memory foam mattress : Gay & Black Glossary

You notice the comfort particularly on bony places like the heels, where the foam wraps up and supports the entire heel. It is not fluffy like a feather bed or a pillow. It is not yielding like an air bed. It is not solid like a padded massage table. High end bed stores will let you lay out on one to see what it is like. It is unlike anything else. If you have trouble with poor circulation with limbs falling asleep, then the cushioning will help avoid cutting off blood flow.

A new Optima Chinese-made mattress gives off a strong, unpleasant odour similar to wet latex paint. You will probably need to air it out for at least a week in a well-ventilated, unoccupied room. The fumes make you feel sick. The manufacturers should deal with this before shipping.

A four inch thick topper will cost much less than a full memory foam mattress, and would be almost impossible to tell apart from the feel. The foam is incredibly heavy, nothing at all like ordinary foam. It might as well have been made of particle board from the point of view of weight. You will need two people to wrestle one into place.