After 16 1/2 years of marriage, my husband and I are more than ready to take the plunge, and invest in a good mattress, but I am overwhelmed by all the choices, and have decided it’d be easier to buy a new car! At this point, I think I’d rather give birth or get a root canal than go mattress shopping, although I’m desperate for a good night’s sleep, so will stick with this! Phoenix, couldn’t you just come mattress shopping with us, ask all the questions, and help us figure out what to get?! : )
Our first “mattress” was a waterbed, (bad, I know) and then approx. 14 years ago, we just walked into our local furniture store and bought a Serta innerspring without doing any research at all! (This probably sounds like the makings of a horror movie to you!)
I am 5’ 5", 120 lbs. and I can’t tell you what position I sleep in, because I toss & turn all night. I fall asleep on my back or side, and end up at some point on my stomach. (also not good, I know) I wake up during the night and in the morning, in pain, and hardly ever feel rested after spending 8-9 hrs. a night in bed. My husband is 6’ 2" and 225 lbs. and sleeps on his back & side. Since our mattress became uncomfortable years ago, we have slept on a Restonic, and a Serta Perfect Sleeper on vacations (both of which I know better than to consider purchasing!) that felt great to us. I say that to point out that almost anything will probably feel good to us after the poor quality we’re used to, which is why I’m having a hard time figuring out where to even start. We are willing to pay $2500 for a mattress set (I’m assuming because it’s been so long, we need a new foundation too?) and I’m wondering if we’ll be able to get a good quality mattress that we’ll be perfectly happy with for that price? I understand we don’t need to pay that much for a name brand if we can get as good a mattress for less. Would you be able to at least give us a couple recommendations to start with, then we can go from there?Also, we live in Central PA and I see there is a Verlo factory store within a reasonable driving distance- do you know much about them? Thanks in advance for your time and input- I found this website yesterday, and already feel like it’s a godsend.
I concur! I know people (including myself) that would pay decent money for Phoenix to come with on a mattress hunt. lol 
Hi JJike328 and Jessukeh,
It’s interesting you mentioned that.
When I first started the site I had the idea of offering a service like that to consumers where I would talk to them in person, find out their more detailed criteria in much longer conversations, and then do the local and online research for them so all they had to do was to test mattresses and report what they experienced. The idea was I would change $100 and it would only be payable if they agreed after they made their purchase that they had found a “perfect” mattress and had saved at least $200 over what they would otherwise have purchased … otherwise the service would be free.
I tested this with a few people that I knew and quickly discovered that it just wasn’t feasible no matter how well intentioned it may have been because it would take several days of working with people closely on the phone and was far too time intensive. It would have led to a situation where I was able to only help one or two people at a time and everything else I was doing and have done since would have become impossible. I would have very quickly become a bottleneck and instead of helping people connect to “mattress people” all over the country … I would have been the only one they wanted to connect with and one person can’t help thousands that way. It didn’t take long to eliminate the idea from serious consideration 
Instead … I’ve focused my efforts on helping people to “connect” with the experts all over the country and to help provide the information that can better educate consumers and help them make better choices with the help of the better manufacturers and retailers that are available to them. This way I don’t become a bottleneck, this site can help many more people, and there is a much better chance of “helping” the industry to “change” for the better.
Now if I ever learn to clone myself into a few dozen people … I may reconsider things
Phoenix
So, after spending several hours reading a lot of your information (thank you, by the way!) I feel much more informed and knowledgeable about going mattress shopping, but still have a few questions. I’m unsure how to go about finding the “sleep shops” and “mattress people” you mention. Is there a certain term I should Google? I did see the list of questions you suggest asking over the phone, once I do locate them, I’m just not sure how to do that exactly! Also, we can spend up to $2500. Is it reasonable to expect finding a good quality mattress that will last around 10 years, for that price? Thanks again!
your budget is perfect. it takes about $1,000 to $2,000 for a quality mattress unless you want to buy a brand name mattress from a major retailer like Sleepys then look at $3,000+ for a mediocre quality one.
for about $2,300 you can have a 12 inch “organic” mattress meaning one made entirely from natural products without any sythetic foam or fibers ( it’s not actually organic, just natural ). this may be overkill IMO unless you live somewhere in Fiji in a house made out bamboo, eat only produce from your own private garden and never use things like soap, toothpaste, sunscreen, make-up or anything else that has chemicals in it.
i think 10 years is a reasonable expectation for an all-latex mattress. all latex mattresses start from about $1600.
by the way i used Queen size for my estimates.
Hi JJike328,
I also think your budget is fine and you should certainly be able to find a high quality mattress that will last you longer than that in your budget range.
As you can see in step three of post #1 here … all you have to do is let me know your city or zip and I’d be happy to let you know of the better options or possibilities that I’m aware of in your area.
Phoenix
Thanks so much for the helpful replies! Sorry Phoenix, in all my reading & note-taking, I overlooked that little detail. Our zip code is 17062. We live in the middle of nowhere, so will likely need to travel a good distance to try out any type of latex mattress, which is what I’m leaning toward right now. I saw in another forum that you recommended John at Magic Sleeper in Pottstown PA, so I’m thinking we might head there one of these days! Our local furniture guy, (Myers Furniture- Newport, PA) who is great, only carries Englander, and only the innerspring ones.
I am so thankful to have found your site. Before I did, this was my thinking: “We could spend the money, and get a Comforpedic, which may not last that long- not sure I want to spend that much- could save some money and get a Saatva-not sure if that’s a good idea- could just go to our local furniture store and get something he recommends without being able to try it out first if he needs to order it… could go to a big chain store and probably be pressured into buying something that we’ll end up not being happy with…”
I honestly thought those were our options, which I hated the thought of, knowing the amount we’re wiling to spend, and now I realize we have really great options like John and Magic Sleeper, and the probability of getting a great mattress that we’ll be happy with for many years. Hopefully in a month or so I can update with a review of our new mattress and the great night’s sleep we’re getting!!
Thank you- Queen size is what we will be getting- our bedroom is too small for anything bigger!
Hi JJike328,
The better options or possibilities I’m aware of that are reasonably close to you are in the list in post #2 here centered on Harrsburg and in post #2 here centered on State College.
Phoenix
Hi, I m new to this site and trying to post a message, but i cant figure out how to do it. I purchased a mattres called a pure latex bliss several years ago and it is splitting right down the middle. When the company came and checked the mattress out the guy told me that this happens on occassion when the mattress split between two halves. I was then sent a letter stating that it was my fault and its not covered under the warranty. This is crazy as i have sone nothing with the mattress but use it for its intended purpose. Is this company a scam. Does any one know if there is a class action suit with this company for failure to honor their warranty. How would I post this?