Mattress Forum

My Experience Buying A Latex Mattress 

After hours of Internet research, reading retail and manufacturer sites, over a hundred forum posts on the topic from consumers, and talking to three of the leading (non-chain) latex mattress retailers, I bought a latex mattress yesterday, put it together and had my first night’s sleep on it. A sports injury is keeping me in this weekend so I thought I’d save you many hours of research by detailing my search.

Why should you consider my advice? (1) I am a marketing professional from an industry unrelated to mattresses (and therefore able to recognize and cut through much of the marketing hype) (2) I am an obsessive researcher (3) I have a talent for sorting facts and getting to the bottom line, and (4) I’ve owned futons, spring mattresses, a water bed, and an airbed (and can therefore give you a practical comparison to my new latex mattress).

Most of what you can find out from the Internet and speaking to retailers is subjective, proven scientific facts are almost non-existent. So I will lay out my decision making process and you can decide if it makes sense for you.

12 years ago I bought an airbed from Sleep-ezeey (now out of business) for $600 after considering models from Select Comfort, that at the time were more than twice as expensive. The reason we bought an airbed was because my tossing bounced the wife around, and because it allowed us to adjust softness on each side to our individual preference. It worked great, but our cat peed on it, and, trying to get the odor out, I managed to shrink the zippered pillow top so that it no longer fit. An airbed without a zippered enclosure feels like a marshmallow, so it was time to buy a new mattress. 

My wife discovered the latex option last week and I started my research. We ruled out memory foam because they tend to retain body heat, and we both “sleep hot”. They are also expensive and I had read rumors of them sagging over time. And lastly, my wife tried one and it did not click for her. I identified the airbeds at habitatfurnishings.com as the current best value in airbeds, but decided on latex simply to try something different.

My research led me to select three finalists for latex mattress consideration: sleepez.com, habitatfurnishings.com, and foamsweetfoam.com. All of them are comparable in that they have excellent Better Business Bureau ratings, offer quality product, and have amassed many positive reviews from customers.

Sleep EZ had the best price (but be sure to read the qualifiers that follow), Habitat Furnishing’s (HF) website gave me the most confidence, and Foam Sweet Foam (FSF) was local (Irvine, CA) and I could check out the beds in-store and take a mattress home with me that day. Although FSF was more expensive than Sleep EZ, and had 60-day return policy with an 18% restocking fee and I had to pay sales tax (versus 180-day return, no restocking fee, and no sales tax). I went with FSF because it would take a week to get a mattress from Sleep EZ and I had two weeks of travel coming up, my wife was dealing with a family emergency, and I did not want her to have to hassle with setting a mattress up by herself, or sleeping on a marshmallow for another week.

After visiting the FSF showroom and speaking with the owner Scott, I had confidence that we would not need to return the mattress, and FSF does offer a 30-day no-cost swap of one layer in case you need to tune the bed to a different firmness/softness. Scott’s knowledge, candor, and 29 years of experience also convinced me that he knew how put people on the right mattress from the start, so that a return was less likely.

I should clarify my statement that FSF is more expensive. Actually, if you are comparing all-natural latex mattresses of the same thickness, they are on par with the other two retailers. I bought a FSF Cal. King with three layers, each 3-inches thick. Cost was $2,099, subtract $50 discount because I picked it up, add 8.75% California sales tax (this State is out of control) and the final cost was $2,228. We also got two latex pillows for “free” because we bought it on a weekend. So FSF’s 9” mattress is actually cheaper than HF’s 9” and on par with HF’s 8”.

So when you are comparing mattresses check the actual thickness of the foam versus the “finished height”. For example, Sleep EZ’s model Select Sleep 8500 has three layers of foam which actually add up to 7.5-inches of thickness. The extra inch that gets it to 8.5-inches is made up by the quilted cotton/wool mattress cover. Now, Sleep EZ and Habit Furnishings include the cover in their price and FSF does not…I’ll give you my conclusion on that difference later in this article.

I told you Sleep EZ was the least expensive, but that’s only if you purchase the Blended 60/40 models, not the 100% all-natural. Their 60/40 blended Select Sleep 10,000 model Cal. King (9-inches foam, 1-inch cover) is $1,795. Their all-natural version is $2,040. So when comparing their all-natural to FSF’s, the price difference is negligible…unless you want the free cover, which FSF charges for.

