Custom Comfort out of Orange County, CA has them. They have three levels and I loved two of the three. DH didn't like them as much, so we went with something else. They use Talalay latex.

Am not sure what area of the country you are in,but check out the Savvy Rest mattresses. We were able to try one out in a store, but the mattresses are shipped to you. We have a king size and it comes in three mattresses on each side of bed-you choose the firmnesses and then it is enclosed in a very high quality encasement (like a regular mattress is covered with). Easy to put together and each person gets the feel they want. You would never know looking that it is anything but a regular king-fits together seamlessly. It came by truck delivery and each mattress was rolled, so easy to handle. We have had ours several years and love it. It is a talalay latex (not synthetic).

I should have known this group would come through with just what I need!! Crl, I have checked out the IKEA latex mattress but thought it was too firm and also thinner than what I prefer. However, LIzbeth's suggestion on Savvy Rest hit the jackpot; there are several stores in South Fl that are SR dealers so I'm going to head out ASAP to do some shopping. I also found a few other stores by googling so thanks for that idea Sas. Another benefit for me in using a retailer is that it makes life easier if I can get delivery/set up/haul away service. I CAN do it myself if I buy online, but at this point in my life I'd rather pay someone than persuade husband and son to do my hauling and setting up :).

Thank you for some great suggestions. Now I'm excited to go shop for my new mattress.

Yes!!!!!! We got ours from Sleep EZ Mattress site unseen and it's wonderful!!! We got the Talaylay and even did a switch of one or two of the layers. Each layer is a bit heavy, but it was much more simple to put together (or even return) than I thought it would be. The cover is also very good quality, thick and easy to put on so even if someone has a latex allergy they would not be at risk. This store is in California and as noted the guy that owns the site is really knowledgable and was quick to return our calls fast. I was impressed.

We were so tired of the regular mattresses and each of us needed different firmness, it has been a great experience. I highly recommend.

I have been extremely satisfied with the comfort of latex although a few years ago I did add toppers (foam and then a featherbed) on mine because it was a bit firm. I'd like to try to get the same level this time as much as possible through the mattress without needing to add extra softness on top. Excited now to do some serious shopping!

Running, the fact that you can switch out layers for softer or firmer ones later on is what really drew me into this option. We got 3 layers but I believe Sleep EZ offers more if wanted. For my side, I got 1 medium firmness, 2 soft, my dh got 1 medium and 2 firm for his. I can tell the difference when I lay on his side and later on we can switch our layers around or replace one for another. The options are just so flexible and affordable. I also love that everything about it is natural, organic, sustainable and for the most part, made in the US. It's been 2 years and we are still sleeping great where with the traditional spring mattress, we would have started complaining months ago.

Thanks for the information Lukki. I am very interested in the layering ability and as mentioned hoping that this time instead of aftermarket add-ons, I can just create the perfect sleeping surface with the mattress.

Unfortunately as I discovered while surfing around online, the retailers in my area who list prices are showing mattress costs that are WAAAAY more than I want to spend. $3000-$6000 and up for a queen size is definitely beyond my budget. Not sure if there is haggle room and if not my search may end up being more to check layers/firmness in a bricks and mortar store, then ordering online after all. I guess I can pay my husband and son with a nice dinner if I have to use them as my labor pool :).

We have a couple. Our every night mattress is a Cozy Pure 12" 5 zone Dunlop mattress. The guest room has a less expensive ($1,700) natural (not organic) Talalay mattress. Being able to configure the guest room works great for our son/wife and grandchildren when visiting.

If you're seeking an organic mattress, be sure to verify certification documents. For example, Talalay is not ever organic. It can be natural or blended, but never certified organic. Dunlop can be natural or organic but only if it carries an organic certification. Many companies blend the meaning of natural to mean organic and that is not truthful advertising.

Many companies advertise 100% organic wool (as fire barriers) in their covers. Be careful. Certified Organic wool is very difficult to find. Eco Wool and Joma are most popular and neither one has USDA organic certification.

If the manufacturer can't present a USDA Organic Certification....it's not organic.

Running, I don't remember exactly but I think we spent 1600-1700 for our bed and to say I was nervous about buying something we had never tried much less seen is an understatement. What I ran into with local stores was not only were they more expensive, but they were not organic 100% talaylay, they were mixed with Dunlop or something, I don't remember exactly. I really don't see how it could be a problem for your hubby and son to put it together though. Ours came in 3 boxes and we had the bed completely assembled in 30 minutes. This is the one we got from Sleep Ez, I see it's gone up in price a bit. 3 layer organic talaylay mattress .

