Where to try beds in San Diego?

Is there anywhere in the San Diego area where I can try a mattress similar to the Sleep Innovations 12" SureTemp Memory Foam and the Brooklyn Bedding Bamboo Bliss? I think I’ve narrowed my decision to these two based on reading reviews for forums and absolutely HAVE to make a decision in the next few days. Thank you!

Hi dstefano,

The better options and possibilities I’m aware of in the San Diego area are listed in post #2 here. There is also a link to a list of some of the better online memory foam manufacturers in the “read first” post #1 here.

Post #2 here has more information about trying to duplicate another mattress. You won’t be able to “match” them by feel because you would need to test two mattresses side by side in real time to know how they compared based on your personal perceptions and memory foam manufacturers wouldn’t use the Sleep Innovations as a target to build an equivalent mattress so that would only leave a comparison based on the quality of the materials (which has nothing to do with how a mattress feels) as a way to compare them.

I’m not so sure you would even want to duplicate the quality of the materials in the Sleep Innovations mattress because it uses low quality 3 lb memory foam in the upper layers which I would normally avoid (see the memory foam guidelines in post #10 here).

Phoenix

Hi Phoenix,

The results of my bed buying research was pretty disastrous over the weekend. I went to a small privately owned mattress store recommended in your reply, which was a very good idea. I really liked that the salesman didn’t work on commission and there wasn’t any pressure to buy. I tried 3 all-latex mattresses - one firm, one medium and one plush. I liked the medium one best but at $2200 still out of my price range. When I was leaving, the sales guy told me to stay away from buying one with an interchangeable topper (i.e. Brooklyn Bedding) as they shift and fall apart. Have you ever heard about that happening? So there went my decision to buy the Aloe Alexis.

I then told the sales guy that I tried an innerspring bed at Sears I liked a few weeks ago (before I started this research), a Beautyrest Brentford Luxury Firm with foam and gel over the coils. He said he had that one and I tried it there. It still felt really good to me.

After that I stopped at the Healthy Back Store to try their Bliss latex bed which I tried about a month ago and absolutely loved but it was and still is $3500. This time I didn’t love it so much - it seemed way too soft for me.

That same night I slept on a low end (but new) memory foam mattress from Sam’s Club. I thought it was very comfortable and I had one of the best night’s sleep that I’ve had in a long time. Unfortunately I don’t know what the stats on it are but I know it cost around $400 for a queen.

So now I’m literally back to square one. I’m more hesitant than ever to buy one online and not confident at all about spending $2000+ on a latex mattress. I feel like I’m over-thinking the whole thing and that mattress shopping has taken way too much of my time already. Any advice you can give me would be appreciated!

Thank you,

Diane

Hi dstefano,

I would be very careful which “opinions” you choose to believe … particularly when there are no facts behind it to validate them or when they come from someone that sells the particular mattress that they say is “better”.

The layers are enclosed with a fabric compartment with a zipper that zips tightly shut and if the zipper was removed and the enclosure was sewn shut instead the materials inside it would be the same and would be no more or less durable or likely to “fall apart”. There are many pillowtop mattresses that also have a separate enclosure for the top layers of foam that don’t have a zipper and it’s not the enclosure that determines whether it will soften, degrade, or 'fall apart" but the quality of the materials inside it. The advantage of having removable layers is that you can make changes to the mattress either initially or down the road (if the materials in the comfort layers soften more quickly) without having to replace the whole mattress.

I would trust your actual research over opinions that aren’t based in fact. It’s always helpful to ask “why” someone believes what they believe to see if it’s just marketing or competitive salesmanship or whether there are actually facts behind the opinions. I would also make a preference choice between memory foam and latex so you can narrow down your options here as well.

The most effective way to make your choice that I know of is to just follow the steps that are outlined in the “read first” post I linked earlier and to avoid the tendency to overanalyze or accept unvalidated opinions as fact. If you shop at 100 different stores you will probably find 100 different opinions but most of the better ones will go through the pros and cons of each choice rather than only promoting what they happen to sell. The key is to test a mattress for PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) either with the intent to purchase it or as a guideline for an online purchase … to make sure you know the quality and durability of the materials inside a mattress (so you can make meaningful comparisons in terms of durability and value) … and to assess all the pros and cons of each choice based on your own personal value equation.

If you do choose to make an online purchase for the sake of “value” compared to what is available locally then I would also make sure that you have a more detailed conversation with any manufacturer or retailer you are considering on the phone (not just email) to help you make your comfort choices and also take all of the options you have after your purchase into account (such as exchanging or returning the mattress or individual layers and any costs involved) so if you make a comfort choice that isn’t ideal you know ahead of time what your risks and options are and any costs involved.

If you narrow your choices down to the “one” you would buy at each retailer or manufacturer either locally or online (the one you would choose if you could only shop there) then your final choice will be much easier.

Phoenix