Savvy Rest report
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After lurking here and other places and doing lots of research - I finally recieved my latex mattress today. I'd like to add to the discussion by sharing my experiences with a company I haven't read about on this forum and about Dunlop latex. We went with a three layer 100% DUNLOP (yes, Dunlop, not Talalay) mattress from Savvy Rest via The Natural Sleep Store. We got a queen size with split firm (ILD 40), medium (ILD 35) and soft (ILD 30) layers. The cover is made of organic cotton quilted to organic wool. The total was $1849 including shipping - more than SleepEZ or some of the other online retailers but less than other organic latex mattresses.We got free UPS shipping through The Natural Sleep Store (which would have been $219 from Savvy Rest directly) plus a gift certificate for $160.00 that could be used toward bedding at their store. So far, I really like the mattress. It is just the right firmness. I don't think we would want anything softer than this configuration. We went with Dunlop even though there is so much more information about Talalay because we were more concerned about getting something too soft rather than too firm. I'll report on how we like the mattress in a few weeks. We went from years of futons that needed to be replaced every few years so this seems extremely comfy. Our latest futon had gotten really hard so we started researching other options and finally settled on the Savvy Rest. I can't really write a full review until sleeping on the mattress for a while - but I can review the customer service. There is a huge amount of information on the Savvy Rest web site and on the Natural Sleep Store web site as well as organicmattressreviews.com. I considered SleepEZ, FloBeds, Foam Sweet Foam, Foam Source and a couple of other places and finally settled on Savvy Rest. I would have considered FloBeds if they carried Dunlop latex. My concern with SleepEZ and some of the other places was that while they described their latex in great detail, they were a little sketchy about the covers and what they used for flame retardants. I decided to narrow my search to stores that described their covers and/or had options for different covers. FloBeds had several cover choices and reasonable prices, but I really wanted natural Dunlop rather than Talalay. Both FloBeds and Savvy Rest made it clear that they didn't use chemicals in addition to the wool for fire retardant material. First, I looked at the web sites, read reviews and got samples from Savvy Rest. They seemed professional and informative. I spoke directly to a woman at Savvy Rest (can't remember her name right now) and she was very knowledgeable and told me some things that made me buy a softer mattress than I had intended to. I'm glad I took her advice. She said most of their exchanges were for softer layers and that she couldn't recommend anything firmer than medium, medium, firm - and that would be quite firm in Dunlop. She also said that the Dunlop is a bit firmer on one side than the other so you could further customize by turning one or more layer over. The side with the larger holes is firmer than the side with the smaller holes. I haven't experimented with it yet so I can't confirm if the difference is noticeable but I thought it was interesting. The mattress came in three 2x2x3 boxes which the UPS guy hauled into the house for me. They were immaculate and clearly labled on the outside with computer printed stickers and magic marker. The first box as the heaviest at 60 pounds and contained the cotton and wool cover along with the soft layer and the assembly instructions which were in a zip lock bag taped to the top of the box. The other two layers were around 53 pounds each and clearly labled in the other two boxes. Each of the half layers were in separate plastic bags and were NOT vacuum packed. They were just kind of loosely rolled and very easy to remove from the boxes. Every half layer was labled with an F, M or S.I was really impressed with the attention to detail. I called my husband to come home early to hoist the boxes up into the bedroom and help me put the bed together. It probably took us less than half an hour to put it together. I really think the split layers were easier to handle than the full layers would have been. The top of the case is thick enough that we don't feel the split - even without a mattress pad. That's enough to bore you for now. I am really happy with this purchase. It is one of the best experiences I've had buying something online. We just didn't find anything comparable locally. Cheers, Marie |
Re: Savvy Rest report
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I think Savvy Rest charges shipping both ways (as opposed to only 1-way like FloBeds does) AND, they don't vacuum pack the latex, so boxes are twice as large. Also dunlap is a bit heavier than talalay (the natural in each type; don't know anything about the blended). Hence the higher shipping charges. I have slept on both all natural dunlap and talalay (however not a bed with both), and they do feel quite different (even if ILDs are the same). Unfortunately I did not have 2 beds side by side to try when I was researching, nor were my past dunlap mattresses comparable in depth or ocnfiguration to my current talalay one. And except for my last bed, which was very thin dunlap, the others, albeit much thicker, were literally decades ago (eg: I had a Sears dunlap mattress through childhood, and then another dunlap one, don't know what brand, as a young adult!). I liked them all and they lasted ages, except that my last one was way too firm and there wasn't nearly a sufficient amount of latex for my current needs. After much research and deliberation I chose FloBeds, the primary deciding factor being their return policy.... it was a lot of money for me, and although I knew I wanted some kind of latex, I wanted the "safety insurance" of