I see they have changed their shipping policy too...I believe we paid 30.00 to exchange the layers and there wasn't a limit; if we wanted to exchange all three at the same time we could. Shipping for the return was free if we weren't happy which was key to me.

I should add too that the ONLY negative is every now and then we have to open up the cover and realign the two sides. They tend to separate a tad because they are not attached to each other. We don't really feel it when we're in the bed, so for us it's not a big deal...Unless each layer was one solid piece I think it would happen regardless of where you buy it from.

The SleepEZ Talalay is not organic. It's Natural Talalay. Talalay doesn't qualify as organic. The only organic content on the mattress you listed above is the cotton cover.

Sleeping Organic is also a good source for Latex, Natural Talalay or Certified Organic Dunlop mattresses.

If you wish to try out a latex mattress in a store, visit Original Mattress Factory. You can get that initial feel for latex and go from there. I wouldn't buy theirs because they use very little natural latex and a lot of polyfoam.

Try looking online at the mattress expert. They explain all the different types of mattresses, etc. He will even talk to you if you call or email him! They have all different types of mattresses and blogs from different individuals.

The Mattress Underground. Learn and earn a discount.
The Mattress Underground

Mattress underground is a great site.

Yes, talalay is not organic, but frankly I'm not sure how important organic is in a mattress vs. natural. At least it was not important to me. I tried both talalay and dunlop mattresses, and IMO, the talalay was much more comfortable. It's obviously a matter of personal preference. Cozy Pure is a good company, though. Our shredded latex pillows are from there.

From what I understand from Mattress Underground, if you find a latex mattress in the stores you like, Sleep EZ will be able to approximate the feel.

Yes, I made an error with the terminology. It doesn't change that it is a good product though. To be honest, I can't remember the last time something exceeded my expectations the way this mattress has.

After buying no less that 5 mattresses in the last 10 years
and non helped my poor back plus they were getting so tall I couldn’t get in
bed without a foot stool I went to a local mattress place that made mattresses.
I had them make me 2 separate 5 inch coil spring mattresses to fit our cal king
bed they covered them in the usual mattress covering. I then ordered a latex 4”
mattress topper from Amazon and what a miracle I have a bed that I can sleep in
my back is great I can get in and out of my bed without a step stool. I spent
all together less than $1400 I don’t want to even think about all the money I spent
on mattresses and had hauled away after a year or so. Plus I can actually lift
up a corner to make the bed without having to call for help.

Most good sized cities have mattress manufacturers locally. I have been using a local company and absolutely love that they will make my mattress exactly how I want, how many layers, of which materials, how plush or firm you name it they do it and if you don't like it they open it up and change the layers till you do. Including what ever kind and thickness of latex you desire. The price is much less than the big mattress stores, and he sells his mattresses to those same stores but you pay at least double if you buy there. Most people don't know you can buy directly from the manufacturer. Check out your area for mattress manufacturers. Mattress underground has some listings. I am in the Houston area and know of several. I have had 4 custom made mattresses made so far and it's the only way to go. They made my RV mattresses also.

As others have said, mattress shopping has become so complex and having a resource of experiences to draw on is invaluable. I'm so appreciative of the responses here. I'm not really as concerned about organic/natural etc as I am comfort, so am really leaning toward the mattress company lukki mentions; Sleep EZ seems to have a great reputation. Unfortunately there don't seem to be any reputable mattress manufacturers in South Florida--I suspect the ones here are probably doing gray market sales for offshore use if they even exist.

Aside from the mattress underground site I've surfed sleeplikethedead.com and a rather charming one man operation called sleepopolis.com who does video reviews. One can really fall down the rabbit hole researching, that's for sure!

Natural and Certified Organic are identical in feel,comfort and durability. Choose your price. I stressed the difference to keep people from paying for Organic and receiving Natural.

Sleepopolis is an excellent reviewer too. If you wish to spend less and get some of the latex benefits of comfort and durability, research #BESTMATTRESSEVER. It's high quality polyfoam base with two layers of latex, one dunlop and top comfort layer in talalay. But, you'll have to choose your firmness and that's the hardest decision for most sleepers.

