When I buy my next bed, I want to get a latex mattress. Softer than your old innerspring, more supportive than memory foam, and more sustainable than your average hybrid, latex mattresses offer something for everyone.
A natural latex bed feels springy and responsive. It's the sort of bed I'd recommend for every sleep position, but probably not for every budget: latex gets seriously expensive.
As H&G's resident sleep writer, I'm always on the hunt for the next best mattress. To learn more about the pros and cons of a latex mattress, I interviewed mattress manufacturers from Saatva and Essentia. They told me everything you need to know about latex mattresses, from how they're made to what they cost.
Is it good to sleep on latex?
Along the way, I've hand-picked a few of my favorite latex beds that made the cut for our best organic mattress buying guide. I've also rounded up some alternative beds that offer a similar look and feel to latex for less.
What is a latex mattress?
Before we begin, it always helps to define our terms. A latex mattress is made from the sap of rubber trees, which is frothed into foam, then baked into beds. Natural latex is free from harsh chemicals, so you know that you're breathing cleaner, healthier air while you sleep.
If you've ever tried shopping for a latex mattress, you might have come across the terms 'Dunlop' and 'Talalay'. These are the two major methods of making latex. Talalay latex is formed when you pour rubber sap into a mold, then use a vacuum to suck out all the oxygen and introduce carbon dioxide, instead. This creates a soft, foamy feeling, not unlike a memory foam mattress. To make Dunlop latex, you bake the rubber sap in a vulcanization oven to produce thick, firm foam, with a bottom-heavy composition. Dunlop latex makes a great support core, but it isn't quite as comfortable or as breathable as Talalay latex.
Latex mattress benefits
I asked Byron Golub, Vice President of Product & Merchandising at Saatva, to explain what makes a latex mattress so special. He puts it down to versatility: 'Natural latex mattresses are a good fit for almost every type of sleeper,' explains Byron, 'especially those looking for pressure relief.' Latex is made to bear your weight and mold to the shape of your body, easing pain and relieving pressure. Soft yet supportive, I'd recommend a latex mattress for all sorts of sleep positions.
According to Byron, latex beds are also 'resilient and breathable, which makes for a cool and comfortable night's sleep.' I reckon he's talking about the open-cell structure of latex, which optimizes airflow throughout your mattress. You'll find latex layers in some of the best cooling mattresses, working hard to dissipate heat overnight.
These are a few of my favorite latex mattresses, tried and tested by an H&G sleep expert. For the sake of a fair fight, we assess each mattress against the same criteria: comfort; support; cooling; motion isolation; edge support; and weight bearing capacity. I'd expect a latex mattress to score highly for motion isolation, weight bearing, and support: good news for light sleepers, anyone who shares a bed, and anyone particularly tall or broad.
PlushBeds offers custom comfort for eco-conscious shoppers. You get to choose the size, height, firmness, and feel of your mattress, which is made-to-order and delivered to your door. Each bed is filled with GOLS-certified latex for enhanced pressure relief − that's why the Botanical Bliss comes highly recommended by chiropractors and orthopedics.
You can find more detail in our PlushBeds Botanical Bliss Organic Latex Mattress review.
This latex mattress features no fewer than five ergonomic zones, strategically placed to target and support each area of your body. It's an excellent option for back sleepers and anyone who suffers from chronic pain. The Saatva Zenhaven Natural Latex Mattress features a flippable design, so that you can find your ideal firmness. Just don't try to flip it by yourself: this mattress is seriously heavy.
You can find more detail in our Saatva Zenhaven Natural Latex Mattress review.
This organic mattress is hand-tufted and assembled in Avocado's Los Angeles factory. It's lined with more than 1,000 supportive steel coils and topped with organic wool and cotton for comfort. If you'd prefer to purchase a vegan mattress, that's no problem: Avocado offer the option to eliminate wool and make a mattress free from animal products. The Avocado Green Mattress is GOTS certified for ethical farming and business practice, as well as fair treatment of workers.
You can find more detail in our Avocado Green Mattress review.
As Senior Content Manager at Saatva, Christina Heiser oversees all sorts of mattresses, from memory foam models to luxury innersprings. Still, she swears by natural latex: it's 'sustainable, non-toxic, and biodegradable,' ideal for eco-conscious shoppers.
Christina believes that latex mattresses offer the best of both worlds. 'Latex mattresses have a responsive feel, similar to an innerspring, but they also contour to your curves like memory foam,' she says.
