually is a pain, but suspect split layers are the way to go… even if you’re configuring both sides of the bed the same way, just because dealing with a smaller size to pack and exchange has to be easier than the monster solid pieces, But we not only got solid pieces, we got king sized.
Sleeping on our new mattress has been life changing but only in the way that our old mattress left me hurting all day! This mattress does not. And I actually sleep for hours, without tossing and turning and have been surprised each day when I do wake up and look at the clock, that I slept that many hours straight. Beyond that, it’s an awesome mattress and we feel very pleased with our decision and feel like it was a worthwhile and will be a lasting investment. It’s also nice to not have any noise from coils or springs. My husband loves the new mattress and feels it’s firm enough for him (he prefers firmer support too but also enjoys the comfort of the topper). SleepEZ as a company is fantastic and I don’t have any worries that if we were to encounter any issue, they would definitely be accommodating and help us resolve.
I should add that there was absolutely zero odor or gassing and our layers came directly from the supplier. They were made and wrapped and shipped. No odors at all, which was a concern we had. Our memory foam smelled awful for months
Also… our mattress doesn’t feel ‘firm’. It IS firm and very supportive because of the support layers, but the feel is very soft because of the topper. It’s almost like you can’t tell you’re being supported by firm layers. Except if there wasn’t enough support, my lower back would be in pain! Going with medium talalay allowed the softer feel, but certainly not super soft. If you want to sleep on ‘soft pillows’, you’d probably need the soft talalay, but due to my weight… that wasn’t a viable option. Still though, it’s a soft enough feel and I’m not sure we’d really want softer, than what we ended up getting.
Hope this helps someone out there in cyberland! 
I tried to attach a picture… I have no idea if it’ll work lol
I was very worried about the odor, but we had no issues with odor at all. Everything zipped right up from unpacking and the first night. There’s never been a problem.