That's why the layered alternative worked well for us, the owner suggested a combination to start out with that was based on our individual needs and we adjusted it accordingly after sleeping on it for a couple of weeks. Our backs would hurt so bad with traditional mattresses and I HATE pillow tops, they'd always get dips in them and we used to feel practically crippled getting out of bed but not anymore. It was an on going argument between us because every couple of years I was ready to spend more money on a new mattress.

But buying a mattress that is 1. not real common and 2. without trying it first is a lot to ask from a consumer. It took some convincing with my DH, but after sleeping on it for 2 years, we're both confident it's the last time we'll have to invest that kind of money into another mattress again. When I was researching I went through all those sites too; there is a lot of good information and there are several good options to buy from. The primary reasons we went with Sleep Ez was because we could each customize our own side, they had a good return policy if we weren't happy and the responsiveness from the owner when I called.

I purchased a mattress from White Lotus is New Jersey. I purchased the mattress site on seen. White Lotus sent me a sample of the mattress that I would be getting. It was the size of a 20x20 inch pillow. It was great to try it out. I had some very specific requirements. I have scent allergies so anything that off gases causes migraines. I can't handle a 7day migraines any more so I as many things as I can to avoid getting them.

White Lotus has multiple options you can build. It took about 4weeks to get the mattress. It was delivered by UPS rolled up and was easy to setup. I have since ordered pillow made of organic cotton and kapok from them. All great products all around. White Lotus usually has a sale of either 20% or 25% off during the major holidays. I purchased my mattress over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Good luck!

homepro,

Are you willing to share your experience with the kapok filled pillows? We're using wool/latex blend (custom made by us). They provide proper support for us side sleepers but I'm always looking for something new and interesting. Hulls, kapok, etc.

Brush works,

I like the kapok. I am a side sleeper too so I got the firm initially. I purchased the pillows that you can take the filling out of (it has a zipper). I took some of the filling out and it is perfect. the pillows are very comfy. I replaced my throw pillows with Kapok pillows on my sofa and they provide excellent support. You can get a small pillow in firm to test out. Get it with the zipper so you can remove the filling if you find it too firm.

Good luck!

Thanks for sharing your experience. I've ordered two!

I hope you like them Brushworks!!!

A few things:

1. Brooklyn bedding is only partially latex. I has a polyfoam core with 4 inches of blended latex. It still may be a fine mattress (especially for the price) but people should be aware of what they're getting. They are also a very new company. It seems everyone is jumping on the bed in a box market. By my guesstimate there are at least 2-dozen companies selling mail order shrink-wrapped foam mattresses.

2. be careful with Mattressunderground.com it is basically one anonymous guy who runs it and he gets kick backs from manufacturers. As a result some of the information and opinions expressed there are sketchy. Some is great but sometimes it's hard to tell what's an honest opinion and what's a shill. I've found sleeplikethedead to be much more useful and unbiased.

The guy on mattress underground is very open about his relationships with some of the manufacturers on his site. Those companies that choose to be members on his site pay him a whopping $200/year, which helps keep his site running and hardly qualifies as a "kickback." And when he talks about the vendors that are members of his site, he will disclose that they are members and have thus paid him $200.

He definitely has biases (strong preference for latex mattresses), but when I was mattress shopping last year, I asked several questions of him on the site forum and he seemed quite open and did NOT try to steer me toward certain companies or even manufacturer members of his site.

This is an extremely long post, but if anyone is going through the latex mattress search maybe it will be helpful; I know I appreciated previous threads when I started my search.

Follow up: I bought a bed and just slept my second night on it :). I ended up choosing this one. For anyone who may be mattress searching, especially for latex, here's what led to my decision:

1. As mentioned in my previous post, latex mattresses are very difficult to find now in mainstream bedding and department stores. I discovered why during my research: in 2013 Tempurpedic purchased Sealy corporation so since Sealy includes the Stearns & Foster brand, it makes sense they are no longer making a competitor product of their corporate parent! Anyway, that meant that if I didn't purchase from a specialty vendor, the latex mattress I bought would need to be ordered online, delivered and left for me to set up as well as discard the old bedding.

2. Given that, I first decided I wasn't interested in going to one of the (very few) South Florida latex dealers. The prices posted online for their queen latex mattress ranged from $3000-$5000 which frankly seems like highway robbery to me for a mattress. So internet mattress it would be.

