Mattress Forum

I went to Essentia today in Santa Monica and the beds were wonderful, but very pricey.  I also went to Foam Sweet Foam in Lake Forest too.  I met the owner of the company and actually tried out each bed to see it for comfort.  The owner was a very honest and straight forward (aka non-salesman) type personality.  For a 3 layer bed it was around $2,800 and for a 4 layer bed it was around $3,100 and $100 less if you picked it up yourself.  I know that it is not as cheap as your $1,400 you found, but I am in the construction business (I own my own company) and have had to learn the hard way - you get what you pay for.  I will probably go with this company because they are a physical location that I have direct contact with the owner and their materials are either 100% or 95% all natural depending on which ones you choose.

Sherry

One more thing...they are the manufactuer so it cuts out the middle man.

Sherry

Manufacturers also are tucking layers of pricey latex or memory foam into their traditional innerspring lines, creating plush hybrid models. Yes, hybrid beds.

"It used to be rock-hard beds sold a lot," says Larry Miller, cofounder and president of Sit 'n Sleep, which has 18 mega-stores in Southern California. "Today we're selling a lot of plush beds with support, a lot of latex, a lot of memory foam, a lot of air products and new types of innersprings with latex or memory foam, or a combination of foams."

In 2001, 1 in 7 mattresses sold for $1,000 or more, according to the International Sleep Products Assn. By 2005, the most recent year for which statistics are available, the number had risen to more than 1 in 5.

Two trends are converging: advancements in mattress technologies and the aging of baby boomers who are willing to spend money on premium products.

"Around age 50, your body really starts to change in regard to sensitivity to pressure points," says Consumer Reports senior editor Tod Marks, who headed up the magazine's most recent report on mattresses. Changes can even be felt at age 40, he says. "That mattress you found comfortable 10 years ago may no longer be so comfortable. You may want more padding on top."

Doctors and bedding professionals used to think that a firm mattress was best for the back. Not anymore. Today, a combination of support and comfort is thought to be ideal -- whatever feels best to each person. And what feels best to many people, especially as they get older, is a mattress with a little "give." That's where specialty beds come in.

Viscoelastic and latex foam conform to the body's curves, absorb motion and ease pressure points at the shoulders and hips. Many in the mattress industry are especially excited about latex, which is pleasantly springy and feels cooler than memory foam. It also is naturally hypoallergenic and dust-mite resistant. "One of the reasons it's catching on is it's the best of both worlds," says Sealy spokesman David Mullen. Latex "reacts more like an innerspring, it reduces pressure points, and it gives you individual support."

Sounds like you had a good experience at FSF. I agree you get what you pay for, but Mattresses.net is also built by themselves by hand and they have a good reputation. The foam is all sourced from the same places (Latex International), so there is very little difference from manufacturer to manufacter on that front. The mattress I'm looking at is a Queen with 8 inches of latex and an organic cotton and wool cover.I may add an extra inch to the mattress for about $100 (ends up being about 10" total including wool batting).  I assume you're looking at a bigger mattress from FSF as a comparable mattress from them is closer to $2k. I suspect some of the price difference is just overhead for running your business in SoCal instead of Arizona. I may be in Anaheim in a couple weeks, so if I haven't bought anything yet I'll check them out.

MikeS,

Have you confirmed that ALL the latex sold by mattresses.net is from Latex International? I know they do sell LI products, but could not find on their website whether or not they ONLY sell LI latex. I also remember reading somewhere that dunlop sold by LI is imported and not actually made by LI, but that info may be outdated or incorrect. Please remember that there are distinct differences between talalay and dunlop foams too, so this is another thing to consider.

After taking into account all that information, mattresses.net does have some of the best pricing I've seen. I myself was torn between lowest priced option or high-end. The lowest priced option I found was mattresses247 on ebay who currently has three each 3" talalay cores (seconds) in your choice of firmness for $942 delivered in king size (they also have similar deals with a lower price on queen size). Throw in one or two 1" latex toppers from philmoresupply, a terry cloth encasement cover from FBM, and I could be in a king sized 10" or 11" latex mattress for $1200 to $1300. The high-end option was flobeds. Certified 100% natural talalay latex from LI inside a very nice organic cotton and thick organic wool encasement + a great core swap and return policy.

Mattresses.net kind of fit in between, so I never researched them too much. I would definitely find out what type of latex and the source of the latex quoted to you from mattresses.net so you are comparing apples to apples.

I'm looking at Talalay blended latex. The owner said they use Latex International to supply their latex. I'm following up with him to verify the blended variety is made by LI. I'm also checking into the cost of natural latex, but from the exhaustive (and exhausting) research I've done thus far it seems that the blend is more durable and longer lasting while still being relatively toxin-free (oeko certified from mattresses.net). 

I decided I didn't want to deal with the bottom end retailers like ebay based businesses and Foam By Mail. It seems there are some inconsistencies in those companies that don't really make it worth the low price to me. I also don't wan't to pay for a larger resellers marketing, showroom overhead, etc. so I like the idea of dealing with a direct manufacturer. Arizona Mattress (mattresses.net) is a direct manufactuer and offers a quality mattress at a reasonable price. There are other similar options, but they've been very helpful and offer a formula for the mattress I like. I could still be swayed, but I'm 90% sure I'm buying from them unless I find a similar situation locally.