We have a Sleepy's Dormia memory foam mattress. Although it does smell for a week or so, it does go away. It is a bit warmer than other mattresses (previously Sealy posturpedic) but I find that we are able to either use less blankets in the summer, and are able to turn the heat lower in the winter.

My back and neck have never felt better since switching to a memory foam mattress.

Thanks for doing this study; I can't imagine have to move a new bed in/out every month!!!

I had no idea that Sealy made such an animal - I'm very interested in reading more on this one - but from what I've found, there are different levels of "Embody"

Sealy's website states that they have Memory Foam and Latex Foam models - and there are four degrees of sub-model names for the Embody line such as "Insightful", "Perspective", "Introspection", "Prophecy" and "Shelter":
http://bedroom.us-mattress.com/socialsearch/query?q=embody&cn=usmattress&cc=www

More details would be appreciated.

I had a memory phone bed when they first came out, quite a few years ago. We had a 30 day money back guarantee and took advantage of it. We gave it back. Some people swear by them but I can't stand (nor can my husband) being hot in bed. UGH. my feelings were the same as yours, prety comfy but man was it hot, and we lived in the desert (Vegas) so we definitely didn't need any additional heat. LOL I'm curious to see how well you like it after 30 days.

my boyfriend shakes, tosses and turns so much in his sleep that i'm ready to splurge on a mattress solution. wondering if this mattress would solve for that?

Funny- I'm in the market for a new mattress. I have my eye on a gorgeous new upholstered headboard and frame at C &B, but it only requires a mattress- not a box spring- as it's a platform bed. My question is:

Can you get a mattress for a platform bed that is as comfortable as a mattress/boxspring set? I'm not really interested in foam, but something decadent, like those "sleeping on a cloud" mattresses at some of the nicer hotel chains.

Any tips out there? Thanx!

@terrym2442 --

VI-Spring makes "bedstead" mattresses, which don't require a box spring for all those people who have beds that won't accommodate them.

I believe that Savoir also makes mattresses for frame beds.

Both VI-Spring and Savoir are the high end of the classic mattress market, made with horsehair (some with cashmere) and hand-tied springs, which sounds like what you are looking for.

Thanks, mschatelaine!

Can I second terrym2442's request?! I'm planning to purchase the Colette bed from C&B, which I've loved for a long time. But it's a platform bed and those are totally new to me... I'm wondering if anyone who owns one has suggestions on how to tackle the mattress situation?

Artificial material?? that is what most mattresses are made of! even posturpedic. with the exception of the old horse hair, which I note someone is making again. I loved mine and the crunch sounds when you get on them apparently they used to re "blow" them after many years of use. wonder if they 10 still make them and two and re"blow " them

I'd be worried about the off gasing of the synthetic memory foam.

I've read that its toxic, containing: Methyl benzene (toluene), Methylene dianiline, toluene–neoprene, Vinilideine chloride, Dimethylformamide, 1,1,1, 2-Tetrachloroethane, and acetone.

Personally, I'd avoid those chemicals, especially while sleeping. I liked how the Ikea bed maintained natural fibers and foam. I wonder how many other non toxic beds there are within a reasonable price range?

@terrym2442: You can just buy the mattress, you don't have to purchase the mattress boxspring set. You just have to ask!

Which nonalcoholic beer won?

laurainboston: That's the bed I'm buying as well!! Let me know if you get more info on mattresses.

jlcarpe3: I'm just wondering if NOT having a boxspring makes the top mattress less comfortable. ??

Your wife (SK) is a saint, I think you're lucky that you and all your mattresses are not out on the sidewalk.:) :) :)

"I'm just wondering if NOT having a boxspring makes the top mattress less comfortable. "

Depends on the mattress - but generally, No.

kfax: I'm in the same situation with my tossing bed partner. He has "restless" legs that he raises into the air and bangs on the mattress every couple of minutes during the first few hours of sleep.

