Until recently I slept poorly on an ancient queen-size futon; even a feather bed on top could not alter the essential fact that the mattress was way past its serviceable life and hardly better than sleeping on the floor. But I could not get up the enthusiasm to go deeper into debt for a new mattress, and instead I found this newfangled visco-elastic foam pad and quilted cotton cover from www.healthyfoundations.com for $180 total (free shipping). The Carpenter Co. makes a complete line of Isotonic memory foam products at lower prices than the leading rival, Tempur-pedic.

The pad arrived in a tightly rolled bundle; without assistance I had it unrolled in a matter of minutes. The first thing that struck me was the smell. It is a chemical odor, not at all endearing like a "new car" scent. The website didn't warn me about it in advance, but the company's e-mail and enclosed lit assured me the scent was harmless and would dissipate after airing the pad out for 24 hours.

Thanks to Santa Ana winds, the weather here was unseasonably warm, so I could open up all the windows and let my ceiling fan blow out the fumes while the pad was draped over two chairs. Chemically-sensitive people and those with very acute noses will want to think twice about this type of urethane foam. The smell greatly diminished after airing out, but when I put my nose next to the pad, I can still detect it. Fortunately, so far I've not noticed any ill effects from the gases.

I opted to sandwich the pad between the futon and the featherbed (no point letting it go to waste). The 200-count white cotton cover slips over the whole thing, then my bed sheets go on top of that; the more layers surrounding the foam, the better, from my point of view. The foam has a doughy consistency at room temperature; it instantly conforms to your body and springs back very slowly after removing your weight. The foam will retain some body heat, not so much as to be sweat-inducing, but enough that you might be comfortable at lower temperatures than you were before.

Though only 2 inches thick, the high-density foam provides amazing support, almost totally eliminating the pressure spots that cause tossing & turning. Your body parts will sink into the foam according to weight, so the hips will tend to sink the most. A strange sensation at first, but very comfortable and easy to get used to. The foam naturally deadens all transfer of motion; in other words, your partner's movements on the other side will not disturb you, or vice versa.

Indeed, if you've been long suffering from a bed of stones, your first response to this pad will likely be to stay in bed much longer than is good for you. Just because astronauts slept on this stuff doesn't mean you can remain horizontal indefinitely! Sooner or later you must get up! (Seriously, it is that good.)

From the comfort standpoint alone, I'm glad I made the purchase. However, I wish the company would give away hand-sized samples of their foam so people could judge for themselves how bearable the scent is after a thorough airing-out. I'm optimistic that it will continue to fade to a negligible degree over time. In any event, Healthy Foundations offers a 30 day money-back guarantee for the pads; 60 days for the mattress & foundation sets.



Recommended: Yes

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