I am wondering if the PLB Beautiful would be right for us. I am 5’6" 130 lbs - back and side sleeper with lower back issues. My partner is 6" 220 lb (muscular build) side and back sleeper who sometimes deals with numbness in arms at night. We have tried the PLB Beautiful and it felt good in the store. If anything, perhaps a bit soft although both our spines were still aligned. The store also had the PLB Pamper and we liked it with a 2" PLB topper - just a little firm perhaps but I don’t like the idea of having an extra topper on the bed. After reading a few posts I am wondering if the PLB Beautiful will feel a little firmer once we put a mattress pad and bedding on it, and is it a good choice for us based on our body types and sleep positions? We live in Edmonton, Alberta Canada and can only find the two PLB - Beautiful and Pamper - to chose from.
Hi LeeBee,
The only way to know if the Beautiful is “right” for you is to test it specifically for pressure relief (which is likely not an issue with this mattress because the comfort layers are very thick and soft) and support/alignment (which would be more of a risky possibility for the same reason). Unfortunately there is no “formula” that can determine whether a mattresses is suitable for a specific person based on “theory at a distance” that can be as accurate as personal testing. It’s important though to test for more than just a subjective feeling of “comfort” and there are some guidelines for testing pressure relief in this article and for testing support/alignment in this article and in post #11 here. It can be especially helpful if you do your testing with the help of a knowledgeable consultant that has the experience and knowledge to help you know what to look for (instead of the ones who just tell you to “pick the most comfortable mattress that you can afford”).
The Pamper and a topper can be a good choice and a mattress/topper combination has advantages over just a mattress itself but I would tend to avoid the PLB toppers because they are too soft for many people (heaver weights will tend to “go through” them too easily and they will also not be as durable as firmer toppers). There are many better sources for a good latex topper that have better value although the PLB topper can be useful for testing purposes.
A mattress protector or a mattress pad (which is generally thicker than a protector) can certainly make a soft latex mattress feel firmer but it will depend to some degree on the type or protector you choose. Post #89 here talks about some of the tradeoffs between different types. Again though … the biggest risk for this mattress would be alignment because of the comfort layers that are very thick and soft and a mattress pad or topper may make the comfort layers feel a little firmer but they won’t improve support if that is an issue.
You may have seen this already but just in case … post #136 here has some of the better options I’m aware of in the Edmonton area.
Phoenix
I have to agree on the PLB toppers being too soft. If I had to guess I’d say they must be 14ILD as they seem to be almost non existent. We tried the Nutrition and really liked the idea that it was compliant enough for both of us yet did not have that “sinky overly cushy” feeling. For grins we put the topper sample on her side and she sunk right through it. I hate to guess her weight, but 5’9" 135 or so.
I think a lot or people are missing out on a very nice concept with the PLB Nutrition.
I have the PLB Beautiful split King with adjustable base and I love it. I weight about 225 and I’m 5’11.