We bought a Tempur-pedic mattress about two months ago; I imagine it would be similar to memory foam models like the Sealy Embody described here. The Tempur-pedic model we got is called "Cloud" and it is their softest option. You don't get absorbed into the bed, which was my main worry in getting such a soft mattress. From a former hard-mattress advocate: it's great.

I can still feel his legs banging, but it's nothing like the inner-spring mattress we had before. I encourage you to go into a show room with your partner and lay on the bed and have them toss and turn as they do at night. I think you'll find a remarkable difference.

Another thing that helped was sheets: we moved to jersey-knit sheets, which are not as taut as woven sheets - you know how, when your partner is tossing, and he/she moves the fitted sheet under you in doing so, and that wakes you up - yeah, doesn't happen with knit sheets.

I wonder if you had put Ikea's memory foam topper ($200) would you get a similar effect? perhaps it would make the latex much comfier?

I use a 2" memory foam mattress cover and I love it. Cost me $50 - Canadian! It has allowed me to stretch out a few more years out of my mattress.

we recently had to replace our mattress & were considering memory foam--two of our friends had the sonno mattress and swear by it. but we just couldn't get over all the chemicals & the off gassing. decided to get natural latex (it's also bed bug resistant and has antibacterial properties). checked into ikea's erfjord--way too stiff & uncomfortable & too many people complained that after 2 1/2 years it bottomed out, which is a sign of bad latex. after a lot of testing, research, etc. we finally bought a zippered layered all natural latex mattress from sleepez, which allows you to replace the latex & cover. have only had it a month but so far it's heaven--supportive but soft on top. just be sure to get good latex from reputable places like sleepez, flobeds, savvy rest, which are factories who buy their latex from known manufacturers. spent a lot of time talking to the owner of sleepez on the phone & he's very knowledgeable & not at all pushy. also highly recommend this site for information:
http://www.whatsthebest-mattress.com/forum/latex-mattress/15937-0-1.html

"Can you get a mattress for a platform bed that is as comfortable as a mattress/boxspring set? I'm not really interested in foam, but something decadent, like those "sleeping on a cloud" mattresses at some of the nicer hotel chains."

Cruiselines don't use box-springs under their mattresses - they use platforms in order to allow space for luggage storage below the bed - but there are some amazingly comfortable beds in use out there:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=289

Not having a box spring might be perfectly comfortable, but it can invalidate the warranty. This is one reason I hate mattress companies. There are a lot of scams out there, even with the big name brands.

unrelated to this post - i really like your wine holder. i'm sure you've answered this question already - but where can i find it and for how much?

thanks

Memory foam beds are _hot_--I don't get any sleep at all. And that "smell" is a toxic chemical which can cause respiratory and eventually pulmonary problems.

I save my bones with a properly sized pillow (hooray for a happy neck) and sleeping on my back. A regular old mattress pad seems to work for me. As long as my bed slats don't sag, it's all good. (Box springs suck.)

My mattress was $99 at the cheapo place, rotated every 6 mo.s. Ha ha, mattress warranties.

with a restless partner ... has anyone ever tried 2 smaller matresses alongside each other?

I hope you realize relief for your back, Maxwell, and sweet wife also has nice rest for herself. sincerely, mary

"I'm just wondering if NOT having a boxspring makes the top mattress less comfortable. "

Mattresses designed to be used with a box spring (and not just a box that looks like a boxspring, like the lousy kingsdown we are stuck with right now) are much firmer when used without a box spring. That is because they have less depth of spring to support you and make you comfortable. As a result, the mattress will not perform as intended, which is why the warranty is invalidated -- it's not a "scam"... if you are not using a product as intended, it will not perform as designed, and you cannot get your money back for said failure. Sounds fair to me.

So this is not the first time when I have to disagree with bepsf, but the mattress WILL NOT be as comfortable.

Thus, you should be trying to find a mattress that does not need to work with a box. Such a mattress will most likely have a different internal spring system.

