Mattress Buying Guide: How to Choose the Best Latex Mattress

Shopping for the best latex mattress can feel overwhelming, especially with so many firmness options, materials, and constructions available. The key is to match your personal sleep profile with the right mattress design. Below, we’ll walk through how your unique preferences and body details influence mattress choice and then explore the different ways latex mattresses are built.

Understanding Your Sleep Profile

Choosing the best latex mattress starts with understanding your personal sleep profile. Everyone has different sleeping positions, firmness preferences, body types, and health considerations that influence what mattress will feel most comfortable and supportive. By taking these details into account before looking at mattress construction, you’ll narrow down your options and find an organic latex mattress that genuinely matches your lifestyle and sleep needs.

Primary Sleeping Position

Your sleeping position is one of the most important factors when selecting the right mattress.

• Side Sleepers usually benefit from softer to medium firmness profiles that relieve pressure on shoulders and hips.
• Back Sleepers often prefer mid-range to firmer mattresses that support the natural curve of the spine.
• Stomach Sleepers generally need firmer mattresses to prevent sinking in the midsection, helping maintain spinal alignment.
• Combination Sleepers, a mid-range feel is the benchmark, and any variations from that are based on the secondary factors outlined.

Firmness Preferences

Firmness is highly subjective. Some people like the feeling of sinking into plush comfort, while others want sturdy, posture-supportive firmness. A big advantage of a modular latex mattress is the ability to adjust firmness levels by rearranging or exchanging layers. Whether you like a plush, medium, or firm mattress, latex offers consistent support without losing shape over time.

Age

Age also influences mattress needs and preferences. Babies start on hard crib mattresses and move to progressively softer mattresses as they age. Older adults often benefit from softer or more pressure-relieving comfort layers, particularly if they experience joint stiffness, arthritis, or reduced mobility. Latex’s natural buoyancy and supportiveness make it an excellent choice across age groups, but the right firmness balance shifts as your body changes over time.

Body Composition

Although your body weight has a direct impact on how a latex mattress feels and performs, we typically don’t recommend making fundamental changes to the mattress unless you’re outside our average range. Lightweight sleepers (around 100 lbs) often find mattresses feel firmer than intended, so additional soft comfort layers may be needed to provide the contouring they need. Average-weight sleepers (between 125–275 lbs) are usually able to choose their mattress based on the standard guidance provided.  Heavier sleepers (over 300 lbs) may require firmer layers or thicker mattresses to prevent sinking too deeply and to maintain proper spinal alignment.

Pre-Existing Issues

If you live with chronic discomfort, choosing the right mattress becomes even more important. Those with pressure point issues (shoulders and hips) will need more soft layers to help reduce tossing and turning caused by discomfort. On the other hand, many people with back issues prefer firmer feels. Finally, people with full-body issues such as fibromyalgia benefit from layering systems that can be adjusted to fit after sleep testing.

Your sleep profile is the foundation for choosing the right mattress. Once you’ve considered your position, firmness preferences, age, body composition, and any pre-existing issues, you’ll have a clear picture of the type of latex mattress that suits you best. With this knowledge in mind, you can confidently move forward and explore how different latex constructions—like hybrids, Dunlop, and Talalay—deliver the comfort and support you’re looking for.

Latex Mattress Construction 101

Intro

Once you’ve identified your personal sleep profile, the next step is to understand how latex mattresses are built. Mattress construction plays a major role in how a bed feels and performs over time. From 100% latex designs to hybrid models with pocket coils, and from dense Dunlop to plush Talalay foam, the way these materials are layered determines everything from firmness to breathability. Learning the basics of latex mattress construction will help you choose a bed that aligns with both your comfort needs and long-term durability expectations.

Hybrid Versus 100% Latex

A 100% latex mattress is built entirely from layers of natural, organic or blended latex foam, without the addition of metal springs or synthetic foams. These mattresses are typically made by stacking multiple latex layers of varying firmness levels, creating a customizable sleep surface that balances comfort and support. We use two types of latex in our 100% latex mattresses, Organic Dunlop Latex and Natural Talalay Latex.

A hybrid latex mattress combines layers of natural, organic or blended latex foam with a core of individually wrapped pocket coils. This design incorporates the buoyant, pressure-relieving comfort of latex with the supportive, responsive feel of springs. The latex comfort layers sit on top, offering contouring and breathability, while the coil system underneath provides durability, edge support, and added airflow.

Sleepers who want as natural and supportive a sleeping surface as possible typically go with the 100% latex options. Sleepers who appreciate the pressure relief and non-toxic benefits of latex but prefer the familiar bounce of a traditional spring mattress often find hybrids to be the best of both worlds.

Dunlop Versus Talalay

Latex foam comes in two main types. Dunlop Latex is dense and supportive, offering a firmer, more stable feel. It’s often used in base or support layers and is preferred by eco-conscious shoppers when certified organic.

Talalay Latex is lighter and has a plush, responsive feel. It’s usually used in comfort layers for pressure relief and contouring.

Some latex mattresses blend both types—Talalay on top for softness and Dunlop below for durability.

Layering Techniques

The most common way of making latex rubber is in 6" moulds (Standard). Sometimes, it gets made in a thinner mould, but a solid moulded piece is never thicker than 6". Consequently, that became the basis of the traditional core and topper technique of building a latex mattress (Classic). The issue with old-school latex mattresses is that they had fewer comfort options and tended to be quite firm. However, there are a few things you can do a few things to make it more comfortable. 

The first part is altering the density of the latex used as less dense is softer. But, simply using lower densities is often not enough to maximize pressure relief. There are two reasons for this. First, organic latex has a minimum density required for structural stability. In layman's terms, you can't make it too soft. Second, even the softer cores can be too firm to sink into them. Those thicker base layers reflect your body closer to the surface regardless of density or softness.  

To take the next step in comfort, you must incorporate several thinner layers, as thinner latex layers are softer than thicker ones. They also help bridge the gap between layers. These comfort and transition layers allow for more pressure relief and a smoother overall feel. To effectively incorporate these thinner layers, you need to build thicker mattresses based on the 6" core (Unison) or make the bed entirely from thinner layers (Hevean). If all else is equal, thicker latex mattresses made from more layers are softer than thinner mattresses made from fewer layers.

One of the unique strengths of latex mattresses is their modular construction. Many models allow you to stack layers of varying firmness levels—soft, medium, firm—to create your ideal comfort system. This customization can also be adjusted over time through a layer exchange program, ensuring your mattress evolves with your needs.

What does it all mean?

By exploring hybrid versus all-latex builds, comparing Dunlop and Talalay foam, and understanding layering techniques, you can make an informed decision about which latex mattress will give you the best balance of comfort, support, and longevity. Construction isn’t just about what’s inside the mattress—it’s about tailoring sleep to your body and preferences. With this foundation, you’ll be ready to select the latex mattress that offers the healthiest, most restorative rest.

Choosing the best latex mattress means aligning your unique sleep profile—your position, firmness preferences, body composition, and any pre-existing conditions—with the right construction. Decide whether a 100% latex or hybrid model suits you best, then explore Dunlop and Talalay layering options to fine-tune comfort and support.

By taking the time to understand both your personal details and mattress construction, you’ll be able to select an organic latex mattress that provides healthy, restorative sleep for years to come.