Bed mattresses made up of materials like memory foam and gel foam draw heavily from chemicals to create the experience of the bed molding to your body’s shape. Memory foam reacts chemically to your body’s temperature and creates that experience of support and comfort. However, if you’re like other consumers, you may want a mattress you can lay down on and not fear for the types of chemicals you’re inhaling or coming into contact with. Natural latex mattresses offer the same experience as memory foam but utilize an organic ingredient. Three models within the market are the Essentia Tatami Queen, Lifekind Trio and the Astrabeds SerenityBed. Natural latex is created from the sap of rubber trees specifically planted and maintained for latex and rubber production. These trees are tapped to create a regular and sustainable resource akin to maple syrup harvesting. The end result is a type of mattress support that doesn’t require the use of dangerous and toxic chemicals to create a long-lasting and always-springy bed.
Many different types of mattresses exist, and latex is among the least common of these types. The unique manufacturing process, in addition to the high price tags, makes such beds difficult to happen upon in most mattress stores. These beds aren’t as widely available as memory foam due to their rigorous manufacturing process. However, the difference of materials ultimately lends toward the mattress’ strengths and makes comparing it against regular memory foam mattresses an even more sensible process. One of the main appealing factors of the organic latex mattress over memory foam is the absence of chemical off-gassing. When you first purchase a memory foam mattress, you’ll likely notice a very strong chemical odor that reportedly fades with time, a by-product of chemical off-gassing. Latex mattresses, on the other hand, are often made without toxic chemicals or hazardous additives and thus don’t smell. In addition, due to their organic nature, the mattresses are also hypoallergenic and mold resistant, maintain their springiness after years of use and remain among the most durable mattresses on the market.
When picking a latex mattress, the design of the mattress is typically the same for any bed. Each layer is designed with holes throughout to encourage air circulation, heat reduction and moisture removal. However, the more comfortable and desirable mattresses are typically those with three or more layers of latex foam. This allows you to create varying levels of foam density for higher levels of comfort and support. While latex by itself is a natural and healthy alternative to memory foam, creating a 100-percent natural latex bed is incredibly expensive. To offset the cost of latex, many bed manufacturers create material blends that leverage the organic nature of latex with low-cost alternatives like synthetic latex, blends of natural and synthetic, and blends of natural and botanical latex. While a fully-organic latex bed may be the epitome of natural, healthy and earth-friendly mattresses, many latex beds will blend materials to create an alternative to all-natural. The best materials found in latex mattresses are that of Dunlop and Talalay latex.
The Dunlop process entails whipping rubber sap into a froth, pouring it into a mold, and then baking it. The natural materials found in rubber often settle to the bottom, resulting in latex layers being heavier on the bottom. The Talalay process adds two steps to Dunlop. After the latex is poured into a mold, the material is put in a vacuum chamber and flash-frozen before baking. The result is a latex more consistent in structure and more expensive. Of all the types of bed mattresses available to you, latex beds are reputed as the most long lasting of all mattresses. Due to the durable and breathable nature of latex, the mattress is better able to circulate air, retain spring and remain comfortable for a minimum of 10 years on average. Warranties help in protect you against product failures that might decrease the lifespan of your bed to anything shorter than that. The warranty of the mattress you choose should be sufficient to protect those first 10 years of use. The all-natural latex mattress simulates the same experience as memory foam, contouring to your body and helping reduce back pressure.
These mattresses respond instantly to your body’s position, allowing you to easily change positions in the night. The result is a good night’s rest and a longer-lasting mattress.Key details:Competitors: None, really. But for that price you could also get a Mercedes AMG GT S (from $131,200); Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Day-Date & Power Reserve watch (from $150,000); Tiffany Circlet Diamond Necklace ($150,000)Price:Why It's Worth It: The Hastens workshop in Köping, Sweden.The Hästens Vividus bed does not come with a guarantee to quiet crying babies. It does not vow Peter Pan-like trips to Never Never Land every night. The tooth fairy does not leave $100 bills under its extraordinarily comfortable pillows—although given its nearly $150,000 price tag, that would be a nice perk. What it does promise is more in line with the recent wellness science: With a good night's sleep, you live longer, learn faster, function better, stay in better shape, and look younger. For the cost of a high-end Mercedes or a collectible timepiece, you can take a dip in an all-natural fountain of youth every evening.
Or so the thinking goes. I went to the company showroom in New York's Chelsea neighborhood to check it out in person. The price intrigued me the same way that pictures of exploded Ferraris do: How can something that looks so ordinary be so valuable? And on first glance, the Vividus looks like a typical bed. There's no wide-screen TV that emerges from underneath the box spring, no built-in refrigerator. It doesn't spin in circles like a jewel on display beneath a decadent mirrored ceiling.Layers in a Hästens box spring, mattress, and topper. But before I can crawl beneath the covers, Hästens's vice president of global retail, Bob Cooper, walks me through the history. The first Vividus came out in 2006, a version that took 160 hours to create and cost $112,900. In the 10 years since, the company has researched how to regulate body temperature and provide support to create what it calls a "perfect night's sleep" without using any heat-trapping rubber or plastic materials. They ended up doubling the amount of time it takes to build the bed—now 320 hours—and the company uses just four certified craftsmen at Hästens's dedicated atelier in Sweden to make them.
Each Vividus is built to order and takes a minimum of 10 weeks before delivery. How does this all add up to $149,000?It starts at the bottom. The wooden frame is made from slow-growing northern Swedish pine. On top of that sits a box spring, called the base, that has pure steel springs and multiple layers of flax for soundproofing. Above that is the mattress, which holds more springs, layers of cotton and wool batting, and horsehair lining, stacked the way you might make a lasagna. The mattress pad, or "topper," has its own layers of cotton, wool, and horsehair. Horsehair is critical: The hair is braided by hand, then unwound, to give it even more bounce. Every single curled strand functions like a tiny spring, providing support and pliability. And because each horsehair strand is also a hollow tube (unlike human hair), the material acts as a miniature airway to wick moisture away so there’s no sweat buildup. The cumulative effect of all these layers is that when you lie down on the bed, you feel as if your legs are slightly raised, which, as doctors will tell you, is better for circulation and overall heart health.
I get in, and I start to see what they mean. Articles such as this one typically describe luxurious mattresses as "sleeping on a cloud," but the Vividus is not that soft. My feet are supported unlike any other mattress I've ever slept on. It gives and holds in unusual, but always comfortable, ways. It takes me awhile to settle in, and Cooper says that the longer I stay in it, the more it will respond to my body, depending on whether I'm a side sleeper or prefer staying on my back. Will it cure my Jimmy leg? The longer I'm here, even the price-tag guilt starts to melt away. The whole thing is constructed in the Swedish style, meaning dovetail joints instead of screws or nails, and the springs are connected to the mattress interior using a step-stitching process, accomplished by hand with a needle about 18 inches long.Wool batting adds another layer of safety without the need for toxic chemicals: In case of fire, the naturally flame retardant fiber wraps around the cotton, suppressing oxygen.