It is recommended that the VI-Spring mattresses I suggested be used with a pad that goes on top of the bed slats, to help distribute the support more evenly and extend the life of the mattress. That is something to consider with other mattresses as well.

the more traditional mattresses (spring) usually do best with a foundation that's built especially for them and usually need replacing before the top mattress; however, the newer mattresses such as memory foam and latex do better on wood platforms or slats. latex in particular does not do well on a box spring because the mattress is so heavy.

thank you Proboscidea
and In Everything i'm not ready to make a leap to be so separate to have another bed... even if they're right up next to each other.
hoping this type of bed (that maxwell's testing out or Proboscidea described) is going to be the solution

@ In Everything:

I wouldn't suggest 2 smaller mattresses. In Feng Shui, that would indicate a split in a couple. Besides that, I love this experiment. Keep up the good work and we appreciate the effort Maxwell and Kate!

Very few new mattress sets have a box spring that actually has spring in it. Try to press down on most box springs and you'll find they're really just foundations. Check the warranty ahead of time but I agree with mschatelaine. If you don't use a product properly how can you expect warranty?

It's funny how we expect a mattress to last and last and last and want 10+ year warranties when very few products have more than 2 years. Even a Rolex has only a 2 year warranty. Plasma or LCD TVs have a ONE YEAR WARRANTY and yet thousands of dollars are spent on them!! A mattress warranty doesn't cover your comfort but defects in the material or construction.

Most beds can go on a platform base but it can change the feel.

My husband is disabled and creates lots of shaking and twisting trying to turn over in bed at night. He also needs something really comfy. Friends had recommended for years the Duxianna mattress which is ridiculously expensive. It is 1/4 the price of a cheap car, and I don't even own a car. We finally bit the bullet and bought this fabulous mattress and I have never regretted the money spent. We bought the California King size which is two twin mattresses connected together and covered by one large topper. Even if a child jumps on the other side, I can't feel it on my side. I find the profile of those big stacked mattresses kind of gross, so I like the elegant profile of these thin beds. The base is about a foot high and the topper is 2". And the two twin together design makes moving them much easier. It is very, very comfortable and after owning if for a couple of years, I am seeing no signs of wear. It is a great option if you are luck enough to afford it.

I too bought this bed when I moved a few months ago--new apartment, new, better bed. Wrong. HOT HOT HOT. Okay, I do prefer a coolish bed, but I was told, practically promised, that this model would not feel hot like the other memory foam mattresses--it breathes, it has moisture wicking properties. Well, mine certainly didn't. I tried sleeping on this bed with the A/C on full blast and after about an hour I was sweating, with a room temperature of under 20 Celsius. Moved to the couch until the bed was removed and replaced with a nice Posturepedic.

We bought a Dormia memory foam mattress a couple of years ago. I can never go back to a coil spring mattress after sleeping on this. My husband is a restless sleeper and it really does absorb a lot of his movements. We love it, but it does get hot and the mattress is only 8" or 9" inches deep and it's been very hard to find sheets that fit, since most sheets these days are made for thick pillowtops. If I had to do it over again, I would go for natural latex, which supposedly breathes better.

My husband and I bought a Novosbed memory foam about 6 months ago and have found it to be a very welcomed change from our old spring pillowtop. Much more supportive (our pillow top felt like sleeping in a hammock after only 2 years), and not too warm. It was an adjustment at first, but after about 4-5 nights of sleeping on it, I would never go back to spring.

I did a year long search for a bed and really wanted to reduce or eliminate sleeping on or near plastic or latex. In the end I found a reference on apartmenttherapy to handmaker of beds in NYC called Charles H. Beckley that makes beds without plastic.

No conversation about amazing beds should exclude one of these custom beds. They make them to any dimension, lots of fabrics to choose from, everything is custom. It took about 10 weeks for them to make it and two weeks to get it delivered but it cost less than a high-end sealy including the handmade boxspring. I've had it for two years, and today, coincidentally, my swedish mother, who sleeps on a hastens and is sleeping on my beckley over the holidays called it the most comfortable bed she's ever slept on. It's the best furniture purchase I've ever made. And the production is in NY and urban which must stand for something. http://www.chbeckley.com/