Are you looking for a unique sleep experience that will keep you on top of your bed, rather than being consumed by it? A bed that will last for many, many years, and is a proven bedding material (Natural Latex mattresses have been around for 60 years), that embraces and supports your body unlike any other sleep surface? A bed that isn't hot to sleep on, will not develop ruts, dips, depressions, or gulleys, and reacts instantly to your body's movements and adjustments? Natural Latex is instantly responsive and resilient, providing a buoyant sensation that keeps you on top of your bed, rather than that sinking, collapsed, and "caved in" feel, found with so many conventional mattresses. No more digging your way out of your bed, just to change positions, disrupting those uninterrupted spans of deep sleep. Because it so highly elastic, it allows you to turn easily, distributing your weight, and reducing pressure points far more effectively than any other sleep surface, vastly improving your sleep hygiene.  A 100% Natural Latex mattress will last for many years, without the risk of decaying and breaking down, as synthetic, petrochemical based latex and foam beds are known to do. Because of this deterioration, mattresses containing synthetic urethane based compounds are subject to forming body impressions that significantly reduce the life span of your bed. Also, Natural Latex repels dust mites, is naturally anti-microbial, and is therefore an excellent mattress choice for individuals with allergies who are hypersensitive to these organisms.

The new hot product in the mattress industry is going to be latex mattresses. At the industry shows we've attended over the last few years, latex mattresses are showing up more and more in bedding lines. Latex mattresses have grown tremendously popular in Europe and the US, and the bet among many is that latex mattresses will be the next "memory foam bed". Latex is a terrific product. It is very dense and a quality latex mattress will last virtually forever. Latex mattresses are always made with holes in them (called pin core holes) - these holes soften the latex and make it comfortable. The larger the holes, the softer the latex core will feel. Most latex mattresses just have one size of holes through the whole mattress so the mattress has a uniform feel throughout. Some cores, though, are made with different sections of latex with different sized holes. This allows the bed to have different zones - softer under the shoulders and feet and firmer under the hips. Latex mattresses have a nice bouncy feel and they are very supportive.

What is latex?

Natural Latex is a unique gift from mother nature, harvested entirely by hand. The liquid material is tapped and collected, much like maple syrup, from just beneath the bark of the tree. It must be carefully gathered from Rubber trees one by one, grown on plantations which contain hundreds of thousands of trees. Natural Latex is a renewable, natural material that offers unique properties unlike any other. Natural Latex is sourced from plantations  in Malaysia,  Sri Lanka and India where the finest premium white latex rubber is grown and harvested in a tropical mountainous climate.

Originally it was just natural latex that was made of the sap of actual rubber trees. And latex is still made this way today. But during WWII, scientists also learned how to create synthetic latex. Some latex manufacturer's claim that synthetic latex has the same properties as natural.

Today, most latex mattresses tend to be either made of synthetic latex or more typically a combination of synthetic and natural latex. The manufacturer's of these combination latex mattresses claim that a combination makes the whole latex mattress more resilient. Of course, the all natural latex manufacturers say  this is rubbish - that an all natural product is just as resilient and is actually made of natural rubber (as opposed to petrochemical synthetic latex). Actually it is just a matter of costs - synthetic latex may be cheaper and so more cost effective to use in a mattress. Are there advantages to going natural latex over the synthetic? We can't say that the quality of the mattress will differ, but we just have a personal preference to the natural latex from a tree as opposed to a synthetic. You may pay more for the natural latex mattress and also find that finding an all natural latex mattress is difficult.

This raises the second way latex mattresses can be different - the manner in which the latex cores are made. There are two ways they are manufactured: 1) The original method, called the Dunlop method, involves first whipping the latex liquid with air to make a foam, then pouring the latex liquid into a mold and heating it till it vulcanizes, and 2) the Talalay method, which is a bit more involved. In the Talalay method, the latex foam a vacuum is placed on the mold and other processes are involved that some claim produces a foam that has a more consistent cell structure. The foam, in either process, once made is then washed a number of times to get rid or excess soaps and proteins that can make the foam degrade early and also reduces the rubbery smell of latex.

So, in addition to having two different kinds of latex to choose from (natural or synthetic), you also must determine which method of production (Dunlop method or Talalay method) to choose from as well. Which is best? Manufacturers who use  the Talalay method, describe their product as being less dense, having more air dispersed in the product due to the flash freeze step used in the process, and claim that it had a more uniform cell structure. Those who use the more straightforward vulcanization technique in the Dunlop method like the more elastic, springier feeling it creates, and had strong opinions about using all natural materials. They are both good products. We manufacture our latex mattresses by the Dunlop process since the technique is developed using all natural latex without synthetic ingredients, and it offers a more stable product with some solid history behind it. We have spoken to people who have found these mattresses to be in pristine condition, even after 40-50 years. The Talalay method is promising, both with synthetic and even all natural ingredients, but the technique has not been used as long to really evaluate the longevity of the product when made this way.