Latex is also hypoallergenic, naturally resistant to the growth of mold and dust mites. This is good news for sensitive sleepers and anyone who's keen to maintain a clean sleep environment. I'd still recommend wrapping your latex mattress in the best mattress protector to extend its life.
As mattress materials go, latex is highly durable. A quality latex mattress could last you as long as 15 years, almost double the lifespan of your average memory foam mattress. Spending once and spending well on a latex mattress is better for buyers and for the environment.
Latex mattress drawbacks
There's a lot to like about latex mattresses, but they aren't perfect. For one thing, they're seriously expensive, rarely listed for less than $1,000. I put that down to the cost of the materials and the complexity of the manufacturing process. Still, I like to think that you're spending now on a latex mattress to last a decade to avoid spending again in a couple of years on a cheap synthetic substitute. You could always try to bag a latex mattress at a bargain price in the mattress sales.
Latex is also very heavy: you might struggle to lift, flip, or rotate your latex mattress if you live alone. I asked Jack Dell'Acio, CEO & Founder of Essentia Mattress, to tell us more about the downsides of natural latex. He didn't hold back.
'Most mattress producers source latex foams with overly simple formulations, resulting in beds that feel too firm or too soft,' says Jack. As a mattress manufacturer, he knows that 'it's important to find a latex producer with adaptive formulations to make a more supportive mattress'.
Over two decades in the mattress industry, Jack has seen too many companies cut corners to produce lackluster latex beds. 'Most mattress companies integrate inner springs into their latex mattresses, which reduces costs, but also performance and durability,' says Jack. Then, there's the issue of materials: 'most commonly available latex is actually synthetic or blended. The highest performing is GOLS-certified organic.'
If you're set on latex, then make sure to get the good stuff. Look out for the GOLS and GOTS certification badges, which denote ethical, organic practice from farm to factory.
I've rounded up a few alternative beds that share some of the pros of latex mattresses, but not the cons. Significantly, these beds are far more affordable than your average latex mattress, and you'll find each of them listed for less in the Memorial Day mattress sales.
This luxury innerspring offers the same firm support as Dunlop latex, without the heat retention. The Naturepedic Chorus Mattress is filled with thousands of supportive steel springs, which compress and depress beneath your body to optimize airflow. It's the sort of firm surface that stops stomach sleepers from sinking in and helps back sleepers maintain proper spinal alignment, though I suspect it's insufficiently soft for side sleepers.
You can find more detail in our Naturepedic Chorus Mattress review.
If you appreciate the breathability and bounce of Talalay latex, but you're looking for something a little softer, you should consider the Woolroom Hebridean 3000 Mattress. This bed is filled with organic wool, which is naturally thermoregulating and moisture-wicking. In fact, wool can hold up to a third of its body weight in water, which is good news for hot sleepers and anyone who suffers from night sweats. Much like latex, this wool mattress is extremely heavy, but exceptionally durable.
You can find more detail in our Woolroom Hebridean 3000 Mattress review.
Perhaps you aren't that bothered about buying organic, and you're more interested in the material benefits of latex: the soft, yet supportive feel; the pressure-relieving properties; and the excellent motion isolation. In that case, you could always consider a memory foam mattress as a more affordable alternative. The Nectar Memory Foam Mattress is your best bet. Our expert tester, Casey, suffers from fibromyalgia, but she never woke up with aches and pains on the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress.
You can find more detail in our Nectar Memory Foam Mattress review.
Latex mattress FAQs
What does a latex mattress feel like?
It depends whether you're testing Dunlop or Talalay latex. Dunlop latex feels firm and supportive, designed to lift and lengthen your lumbar region and maintain proper spinal alignment. Talalay latex feels softer, springy and responsive, made to mold to the contours of your body, then spring right back into shape once your weight is removed.
Where can I buy a latex mattress?
Not all of the best places to buy a mattress stock latex models. Plushbeds and Avocado offer the widest range of latex mattresses, although Saatva stocks two of the best latex beds on the market: their Zenhaven Natural Latex Mattress and their Latex Hybrid Mattress.
Our verdict
You might have made it all the way to the end of this article, only to decide that a latex mattress just isn't for you. Not to worry: there are plenty of mattress types to choose from.
For plush comfort and pressure relief, go for the best memory foam mattress. You'll get a similar look and feel to a latex mattress, only without the eco-credentials. If you're looking for a mattress that's easy to maneuver around tight corners and into narrow spaces, try the best box mattress. We've tested all the best beds from Emma, Nectar, Helix, and more.