3. I came close to buying from Sleep-EZ, however the customer service person was really not helpful. Evidently the owner of Sleep-EZ, a guy named Shawn, is extremely customer-centric but I couldn't ever get to him--the other rep told me repeatedly Shawn was too busy and no matter what I asked all I was told was that I should buy their 'standard' configuration because "we sell you what's best for your body" regardless of what I was telling him I preferred. Also the idea of trying to put a bed together myself was daunting and I really didn't want to have my bed made up of split layers; a seam down the middle just doesn't sound appealing in a bed to me. While the return/exchange guarantee policy was good, the layers have to be boxed by the customer and returned, which again sounded like a lot of work for me if the original configuration wasn't right. (Maybe these aspects wouldn't have been onerous but it's how I felt about them).

4. I kept coming back to Brooklyn Bedding. Herrdokter, the company is not new-they manufacture their own latex and foam mattresses and have since 1995. This particular style of mattress is a new product but they seem to have a solid track record. As Herr mentions, it has 2 layers of latex and a foam base (foam is what is used in Tempurpedic beds but it's a bottom/support layer in this one). And indeed, this style of 'bed in a box' using either a latex/foam or just foam layers which are shipped already assembled and with generous return policies is a growing niche in the latex mattress market. In fact Sleep-EZ just introduced one called the KISS mattress. Anyway, on to what I liked about Brooklyn Bedding:

-You can select from soft/medium/firm levels. This was crucial for me as I knew I wanted a soft mattress and getting plush in latex usually entails $$$$$ from the already pricey all-latex vendors since it requires adding extra layers of soft latex to a solid core.

-Brooklyn Bedding mattresses are delivered assembled, actually shrink wrapped so you lay the wrapped mattress on your base, cut the packaging and the bed magically inflates--that was fun to watch :).

-In addition to a 120-night trial period, if I decide the mattress isn't for me, it is picked up and either donated or recycled by the company meaning I don't have to worry about boxing/shipping bulky layers or the entire mattress.

-Last but far from least, the cost for this mattress was $712.50 with free shipping. The other latex mattresses I considered were from twice to four times the price. Since BB has such a good guarantee, I figure that if this doesn't work out I can always return it. But if it does, even if I only get 5-6 years out of it (and they guarantee for a 10 year life!) I'm still ahead of the game monetarily.

As mentioned, my new mattress was delivered this week and I've slept on it 2 nights now. Unfortunately, the same day it arrived my husband's 91-year old mother (who I adore) had a bad fall. Will spare the details but a very elderly person with dementia who now has a broken wrist, severe contusions, a black eye and possibly a hairline fracture of a previously broken hip...I haven't slept very well but I don't think that's the bed's fault!

It is amazingly soft but supportive, the quality looks great and the customer service, including repeated online chats and phone calls, has been excellent. I think I made a good choice, so for anyone who read this entire opus, Brooklyn Bedding may be a very good option if you are looking for a budget friendly latex mattress that comes ready to use and has a good warranty and trial period.

The parent company for brooklyn bedding may have been around but this online latex bed in a box concept is new. In fact of you read their online reviews the oldest one dates to mid-june of this year. Again I can't speak to the long term quality of the bed. It may be totally awesome. My comment is just that there are literally dozens of companies getting into that market niche and it is really hard to compare their products. I hope runninginplace will come back and give a thorough review after several months

I stand by my comments about the mattress underground. Yes there is lots of useful info there but there is also sketchy info there. For example he/she regularly claims that there is no difference between 100% natural and blended latex. He also regularly bans users that don't kowtow to his opinions of things.

Sleepopolis is useful to see the videos of various mattresses but I find his reviews not very useful as he gives everything nearly identical scores and his comments are not particularly insightful.

Personally I found sleepilythedead.com to be a much more open, honest, useful, and objective place to get information. Your millage may vary.

Very interesting Running! Thanks for sharing. I am not sure that I even want latex or foam, but I am going to check them out. We need to buy a new mattress and I have been putting it off - I DREAD it. Kind of like buying a car LOL Did you by chance check out the LEESA mattress? Sounds very similar to yours and they are like the Tom's shoe company, when mattresses are purchased, they also donate. A blogger I follow just purchased a LEESA mattress. I also recently read about Intellibed (from another blogger LOL) and want to research that too.

