TOPIC:

I'm in the process of replacing a mattress I've had for the last 6 years and I was looking at both Memory Foam and Latex mattresses as these seem to be the 2 most highly regarded of new mattress types.

Im currently living in the Boston area and was wondering if anyone had good recommendations of local places to go check beds out, and/or if any of the outlets approved for membership by The Underground would deliver to this area.

Any suggestions?

Hi Dangeresque55,

Im currently living in the Boston area and was wondering if anyone had good recommendations of local places to go check beds out, and/or if any of the outlets approved for membership by The Underground would deliver to this area.

You are fortunate to live in the Boston area because there are some very good choices there. The better options and possibilities I'm aware of are listed in post #2 here .

The tutorial post here also includes links to two lists (in the optional online step) that include the better online options I'm aware of that will ship anywhere across the country and they include retailers and manufacturers that sell both memory foam and latex or latex hybrid mattresses.

Phoenix

Thanks Phoenix!

As they say around here, Ya Wicked Ahsome

Hey Phoenix,

As a quick follow up question, I notice that Spindle seems to be a popular choice for the area, but I also noticed in a post you mentioned that they exclusively have continuous pour Dunlop latex, (no Talalay, which seemed to be the higher quality choice from the pros/cons of latex?) . Would this be a negative at all?

I plan to check out several options for purchasing a mattress, so some of the other places may have Talalay as an option, however im working on a relatively short time frame so any time saved on research would be a big help for me.

Thanks again for all the great work!

Hi Dangeresque55,

As a quick follow up question, I notice that Spindle seems to be a popular choice for the area, but I also noticed in a post you mentioned that they exclusively have continuous pour Dunlop latex, (no Talalay, which seemed to be the higher quality choice from the pros/cons of latex?) . Would this be a negative at all?

I consider the choice between Dunlop and Talalay to be a preference choice and not in any way a better/worse choice so it certainly wouldn't be a negative no. They are just different. The 100% natural continuous pour Dunlop at Spindle is a very high quality material and it comes in firmness levels that are similar to Talalay (most molded Dunlop doesn't come in firmness levels that are as soft as Talalay). There is more about the difference between Talalay and Dunlop in post #7 here .

Phoenix

Hey Phoenix,

Started looking at mattresses today and was able to check out some Savvy Rest arrangements at Furnature (Barry was great!), some foam and latex at Bedworks in Cambridge, and some of both at Boston Bed Company. I'm in a bit of a conundrum now though.

After trying the Savvy Rest and the Latex and Foam beds at Bedworks none really jumped out as being super comfortable to me, so I started to doubt whether Latex would be for me, but at Boston Bed Company I tried both the Blue Heaven and Natural Splendor mattresses (latex + "ecogel" and all Latex) and these actually felt very comfortable.

The issues I have are, unfortunately I wasn't able to tell how my alignment and pressure was as I was only able to be at each location for a short time and didnt have anyone there to help tell me how my alignment looked, as well as not knowing the best route to go as I know from other posts on here that some of the materials from the Natural Splendor and Blue Heaven are unknown and thus potential weak links.

Any suggestions on being able to determine if your alignment is good if you are solo-shoppping?

And any potential thoughts or suggestions on those 2 beds or how I might be able to find similar feeling mattresses from an online retailer like SleepEZ (I know they are often able to help with comparisons to Savvy Rest but I don't know about Therapedic)?

Additional notes of potential interest:
- Currently sleeping on an air mattress and the 2 beds are Boston Bed Company are particularly appealing since they could deliver within 2-3 days as opposed to the 7-10 most other places quote, but I don't want to compromise on long term quality just to save a few days now
- I'm 6'0 about 175 if that might help toward suggesting layer configurations for mattresses that provide that option.

Hi Dangeresque55,

After trying the Savvy Rest and the Latex and Foam beds at Bedworks none really jumped out as being super comfortable to me, so I started to doubt whether Latex would be for me, but at Boston Bed Company I tried both the Blue Heaven and Natural Splendor mattresses (latex + "ecogel" and all Latex) and these actually felt very comfortable.