not losing everything if it didn't work out, as my last 2 beds I bought "untried" and with no return policy. First of these, 15 years ago, was a 2-layer organic futon--a disaster for my back, and a big loss. Second was the one with latex and wool layers which I slept on for many years, but during the last few, it was quite uncomfortable for me because of it's firmness and thin layers (not because of any indentations or deterioration of the latex or wool topper), and the last several months I was waking up literally every few minutes with severe nerve pain (some serious health problems have gotten much worse over the years, and I now need a much softer bed but still with very good support). I should say I was only in the market for a latex "all-natural" bed, meaning the 100%natural, not blended, latex with an organic cotton and wool cover and no added fire retardants. This limited my choices to begin with. I got samples from 4 places (FloBeds, Savvyrest, SleepEZ, and Habitat) and also tried out the two brands of latex beds available locally (not SavvyRest as there weren't any). I ended up ruling out Habitat because it turned out their cover is not organic and they use silica (non-toxic as far as fire retardants go, but not for me). I also called a couple of independent out-of-state Savvy retailers (who also sold other "natural" beds), and would have loved to have been able to go and directly compare talalay and dunlap beds with a similar configuration, but it turned out not to be possible due to the distance involved. I should say that all the people I talked to were quite nice and none were pushy at all in terms of trying to sell me their product (another good reason to go with the independent companies, not the big store, big-name brands). They were all helpful, some extremely so (although, because of all the research I had already done, I ended up knowing more than the two local retailers, but they did contact their manufacturers to get additional info I asked for). And most were very patient with all the questions I asked! I wish I could have taken what I found best/ideal (in terms of my particular needs) from different places. But of course that wasn't possible, and as I said, for various reasons, I ended up going with FloBeds. Dave has been excellent to work with, helpful and trustworthy. Obviously he's in the market to sell his beds, but in my experience, is clearly very committed to making sure someone gets what's best for him/her, and doing all he can to facilitate that. So truly exemplary customer service, and I would highly recommend them. |
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Hi Linda! I enjoyed reading your comments and hearing of your personal experience with sleeping on one of the old Sears dunlop mattresses! Your points about Savvy's shipping were well expressed and make sense. I'd forgotten that dunlop weighs more than Talalay, and if they are charging both ways, then $86 for a twin xl makes sense! Yes, Savvy doesn't compress their latex, so boxes are larger too. Perfect logic all around - you go girl! While I sure understand the concern about Savvy's "no returns - exchanges only" policy, the reason I went with them is that I was 100% certain that we wanted latex, and knowing that they offer both Talalay and Dunlop (both 100% natural), almost made it impossible for us to go with anyone else.... I knew I wouldn't be returning, and had the option to go to Talalay if the Dunlop proved to be too firm, but that didn't happen. I'm so happy to keep reading of other's buying experiences. (FloBeds & Savvy must love all of us! LOL) ...but most important is to offer candid comments to those still undecided & still researching! What ILD configuration is your Flobed? Did you do a split if a queen or king? And how are you sleeping since the purchase? |
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mattressnewbie wrote: Hi Catlover - that's awesome to hear that you guys have been doing some stomach-sleeping without any regrets in the AM! I miss sleeping on my stomach, as odd as that sounds... :) I will try to email you the directions on how to post an image just by typing, and I'll explain it as simply as you need me to! No worries there! I've had to explain stuff to my poor confused Mom and Aunt so lots of experience there! ;) Again, I know I've said it before, but just want you all to know how much I value your advice and opinions, especially those of you who untiringly and patiently explain stuff and offer your experiences time and again to those of us who are somewhat new to all this! Thank you! Hey mattressnewbie! I'm wondering whether those of us older than 30 enjoy the stomach sleeping (when possible) due to the fact that all of us were put to sleep on our stomachs as infants. I know that, in my case, this form of sleeping carried over to into my childhood & the early part of my adulthood. Since about 1980, parents have been told to put infants on their backs only. (however, most revert to stomach once able to roll over, so must be natural instinct to do so once able) At some point, it became difficult to sleep on my stomach without awakening with a sore lower back, so I haven't tried in years until the latex arrived! I have no clue whether the dunlop (or talalay for that matter) processed (100% natural) latex will develop body impressions over time, but unless and until that happens, I'm sleeping like a child once again! So, nothing odd at all with the desire - it' all about your childhood IMHO! Are you getting any closer to a decision? Keep us posted! |