Also - as someone mentioned, we had a queen size mattress made for our camper a few years back, by a local company here. I do like that matteress, but we have never slept on it for a long length of time. Hubby suggested we use it on our bed for a while. HA! I had to remind him it is 6 inches or so shorter than our standard queen. But, having one made for our bed is another option. It's so much researching! But a purchase you definitely want to be happy with.

I am really glad that you found something that works for your needs and budget. Interesting that it's a mixture of both types of latex and foam, I didn't see that when I was researching. I also don't know much about dunlop latex but the talaylay has been wonderful.

It's both surprising and a bit disappointing that you had such a hard time with the customer service at EZ, especially after I had spoken so highly about my experiences with them. That is a bit worrisome. Regardless, it's great that you found an option that fits the bill. I sure hope your MIL is going to be ok, folks in that age range are so fragile and it's so hard for them to heal.

Tina, I did check the Leesa mattress, but it, like quite a few of the bed-in-a-box models, consists of layers of foam not latex. I forgot in my magnum opus yesterday to mention that getting 4 inches of latex on top of the support foam layer was another deciding factor for me with the Brooklyn Bedding model.

Lukki, my experience with Sleep-EZ reminded me once again how very powerful one's customer interface can be. If I had actually spoken to someone who seemed to care about my particular needs and if the rep hadn't insisted, for example, that I needed split layers even though I really don't like that idea my buying decision would have been their product; I was already inclined to purchase especially given your unbiased positive review.

As for a new and untested product, indeed it is Herr. I accept the role of test mattress mouse! As mentioned, if it does turn out to be a catastrophic failure the company which has a long standing positive reputation stands behind it with a strong warranty. Not to mention that I have a mostly-latex mattress for the price of a middling innerspring which is a huge bargain in my book.

After 3 nights I'm enjoying it, although I am still twiddling with mattress pads and pillows. Also, yesterday I had to call the ambulance for my MIL because she was unable to walk; turns out she did break her hip in the fall last week that also broke her wrist. In addition to the hospitalization and probably surgery we are going to have to make hard choices about her living situation and likely her days of living in her own home alone are over. So my sleep isn't peaceful but it's not the mattress keeping me awake :(.

I couldn't agree with you more and I'm sorry your MIL is going through this. I'm surprised at the idea of a surgery for someone her age, it's already so hard for them to heal. Thoughts and prayers being sent your way.

I know I'm a little late to this thread but I bought a latex mattress form Sleep EZ 5 years ago and have never felt better. I had the same wonderful experience that Lukki had and am sorry you did not receive the same courtesies.Shawn was wonderful and answered the phone himself when I called.

Now all you need is a shredded latex pillow form SavvyRest. I had always slept with down pillows but these are so much better. We were able to take some shredded foam from each pillow and make a third.

Sorry to hear about your MIL. Hope she heals well. We just relocated my 104 and a half year old Mil in a home. It's tough.

Would like to hear more about your mattress when you get a chance.

Okay - someone please educate me on latex vs. foam. . . .

Ok first latex is a type of foam.

There are different kinds of foam that are used to make mattress.

1. Polyurethane foam is made from petroleum. this includes so called memory foam which has additional chemicals added to give it those viscous properties.

2. Latex foam is made from extracts (sort of like sap) from the rubber tree. Latex foam can be 100% natural or can be a blend of natural that includes styrene. You have to be careful because there are few if any rules about what can be called 'natural' latex. Either way it is made by mixing raw latex with water and some stabilizers and then steam cooking it in what is essentially a giant waffle iron looking machine. Talalay adds an additional step of vacuum sealing and flash freezing before cooking. Each may be best used in different layers of a mattress. Dunlop on the bottom and talalay on the top.

Here's a good place to start:

http://www.sleeplikethedead.com/mattress-reviews-latex.html

From a users perspective, the differences in foam can be profound.

Polyurethane is a soft foam often with little to no 'substance'. It's quite good at making something feel soft and cushioned, but unless it is very dense, it has quite a bit of 'give'.

Memory foam does what it's name implies... it temporarily remembers, or conforms to your shape. Just as an example... when you lay your head on a memory foam pillow, and lift up, it is not extremely quick to 'lift up' with you and regain its original shape. The benefits for those who like it, is that it does have 'substance'. When you lay on it, it 'gives', and will conform and 'hug' your body. You will be lying in a cushioned form of the shape of your body. It can be slightly difficult to move as it is 'around' you as you lay on it. People who prefer this type of sleeping really enjoy memory foam.

