Sometimes people buy things that they eventually end up regretting. I know I’ve got a long list.
I’ve already explained why corner lots and whirlpool tubs are for suckers.
Today, I’ve got two words for anybody out there who is currently considering spending $1000 or more of their hard-earned money on a waterbed: buyer beware. That’s because, when you add it all up, there are far more disadvantages than advantages.
Believe me. After sleeping on a wood frame “hardside” waterbed with a free-flow mattress for a couple years, I know what I’m talking about.
In fact, there are a whole flock reasons why a waterbed could potentially leave you lying awake at night. Here are the biggest ones:
1. They’re a pain to set up. Assembling a waterbed takes time. Lot’s of it. For the uninitiated, hardside waterbeds can easily take upwards of three hours to build. Just make sure you choose your bed’s location wisely because:
2. Waterbeds are hard to move. A king-size waterbed can weigh as much as 1800 pounds, fully filled. As a result, older homes, especially, may be at risk of structural damage from the heavy weight. Which is a big reason why:
3. Waterbeds are often subject to restrictions. Not all homeowner insurance policies cover damage caused by waterbeds, and many landlords are so wary of potential problems that they prohibit them.
4. They act as a heat sink. Without a waterbed heater the cold water in the mattress rapidly drains heat from the body, making you feel like an ice cube in the process. True, you could forgo the heater in favor of insulative padding, however that often leads to:
5. Mattress condensation. Especially in humid climes. And who wants to sleep on an uncomfortably moist mattress? Even worse, that condensation can lead to mildew problems, which brings up another drawback:
6. They smell. Thankfully, it’s not always the result of bacteria taking advantage of a damp mattress. If you’re lucky, it may only be a temporary odor caused by the newness of the vinyl bladder.
7. Waterbeds can lead to higher electricity bills. According to San Diego Gas & Electric, the typical waterbed heater adds approximately $19 to an average monthly electricity bill — assuming you make your bed daily. If you don’t, it’s $30 per month.
8. Motion issues. If your waterbed has a free-flow mattress and you (or your partner) happen to be a restless sleeper, then you’ll probably have a hard time getting a good night’s sleep. Yes, there are waveless mattresses, however they’re susceptible to baffle failures that are difficult to fix. Speaking of failures:
9. Waterbeds are prone to leaks. While uncommon, leaks do occur. Especially if you own a cat with claws, or have a habit of relaxing on the bed with zippered clothes. It’s particularly annoying when you find a leak late at night because:
10. Fixing a leak can take time. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to find the hole quickly and patch it without having to completely empty the water from the mattress. Sometimes, though, that’s not always possible.
11. They’re noisy. While waterbeds are obviously much quieter than, say, a blowing hair dryer, the sloshing sounds they produce are louder than a good-quality traditional mattress — especially if there is a lot of air in the waterbed’s bladder.
12. Waterbeds are bad on the back. Many so-called “experts” insist waterbeds are therapeutic. They’re not. I remember many mornings waking up with a sore back after sleeping on my waterbed; not so with my traditional mattresses.
13. They don’t handle storage well. That’s because waterbed bladders are vulnerable to inadvertent punctures and prone to cracking on the fold lines. The baffles of waveless mattresses are also subject to damage during storage.
14. They’re hard to get in and out of. Believe it or not, getting in and out of a hardside waterbed takes practice; I never could figure out a graceful way of doing it. Hey … Speaking of “doing it”:
15. Waterbeds are overrated as a platform for sex. And you thought I wouldn’t broach this topic. Well, I just did. No, I’m not going to get into any juicy details. You’re just going to have to trust me on this one.
Photo Credit: Jo.Marshall
Never had one, or slept on one, so I will yield to your superior knowledge. Now about the sex part, how bout pictures?
Let me ask the Honeybee. LOL
As someone that had a waterbed for about 10 years and is seriously considering buying another, here are my thoughts.
Don’t buy a ‘hard side’ waterbed. Buy a soft side. It looks like a regular bed and it’s easier to get in and out of. If you buy a hard side waterbed and then complain, you didn’t listen and didn’t do your research!
Yes, they are heavy and hard to move. You may want to invest in a decent pump to drain the bed. However, how many people have moved their bed in the last 5, even 10 years? (I recently bought an old house and from the dust under the bed I’m wondering how many decades it had been in the same spot).
Waterbeds aren’t going to be a problem for any property that’s up to modern building standards. So if there’s any question regarding a waterbed, maybe you should be looking at buying or renting a different home.
I would recommend all waterbeds have a heater, set to your preferred temperature. As for $19 a month to heat, the San Diego gas and electric folk are insane! They talk about a king sized waterbed set at a temperature of 90F! I don’t know about you, but if my bed was heated to 90F I’d be sweating all night long. I’d be surprised if you saw your electric bills rise by $19 a YEAR. Compare that to how much all those new electronic devices are costing you – tablets, smartphones and their chargers that are often left plugged into the socket 24/7, huge flatscreen TVs left on standby…
I’ve noticed there are a lot of ‘ifs’ in this article. In the same way that you shouldn’t look on the internet and say, I’ll buy that bed’, it pays to do your research on waterbeds and try them out. I bought a 75% waveless bed thinking it would be great. I ended up with a 95% – almost motionless – mattress, and it was great. By the way, if your waterbed is noisy it needs attention. Most likely there is air trapped in the mattress.