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catlover wrote: Hey mattressnewbie!<BR><BR>I'm wondering whether those of us older than 30 enjoy the stomach sleeping (when possible) due to the fact that all of us were put to sleep on our stomachs as infants. I know that, in my case, this form of sleeping carried over to into my childhood & the early part of my adulthood. Since about 1980, parents have been told to put infants on their backs only. (however, most revert to stomach once able to roll over, so must be natural instinct to do so once able)<BR><BR>At some point, it became difficult to sleep on my stomach without awakening with a sore lower back, so I haven't tried in years until the latex arrived!<BR><BR>I have no clue whether the dunlop (or talalay for that matter) processed (100% natural) latex will develop body impressions over time, but unless and until that happens, I'm sleeping like a child once again!<BR><BR>So, nothing odd at all with the desire - it' all about your childhood IMHO! <BR><BR>Are you getting any closer to a decision? Keep us posted! Hmmm - that's an interesting theory, Catlover! Could very well be! Re: making a decision - was hoping to receive my flobeds samples in the mail today, but alas I'm all the way in PA and they're in CA so maybe Monday hopefully?? I think, to be thorough, I might contact SleepEZ and ask them for some samples as well (think I saw someone post that they had gotten samples from them, too). Already got some from Savvy Rest. Had fun playing with the latex! I don't know what I'm gonna do when I get a whole bed made outta the stuff! LOL! And actually, I kinda really liked their cover sample to be honest - saw in another post some folks thinking it might be too "rough feeling" maybe? Think the one poster said they thought it felt like "canvas"? I was thinking maybe more along the lines of a cotton tote bag if that makes any sense? Of course, that might still give off the impression of it being too rough. One of the sides was a bit softer - almost like a "well-worn" cotton tote bag? But that's just MHO! I can see how, if it were the one "less-soft" side how someone might feel it was a bit "canvas-y" and not as soft as terry! Oh! I found out there is a store a little over an hour away that carries Savvy Rest beds, but they are only open "by appointment", so going to call them and see what all they have available and try to set something up hopefully next weekend to go take a... lay? Why does that sound bad? LOL! So looks like my decision will still be some time forthcoming yet... Ugh. My poor lower back... BTW - Catlover, I sent you 2 "private messages" going into details about how to post images by just typing (per your request), but, as I suspected, it still was "interpretting" the HTML so it wasn't showing explicitly what you're supposed to type. I'd have to put in the "escape characters" and I'm a little time-crunched this weekend, but I was wondering if you even had gotten them in the first place? Let me know! Thanks!! :) |
Re: Savvy Rest report
| Yes, a "well-worn" cotton tote bag--that's a good description. Probably better than my "cotton canvas: description, although most tote bags are made of canvas :) I did notice that the top side was softer than the underneath (not that one is lying directly on the cover anyway). I liked their cover fine (and the brass zipper is beautiful), but I love the soft, stretchy FloBed one (and the leaping sheep design!)! Wool filing was soft on both. |
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Hi Catlover, I'm still playing around with the layers, but will post back when I have it "finalized". I know what you mean about the choice of dunlap with Savvyrest, and thus your decision to go that route. That was a consideration for me to. I need a lot of support for back problems, but also a lot of softness for nerve problems (especially cause I sleep on my side mostly). Right now I'm sleeping on (top to bottom) soft, medium, X-firm talalay (all-natural). The other 2 configurations I've tried the most are soft, firm,firm and medium, medium, X-firm. I actually prefer the latter in terms of support, but still get some shooting nerve pain when on my side for any length of time. (I have a pretty complex health situation going on though). I did briefly try the zoned layer, but did not care for it. For comparison sake, I am 5"5 1/2" and about 130 lbs. My husband side (when mine is set up like it currently is) is medium, firm, X-firm. He's about 5"11 and 180 lbs. Unlike me, he can sleep comfortably on most anything, including hard futons. He calls this bed "the sponge bed"! I'll try to post a fuller description of my experience another time, as there's more I could share, but need to get to bed. I agree that this forum is very helpful to people in navigating through the bed maze---we're all so different in terms of our preferences,body types/size, health and needs, but it's still so helpful to hear the experience of others. It's certainly been helpful to me through my research, so I wanted to share some of my experience in the hopes that it benefits someone else, especially those who may be at an earlier stage of the process. |
Re: Savvy Rest report
| Linda, if you husband thinks his side is too spongy, you might want to try putting the firm over the medium. That will give a firmer feel. Otherwise, he might prefer firm/firm/xfirm. |
Re: Savvy Rest report
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linda wrote: Yes, a "well-worn" cotton tote bag--that's a good description. Probably better than my "cotton canvas: description, although most tote bags are made of canvas :) I did notice that the top side was softer than the underneath (not that one is lying directly on the cover anyway). I liked their cover fine (and the brass zipper is beautiful), but I love the soft, stretchy FloBed one (and the leaping sheep design!)! Wool filing was soft on both. Hi Linda! Ahh - good point. Guess that's why they call them "canvas tote bags", huh? Hee! :oD I suppose I was thinking some folks might take it as more like the stiffer canvas of some types of camping gear or something of that nature! But I have to admit - having cute fluffy leaping sheep on the cover DOES have a certain strong appeal.... :oD Thanks for all your input, especially since you have experience with both!! |