On the other hand, latex tends to give to your weight, but it is continuously, yet extremely gently, pushing back against the pressure of your body. So, of all the foams, it acts most like a spring mattress. Yet, in my opinion, better than springs because while it gives to your weight, it has a lot of substance, and provides excellent support. For those who do like to move around while sleeping, unlike memory foam, latex does not remember your shape, You don't really sink down into it past the pressure of your body. If you lay your head on a latex pillow and lift up, it almost immediately reforms to it's original position. It offers a comfortable surface by gentle pressure under your body. That gentle pressure actually assists your movement.

For those with tender points, like hip bones, both latex and memory foam can provide much increased comfort, but instead of conforming, latex gives you the feeling that you are being held up with pressure. It is excellent for those who need to keep their spine straight while they sleep.

Over time it will lose its elasticity (remember, latex is a very soft form of foam rubber,) but a good latex mattress will often, by many times over, outlast a spring mattress.

Tina, in addition to the information provided here about latex, Sleep EZ has some good information on their site as well. I have to add that we don't have any issues with heat the way folks do with Memory foam and because of the heavy wool/cotton cover, anyone with allergies to latex is protected as well. We've never slept better and have so many options with the different layers, we will never have to buy a new mattress again. If it were ever necessary, we could just replace a layer instead at a fraction of the cost.

Denali, glad to hear I'm not the exception to the rule when it comes to the purchase experience from Sleep Ez, I'm really baffled by the problems Runninng ran into. It's such a good company and great product I'm tempted to call and let Sean know there are issues.

Thanks you all - I am going to research more. We are used to, and have been happy with our spring mattress. So foam of any kind (if we go that route) will be a big change. I like the sound of the latex better than the memory foam. I don't want to sink down into the mattress. I'm not sure though about the layers. Again, will research more and read the links you've suggested. Thanks!!

I appreciate this thread-- we will, in the not too distant future, replace our 14 yo mattress... I still find our current mattress to be comfortable, but my husb is starting to say he thinks it is bothering his back... he tends to sleep on his back and I sleep on my stomach or side. he has said he would like to try memory foam and I know that isn't the right material for me- good to know there are lots of options!

Although I started this topic complaining about not being able to find latex in stores...for those just starting out with the search process, if you can find ANY latex mattresses to actually touch/lie down on you really should do that. Actually, IKEA carries latex so you can at least get a sense of what all us latex lovers are happy about :). As noted it is a very different feel than memory foam, and different people react differently to the two-well three if you include innerspring fans-types of bedding. Finding memory foam is no problem, it is definitely the flavor of the month in mattresses these days. But I recommend physically checking out all types to find out exactly what your body, and your co-sleeper if you have one, needs.

I love latex expressly because of that feeling of being gently supported but still feeling pressure points cradled in softness. My new bed is pretty comfortable and I'm happy with my purchase. Still may investigate perhaps one more inch of latex topper and a featherbed because those were the keys to my former absolutely perfect bed :). But latex is my choice and always will be. I won't ever go back to springs or god forbid memory foam--I HATE that sensation of being enveloped. Yuck. Springs just hurt my body, no matter what kind of pillowy topping is layered on top.

Lukki, maybe you have an 'in' with the owner of Sleep-EZ; my problem was that the other guy I talked to consistently told me Shawn was busy, on another line or not available so I never even got the chance to talk to him-and I called repeatedly over a period of several days. Which is a shame because the Shawn reviews are 100% positive. Again, it takes one unhelpful rep to kill a sale and that guy sure did it for me.

FYI. We are considering a Sleep EZ bed and had some questions. so on monday I called and spoke to a woman named Jodi. She seemed pretty knowledgeable and was good at answering my questions. So if Sean isn't available you might also ask for Jodi. We are hoping to pull the trigger shortly and I think Sleep EZ is the one to beat right now. Unfortunately, we live in a small rural college town and so the opportunity to check latex mattress out in the flesh is hard. We did lie on some Pure Latex Bliss on a recent trip to the DC burbs and definitely liked the feel of several of their mattress.