Leaks…yes leaks do occur. I had one, after ten years of use. By the way, leaks are NOTHING like you see on TV and in movies, and waterbeds are designed so that leaks stay contained. As for storage and shipping, I haven’t experienced problems. I drained my mattress, had it shipped from England to California, and set it up again without a hitch.
I will agree about waterbeds and sex. I used the waterbed for sleeping. It meant sex became far more adventurous and interesting as a result.
my mattress must be stretching as it needs more water after approx 4yrs old. i’m 203 lbs and i hit bottom when getting into my bed. i didn’t when the bed was new and i was the same weight.
Tom: The water is evaporating. Believe it or not, a small amount of water evaporates daily through the wall of the mattress — that adds up over time.
We have a waterbed and I wake up with lower back and hip pain every single morning. Not to mention the fact that I dread having sex on it. He sleeps like a rock but I would rather sleep on the floor.
Well if you buy a cheap full motion mattress without a heater of course it sucks! So does the cheapest inner spring mattress. Been sleeping on a waterbed since 1980. If I have to sleep on a hard mattress at a hotel I can’t wait to get back home. The comfort of the heater is more than worth the price of the electricity.
Sharing a bit much don’t you think?
Now does your knee touch bottom if your on your knees on the bed alone? it should not! I don’t think it has enough water in it.
Not to pry, but is your husband quite a bit larger than yourself? I ask because my husband weighs about 260, and I myself around 145. We have been married for almost 12 years, but have not slept together in about 8. And this is mainly due to the fact that his weight on his side of the bed makes my side of the bed feel a lot harder…especially on my wrecked back! And I won’t even get into the sleep apnea LOL I have had a waterbed once before when I was like 20 years old oh, I am now 42, and looking to buy a waterbed now for myself, for my back issues. But I do have to say I always loved my water bed oh, as a matter of fact I wish I never would have gotten rid of it! Also, from the best of my memory, I would have to completely agree with David P.’s comment😁
If you notice, most of the complaints are regarding convenience. Waterbeds are great and everyone should try one.
Been sleeping on a waterbed for over 30+ years… Wouldnt change it for anything. 98% waveless Sterling S series. $55 pump makes draining it a breeze. One of the main reasons I bought one was for my back, & it has helped with that ever since.. I know of the heat sink affect, thats why I use a sheepskin/wood mattress pad.
hey – I read this. I have had a water bed for 15 years. Cant recommend them enough. I have a soft sided zero motion king size waterbed. Never had a problem with it. The I have a chronic back condition and this is the only bed I can get a nights sleep in. Id say most of the points are absolute gibberish to be honest. Nothing more satisfying then slipping in to a heated waterbed on a cold winters evening.
your points below
1. setting up the ottoman in the spare bedroom took 2 hours longer than the WB
2. I agree but I havent had to move it
3. Never heard of this. My house is 120 years old and its not been a problem.
4. Heat the water permanently . Costs the equivalent of having a bulb on all the time. To counter this we have turned the heating right down in this zone of the house as its not needed
5. If its getting condensation then the heating is set wrong on the element. Should be set to the body temperature that way no condensation.
6.no they dont
7. Agreed but see above
8. free flow is 70s era. Baffles are the way
9. no they are not (my cat has been sleeping on mine for years and not punctured it!
10. see above
11. they arent noisy if you get all the air out of them
12. this is bunkem
13. add conditioner once a year. no problem
14. soft sided arent
15. you are doing it wrong! use the bed to your advantage
I think my parents had one once but I wouldn’t ever want one. If it pops that would be on heck of a mess.
Yeah, the hardside ones come with a protective plastic liner, but I’m skeptical it would be sufficient enough in a total failure!
Yes I have hard side waterbed. My mattress lasted me from12 yrs of age till I was 40 before it broke. Never had any problems. You obviously don’t know how to maintain it. By the , the liner will hold as long as it’s not damaged.
Yes, I know how to maintain it. But nice try. Of course, the liner will hold as long as it is not damaged. The trouble is, it is susceptible to damage.
Go away waterbeds.
They don’t pop, they’re made out of a heavy vinyl. When I had a queen sized bladder bed my cat loved it, no problems.
Now i have a queen size tubed bed (softsided) it’s 7 tubes, each about 6″ across. Worst case scenario!
Had a leak for the first time in 20 years of owning waterbeds. It doesn’t pop, you get a pin size hole and when I went to bed I felt a wet spot under my pillow, that’s where the leak was. It had probably been leaking for a while w/o me realizing it. I unzipped the mattress shell, carefully took the tubes out. The liner held all the water and w/o any help i guided all of it into a small pail, maybe a few drops on the floor because I was tired and clumsy. I mopped up the excess water with a towel, will repair/replace the tube and I’ll be back in my wonderfully comfortable bed tomorrow.
that’s the worst case scenario, these things don’t pop but they’re soft and will support your weight.
btw, the soft sided beds with a pillow top mattress shell don’t need a heater. If you get the single bladder beds (hard sided) you will need a heater, get solid state and just pull the blankets over the mattress during the day. I did get some condensation, that’s because you only have a vinyl bladder and a mattress pad. I just stuck a 2nd pad on and I was fine.