I’ll bullet point a few key facts below, but in summary I will tell you that had we not been in the middle of a family emergency, with me leaving on a business trip, and the wife sleeping on a broken airbed, I would (probably) have opted to save $433 by ordering the Sleep EZ 60/40 blended Select Sleep 10,000 model (more on my opinion of all-natural versus blends below). That said, being able to test beds at FSF’s showroom, and talking to Scott in-person, gave us confidence that we would like the bed and would not need to hassle with shipping back a layer (or a whole bed) and having to deal with the disruption that would entail. And at the end of the day, if a guy like Scott (29 years in the business) gives you the service of forthright information with no pressure (his time is worth something, as is his showroom) then you should factor that into the cost as well. I feel that I received good value for my money going with FSF relative to the other options (that said, latex seems more expensive than it should be…sigh).

By the way, Scott shared some great stories about observing the relationship dynamics of couples choosing a bed. Based on his stories and my personal experience, every couple considering marriage should take two tests first (1) take ballroom dancing lessons together, and (2) buy a mattress together. Those two things will be a sure test of your compatibility.

He also told me that when he does get returns (and he hardly gets any), it’s usually for one of two reasons. Either the customer did not take his advice, or the husband did not get full buy-in from the wife. As any long-term married guy will tell you, as much as she let’s you think you’re the boss, you’re not. Happy wife = Happy life.

Natural Latex versus Blended – Synthetic and Blended Latex mattresses have been around for years with no issues. They compare to natural in feel, performance, and longevity. And they are less expensive. Right now the fashion is to “go green” so the trend to buy synthetic latex or blends has changed in favor of natural latex. I bought natural because that was the mattress I could take home that day, in my plastic and metal car to my house built with chemically treated lumber and finished in synthetic paint. Due to our cat’s infrequent but uncivilized urinary practices, we will cover our natural latex mattress with a waterproof synthetic mattress pad, effectively negating any “natural” benefits other than the overall concern for the environment. 

But, regarding the environment….I don’t know for a fact that the production of natural latex is actually less harmful then synthetic. There are a lot of people driving hybrid cars who don’t realize that the nickel-metal hydride battery packs have a large carbon footprint that could negate much of the cars environmental benefit. But, if you can afford natural latex and it makes you feel better, then by all means. Just don’t assume that it is in fact kinder to the environment…I couldn’t find conclusive scientific data either way.

Mattress Covers – If you are buying a natural latex mattress for green reasons, then you want an all-natural mattress cover. If you have kids or pets you may want to protect your investment with a waterproof synthetic cover instead. After all, who wants to sleep on a mattress for 20-30 years that smells like cat pee and/or Cheerios? You should also consider that an all-natural (cotton/wool) cover will be cooler and will allow you to “feel” more of the benefit of your natural latex mattress. But do you really need a quilted $100-$200 cover? Not if you believe your natural latex mattress feels great the way it is. By and large the more expensive covers are something people “think” they need. As I said, I went with a waterproof cover because of that damned cat. If the cat was not in the picture I would have topped our natural latex mattress with a cotton cover that I could afford to replace every few years.

The three retailers I narrowed my choice down to are certainly not the only ones to consider. FloBeds gets good reviews online and Costco.com also sells a few latex models. In Costco’s case there was a 4-6 week wait so that put them out of the running. After you get done sorting the facts and checking your budget, it ultimately comes down to what feels best. An $800 spring mattress may work best for you, and replacing it after 6 or 8 years may end up being a batter strategy than sleeping on the same $2,200 mattress for 20 years. If you’ve decided on an airbed, I recommend you give serious consideration to the ones at Habit Furnishings. They seem to offer much more value than the more heavily advertised brands, and my 12-year experience with my off-brand airbed was excellent. 

Here are a few links you may want to research. The first is to Latex International, which, as far as I can tell, is the leading U.S. manufacturer of latex mattresses and seems to be the supplier to the three retailers discussed in this article. There are many companies in China making latex and from what I can tell the quality varies. Plus I’m leery of sleeping on anything not made to U.S. health standards. The second article is from Slate, and injects some reality into a decision process that can get a little crazy. But you do spend six to nine hours of your day on a mattress, so maybe a little craziness is warranted.

And finally, my first night on the FSM natural latex mattress was great. I didn’t dream about unicorns or wake up feeling 20 years younger, but I slept well and I’m very happy with it so far. 

Good luck and sweet dreams,

Blingo

http://www.latexfoam.com/

http://www.slate.com/id/93956

http://www.foamsweetfoam.com/

http://www.habitatfurnishings.com/

http://www.sleepez.com/

http://www.cnwmr.com/nss-folder/automotiveenergy/Hidden%20Cost%20of%20Driving%20a%20Prius%20Commentary.pdf