Yea, I'm not sure I'm going to find any latex mattresses here to try out either. We don't have Ikea. We have been happy with springs/coils and I do not want to have to use a topper or featherbed. I have a featherbed that got moved to the guest room LOL. From what I've read, I don't think memory foam is for us. We both hate the "marshmallow" feeling and I believe we have slept on memory foam when traveling. My sister and her husband swear by the Sleep Number bed (so much they also have one in their vacation home as well as their main home), so I do want to try those out. We just need to bite the bullet and make the time! The Leesa mattress is featured on another blog today. Interesting.

tina, don't the sleep # beds have a division down the center separating the 2 sides? or no? that's the impression I've gotten from the commercials. and, if so, how do does she make the bed -- with 2 twin sheets (for a king?) I am intrigued by them and I plan to research them too...

Busy, I don't think hers is divided, but I am not sure! I will have to ask. I thought from the website, the only one divided was the one that raises/lowers. My grandparents had a bed like that - king and it was divided and my grandmother did just as she said. She used two sets of sheets but used one blanket and bedspread.

Originally, it was the sleep number bed that I was interested in. My daughter and I stopped by their show room to check them out. I love shopping for big ticket items with her because she's great at seeing things that I don't. We both agreed that laying on it was ok, but it's basically an air mattress and at the end of the day, it felt like an air mattress. They aren't cheap and neither of us felt the price justified the means. Also a lot of the reviews I read were complaints about air leaking from the individual cylinders.

I think we finally bought our mattress sight unseen out of desperation, understandably, it's not something everyone is willing to do. I would like to clarify that if you and your DH have the same sleep preferences and buy 3 or 4 layers without the cut down the middle, you will never be the wiser that there are layers. They're enclosed in a really wonderful zip up cover. When I strip the bed, it looks like any other non-pillow top mattress, you can't even see the zipper. On the other hand, if you buy one that has the layers cut down the middle (for individual customizing) it does slip a bit down the center. It doesn't happen all the time and we don't feel it when it does. Occasionally, when the bed is stripped, we'll unzip the cover and fix it. It's takes all of about 3 minutes to do and is not a big deal.

Also, as people age, our bodies and needs change. I like having a variety of firmnesses for that reason. Just this morning, my DH was saying he thinks the configuration he has now is too firm, so we're going to switch the layers around tonight so it's less firm for him. Takes 10 minutes tops to do (including remaking the bed)...problem solved.

Lastly, and it's just a thought, if you have a place that sells foam, you may want to call and see if they carry latex. If they do, they may have a sample out that you could try laying on. Our local foam store does because a lot of people in our area like to make their own latex beds, they even sell (cheap) covers for them. Here is the link to the store by us Foam Factory. They have 6 inch layers which is good. At the very least, they may be able to answer some general questions for you about the different foams and latex.

"I would like to clarify that if you and your DH have the same sleep
preferences and buy 3 or 4 layers without the cut down the middle, you
will never be the wiser that there are layers."

And yet another example of the lousy experience I had with Sleep-EZ. The guy I spoke to, when I mentioned wanting the layers not split, responded that 'everyone' gets the split layers, and that they very rarely sell them not cut down the middle. He added that the single layers would be so heavy I probably couldn't move them anyway.

Yep, he was a real winner...

I will add that my thoughts of adding featherbeds, more latex etc are pretty much because as I've experienced life and beds and what I prefer, the strong bias I have is for softsoftsoftsoftsoft. Did I mention I like 'em soft? As noted in one of my earlier posts, research kept mentioning that one's weight and sleeping position affect preference. I am a side sleeping small boned light person with a family tendency to arthritis, have sciatica already, get hip pain on hard mattresses and have a bad shoulder to boot...latex is so very helpful for most of that and once I soften up the top layer, I suspect I'll again have a perfect sleeping surface. I think I also mentioned that my previous bed was latex and on top I layered: a one inch piece of foam, a two inch foam topper and a down featherbed. So there were 4 1/2 inches of softness above the latex. Loved it :). Just rambling on for anyone out there who may fit a similar profile. You can have your supportive mattress and lie cradled in a cloud too.

I getcha Running - but to me (and my hubby) that is like the dreaded "marshmallow" for us! LOL See why this is so hard? You have to find what works for you and your sleeping partner. I am absolutely dreading mattress shopping (evidenced by my procrastinating LOL).

Placed our order online yesterday for a Sleep EZ 13000 King. Today Sean called to confirm our order. Should arrive in about a week. Once we get it up and spend a few nights on it I'll post my initial thoughts.

Packing up our SleepEZ 1000 and returning it. You'll need more than a few nights to evaluate a four layer latex mattress. Give it at least 60 days.