The Brand and the Company
Blissful Nights is the promise-in-a-name brand for a line of memory foam mattresses and adjustable beds made by South Bay International (SBI) of Fontana, California. South Bay is primarily a private label developer and manufacturer, which also makes the Sleep Science (SS) brand for Costco. The Blissful Nights (BN) brand was created for a variety of online and in-store retailers, such as Amazon, Wayfair, Homeclick, Houzz, Olejo.com, ShopLadder, LiveWell Stores, VIRVentures.com, Overstock, ATG-stores.com, Walmart, and Target. Another brand, Sleep Zone, is found only on Overstock, always paired with adjustable beds.
Sleep Like the Dead (SLTD) has a review of Sleep Science mattresses, but not of the Blissful Nights brand. Generally, the Sleep Science review may be applied to Blissful Nights, but there are some distinctions. The most important is the density of the top layers in the mattresses. Depending on its composition, the density of the memory foam in the top layer is 4 lbs. or 3 lbs. In the Sleep Science models, it is 4, 5 or 7 lbs. The heavier memory foam is probably specified by Costco to accommodate heavier users.
Though the models of the two brands may be similar, they are not exact equivalents. For example, the now discontinued 14” BN Kai is a rough equivalent of the 14½” SS Escape.
Notable Features
All three brands share three notable features developed by South Bay, the Wedge Edge and the Air Channel Support Base.
The Wedge Edge is a 3”x3” wedge-shaped foam rail around the top 1 or 2 layers which serves as edge support. The advantages over most foam encasement edge support systems are (1) it is close to or right at the top edge of the mattress, where edge support is most needed, and (2) it lets the top foams go up to or closer to the edge.
The Air Channel Support Base is similar to the channeled base in the Airflow Transfer System (ATS) used by Selectabed, Tempflow and Snuggle-Pedic. The channels are narrower than those in ATS, but are cris-crossed, forming a grid to carry air in two horizontal directions with about the same capacity. Of course, this works best if enough air travels vertically through the foam layers above. SBI cites the open-cell foam in their top layers. The layer above the support base is vertically ventilated if it is latex, but from the cutaway images and descriptions, it appears that they are depending on open-cell structure of memory foam in the other three models. In this video, Dr. Swartzburg demonstrates the greater effectiveness of vertically ventilated memory foam for airflow.
A third feature shared by the Blissful Nights mattresses is relief cuts in the support core to allow it to bend with the articulation of an adjustable bed. In other words, these mattresses were designed to be used on adjustable foundations.
Models
Currently, Blissful Nights lists five memory foam mattresses and three adjustable bases: Blossom, Peony, Dahlia, Jasmine, Violet, M-1000, M-2000, M-3000. On retailers sites, the mattresses and adjustable beds are listed both separately and paired.
The online mattresses range from 9” to 12” in height (the 14” Kai is no longer listed). Basically, these models can be put into two groups, memory foam mattresses (MFM group) and memory foam-latex hybrids (MLH group).
Foams
The two groups of Blissful Nights mattresses differ in the number of layers and the composition of the layers. Individual models differ in the thicknesses of the layers. All of the foams are certified by CertiPUR-US as free from harmful substances.
Memory Foam Mattresses
Mattresses in the MFM group have two comfort layers atop the base layer.
The top layer is 4-lb. memory foam infused with bamboo charcoal. Charcoal of bamboo separates into channeled or hollow fibers. These are claimed to carry moisture and air from the surface into and through the foam to keep the surface dry and cool. This layer is 1” high in Blossom and Peony, and 2” in Dahlia.
The second layer is 3-lb. Pure Visco memory foam. It is 2” high in Blossom and Dahlia, and 3” in Peony.
The base layers are 6” in Blossom and Peony, and 7” in Dahlia.
Memory Foam-Latex Hybrids
In the MLH group, each mattress has three comfort layers.
The top layer is 1” of 3-lb. memory foam infused with gel, while the Pure Visco memory foam in the next layer is 4 lbs. – the reverse order of density from models in the MFM group. The second layer is 2” thick in Violet and 3” in Jasmine. The gel is for cooling, but this has its limitation.
The third comfort layer in this group is 2” of latex. It is labeled Quick Recovery, because latex in inherently resilient (bouncy). It is also labeled Natural, claiming that it is made from rubber tree sap. However, it is not called “all natural,” leaving room for blended latex. The position of the latex makes it part of the support system for the mattresses, a natural role for this material.
South Bay does not say whether the latex is Dunlop or Talalay. It is vertically ventilated, meaning that it works with the Air Channel Support Base in cooling the mattress by airflow. However, unless the upper layers are also ventilated, this effect is limited. SLTD gives Sleep Science mattresses with equivalent configurations a C- for No sleeping hot, saying, “At least 7% of owners say that Sleep Science beds act as a heat trap to a significant extent.” Again, we refer to the better movement of air in the Airflow Transfer System for more efficient cooling.
Country of Origin and Price
The prices of Queen-size Blissful Nights mattresses range from less than $500 to about $770. These low prices a may be attributed to the place of manufacturing. South Bay International has its own dedicated 700,000 square foot plant in China where their products are made. Owning and managing their own plant may give them more control over quality, but there still remain quality questions.
In spite of their innovative design features, SLTD says that Sleep Science, the sister brand, has a 72% average owner satisfaction rate. How much of this is attributable to the country of origin? Overall, foams made in Sweden, Germany and the United States are of a consistently higher quality than those made in Asia, so you get more assurance of quality with foams made in America. Look for a seal certifying Made in the USA.
Shipping and Warranty
Most of the Blissful Nights mattresses are intended for e-commerce, to be sold online by client retailers. Some, such as Walmart and Target, can have them delivered to the store where they can be picked up. Other than that, they are shipped directly to the buyers. They are roll-packed as are other boxed mattresses and delivered by UPS.
Blissful Nights mattresses are covered by a 20-year limited warranty. Sleep trial periods are at the discretion of the retailer.
Evaluation
South Bay International has commendable design innovations in the Wedge Edge and the Air Channel Support Base, joining many other developments since the development of memory foam and the introduction of memory foam mattresses. However, the use of 3-lb. memory foam compromises the durability of the mattress. The lower price may make this more acceptable for some customers due to the lower cost of replacement.
