The Company
Saatva, whose signature product is the Classic Luxury Innerspring Mattress, also makes the Loom & Leaf, a memory foam mattress, and Zenhaven, an all-natural, all-Talalay latex mattress.
All-Latex Mattresses
As an all-latex mattress, Zenhaven is in direct competition with the 10” Nature Mattress by Pure Talalay Bliss (formerly Pure Latex Bliss), the 10” Botanical Bliss by PlushBeds, and the Spindle. Like Saatva, PlushBeds also makes innerspring and memory foam mattresses (though differing in the type of coils).
Comparative Prices
At the time of this writing, a Queen size Botanical Bliss is on sale for the same price as Zenhaven, the price of Nature is about $1,000 more, and the Spindle is about $500 less.
Construction
All four of the named all-latex models are multiple-layer mattresses, but there are key differences with a flip. All layers in Zenhaven and Nature are Talalay latex, the support core in Botanical Bliss is Dunlop latex, and the Spindle is all Dunlop latex.
Zenhaven differs from the rest in having four layers with two 3” support layers in the middle and 1½” comfort layers on the top and the bottom for a 10” overall height. This is because Zenhaven is a two-sided mattress. The support layers differ in firmness as well as the comfort layers. The mattress can be flipped over to change the comfort level. The two comfort levels are Luxury Plush (4-5 on a scale of 10) and Gentle Firm (7-8).
Each comfort layer is configured into five zones for major areas of the body with differing support needs. The zones are determined by the size and pattern of the vertical perforations within each zone (see the illustration). This zoning evens out support for the average sized sleeper to promote good spinal posture, which is especially critical for side sleepers.
In the Zenhaven, not only the comfort layers, but the support cores also are ventilated. This allows air to flow through the mattress from top to bottom for more effective cooling and freshness.
According to Saatva, 80% of Zenhaven customers choose Luxury Plush. But if they decide it is too soft, they can have the mattress flipped. As part of its 120-Day Home Trial, Saatva Company service persons can be sent at no charge to flip the mattress, since it is so heavy. For those who choose Gentle Firm, the reverse applies: the mattress can be flipped if they think it is too firm.
About the Latex
Saatva-Zenhaven provides information about the Talalay process. In addition to more widely known details, they say:
All latex manufacturers must add an ingredient to make the cell walls less likely to stick to each other. This in turn makes it less likely that body impressions will form in the latex over time.
Many manufacturers add a chemical-based plastic, which is known to break down under stress. We use a natural silicate that produces a more natural, more durable latex. This ensures that your Zenhaven mattress will not break down or sag, giving you a comfortable, supportive night’s sleep for as much as 20 years.
According to Saatva, Zenhaven does not have any synthetic or blended latex. It is all made from rubber tree sap. In this respect, it is more like Pure Talalay Bliss (PTB). Natural latex sap and the Talalay process are more expensive than synthetic latex and the Dunlop process, but for these companies, it is worth it. The difference in cost can be attributed to (1) Zenhaven’s two-sided comfort level vs. PTB’s six models, and (2) online sales vs. in-store sales and high-priced advertising.
The #BestMattressEver by Brooklyn Bedding is a three-layer latex mattress with a very firm polyurethane foam support core, making it more like the Taluxe Latex Foam Mattress by Selectabed than the Zenhaven. The reason for this is that the top latex layer can be softer without bottoming out, the middle latex being a transition layer.
Natural Fire Retardant
Saatva does not use chemical fire retardants in its mattresses, including Zenhaven. Between the cover and the latex is a layer of organic New Zealand wool. The cover itself is organic cotton. These components add a half inch on either side to bring the mattress to a 10” height.
Choices
Whether the better mattress for you is latex or memory foam depends on your own personal needs and preferences. Latex is naturally more breathable, but vertical ventilation can let air flow through memory foam. The key difference is in the kind of support each one offers.
Memory foam is temperature sensitive, becoming softer as it warms. This is how it molds itself to the body of a sleeper. The advantage of this is the level of pressure relief on large parts of the body, such as the shoulders and hips, while still supporting smaller areas, such as the lower back.
Latex foam has a rubbery bounce (it used to be called foam rubber). How much it yields depends on how firm it is. Even then, it is always pushing up.
Some of the newer online mattress companies offer latex-memory foam hybrids to combine the advantages of both. Two mattresses older than these are the Fibro-Pedic and the Soft-Pedic, both designed by Dr. Swartzburg for specific needs that he, as a chiropractor, saw. The Fibro-Pedic is designed for fibromyalgia sufferers, and the Soft-Pedic for side sleepers.
Consumer Ratings
Sleep Like the Dead (STLD) has rated latex mattresses by what owners of them say. They evaluated seven all-latex brands. Customer satisfaction for this kind of mattress varied from 80% to 82%, a very close range. 80% of Zenhaven owners were satisfied with their purchase. STLD gave Zenhaven a B- rating, the same as two other brands and higher than C+ Savvy Rest.
Sales, Shipping and Warranty
Zenhaven mattresses are sold only online on its website. It is shipped uncompressed and unrolled and installed by the delivery team. Saatva has 18 factories in the United States (this mattress is made entirely in America). It also has 100 fulfillment centers to fill orders and ship the mattresses. The shipping fee depends on the location of delivery.
Zenhaven carries a 20-year warranty.