There are so many versions of latex mattresses that can be so different from each other (depending on the types and firmness of the latex and the specifics of the mattress design) that it's often surprising to some people when they have come to believe that they don't like latex (or any other material) and then find a mattress that seems to be "different" from what they have experienced. In many cases a combination of materials (such as memory foam and latex) can also be a strong preference or some people that don't really prefer either one of them by themselves.

The issues I have are, unfortunately I wasn't able to tell how my alignment and pressure was as I was only able to be at each location for a short time and didnt have anyone there to help tell me how my alignment looked, as well as not knowing the best route to go as I know from other posts on here that some of the materials from the Natural Splendor and Blue Heaven are unknown and thus potential weak links.

While it's usually a good idea to use a combination of visual and experiential cues to test for alignment ... the tutorial post here includes links to information that can help you with both (in step 4).

And any potential thoughts or suggestions on those 2 beds or how I might be able to find similar feeling mattresses from an online retailer like SleepEZ (I know they are often able to help with comparisons to Savvy Rest but I don't know about Therapedic)?

There is more about the different ways that you can "match" one mattress to another one in post #9 here but the designs of both mattresses are really too different to be able to "match" them to another mattress with a completely different design. They can be useful as a general pointer about whether you like specific materials or tend to prefer softer or firmer mattresses but the goal is always to match your specific needs and preferences in terms of PPP rather than the "feel" of another mattress which may not be possible unless all the layers, components, and the cover is the same or at least very similar.

- I'm 6'0 about 175 if that might help toward suggesting layer configurations for mattresses that provide that option.

Only you can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved for anyone to be able to make any specific suggestions for someone else based on specs (either yours or a mattress) or "theory at a distance". The most reliable way to know which mattress is the best match for you is your own careful testing and experience but when that's not possible then the best approach is always a more detailed conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced online retailer or manufacturer who will know more about their mattresses than anyone else and can help "talk you through" the options they have available that have the best chance of success based on "averages" for your body type and sleeping style (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here ).

I'm guessing you've seen the Boston list and you are fortunate to live there because you certainly have some good options available in the area and as you know there are many good online options available to the members here as well but it's much more difficult to match one option to another based on specs or theory than it is to match all the mattresses you test to a common "ideal" in terms of PPP and the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.

Phoenix

Hey Phoenix,

I'm planning on contacting Therapedic directly to see if I can get some more information about the support foam they used in their "Ther-a-foam" base to see if these might disqualify these mattresses based on quality.

Is there anything besides whether it is HR polyfoam and the density that I should inquire about to help determine the quality of the non-latex components?

Hi Dangeresque55,

Is there anything besides whether it is HR polyfoam and the density that I should inquire about to help determine the quality of the non-latex components?

The information you need to know is in this article .

Phoenix

Hey Phoenix,

I spoke to a guy at the local Therapedic manufacturer and they said all their memory foams (both the gel and support memory foam) are 5 lb density, and that their support foam has a 2.0 density and is Soy based (apparently not poly-urethane?).

So in review I believe the Natural Splendor all latex model has the following specs
Quilt/Top Layers:
Natural bamboo stretch-knit fabric cover
Safeguard fiber
Comfort Layers:
2” Talalay latex - 19 ILD (quoted as 70% natural, 30% synthetic blend)
2” Talalay latex - 24 ILD
2” Talalay latex - 28 ILD
Support System:
6" Soy-based poly foam support core - 2.0 density , 23 IFD (this IFD is from a website -mattressexposed.com- not the guy I spoke with)
Base support foam - 35 ILD (this ILD is from the website as well)

and the Blue Heaven Memory Foam/Latex hybrid model had the following
Quilt/Top Layers:
Stretch Knit Zippered Cover
1" DynaFlow® Cooling Fabric
Comfort Layers:
2" Talalay Latex
2" EcoGel® Memory Foam - 14 IFD
2" High Support Memory Foam - 12 IFD
1" Latex Enhanced Support Foam - 2.0 lb Density 18 IFD
Support System:
6" High Density Foam Support Core - 1.8 Density 30 IFD


Do you see anything that would be a cause for concern in any of these components or any obvious weak links?