I had a waterbed and I absolutely loved the temperature. Growing up in the Inland Empire without air conditioning, it was really nice in the summer. I would just unplug the heater when it was 95 degrees all night and I slept like a baby. I also loved how warm it was in the cold winter mornings. It was really hard to get out of bed. Sex is not a problem, as long as you have good rhythm and timing. Unfortunately, it started to hurt my back when I got older and I had to go with a conventional mattress.
Does anyone even own waterbeds anymore?
Yes, the waterbed heaters made them extremely cozy-warm in the winter. I’m not sure how you managed to tolerate an unheated waterbed though, Bret — even in the summer time. An unheated bed always sucked the heat right out of me and I was shivering in no time flat!
If you had a heater it had a thermostat. You can adjust it for how you like it but it can take up to 48 hrs to reach your setting if you have a King size.
i have one, have had one for over 30 years. cant sleep on anything else. my sister has had one for that long also. i love it!
I agree! Nothing conforms better than a waterbed. As a side-sleeper this is very important to me.
IM 75yrs old We have used one since the mid 1980’s we tried sleep # it was ok but not as comfortable tried memory foam sweat like a groom on his honeymoon went back to waterbed
I dated a couple of girls years ago that had waterbeds. Motion sickness can be a factor if you’re prone to that sort of thing.
You know, Joe, I am very prone to motion sickness, but I never had that problem in a waterbed. My biggest complaint was that I tended to wake up whenever my girlfriend or I would toss and turn at night.
The baffled waveless beds supposedly take care of motion sickness for those couldn’t handle the to and fro. Our bed had a free-flow bladder and we really sloshed around.
I have serious issues with motion sickness, never had a problem with it on an 85% motion reduced waterbed. They make waveless in both hard and softsided
I agree with all these points listed. I will never own one again. My last one that I owned in the early 80’s went in to the dump a long time ago….
I’m with ya, Spedie!
“I didnt know they still sold waterbeds.”
I think a lot of folks would say the same thing, Larry. I read that waterbed use peaked in the late 1980s at about 22% of the entire bed/mattress market.
Like everything else, there have been a number of enhancements to waterbeds over the years. Sure you can still buy a full motion hardside (wooden frame) waterbed just like they had 40 years ago but many people today prefer a waveless softside mattress .. Softside mattresses look just like regular mattresses and can use standard sheets.
Softsided waterbeds existed 40 years ago, too. My neighbors had one.
I never owned a waterbed I always try to avoid sleeping on waterbeds because I usually have trouble getting a good night’s sleep on that bed. I always hear some swishing and sloshing noises coming from the mattress which adds to the problem. LOL at Dr. Dean..
Waterbeds are terrible for sex. The wave action can work against you at the worst moments. It’s a myth that needs to be put to rest once and for all.
I’m going to bite, but just this once.
I think you pretty much summed things up there, Kelli.
To be sure, those who are lucky enough to hit a resonant frequency with the waves, will have to expend less effort. That situation can also lead to some spectacular, um, fireworks.
More often than not, however, the waves tend to be out of phase — and that tends to disrupt the symphony, so to speak. Often at very inopportune times.
Okay. I’ve said enough.
Couldn’t agree more! I was lucky and learned my waterbed lessons from others…namely my aunt and uncle.
They complained about this thing for years(before I engaged puberty and all its glory). I am 32 now and they *still* have this thing. So I would like to add something to your list:
You pay outrageous amounts of money for them which digs at your pride, so you to keep them around just to feel like you’re getting your value back. If they were clear you could keep fish in them but no, that would add use to this spine destroying monstrosity.
Good one, Adam!
I have a water bed for 35 years now. The bed price is comparable to regular bed, the mattress is actually cheaper than a regular mattress and box spring. Both mattresses need cleaning. Water bed mattresses are easier to clean. I think I might have had four mattresses. I cannot sleep on anything but a waterbed.
You convinced me with three words: “uncomfortably moist mattress.”
ha ha! I know, huh?
Actually, Paula, I think I should have taken a lesson from your FINCON talk and economized my words. “Moist mattress” is probably enough to dissuade most people.
Your skin sheds as you sleep on your conventional bed. Within 8 years your bed weighs 2 times as much as when you bought it new. Your body oils, natural perspiration. Your mattress is a cesspool for all your body waste. You may as well sleep on your kitchen sponge. Don’t take the word of someone that uses alot of ifs and maybes and even exaggerates the electric usage. Educate yourself. Only believe half of what you see and none of what you hear. Experience it for yourself. No conventional mattress is right for everyone.
How about the benefit of no pressure points and a perfectly set temperature so you are not hot or cold.
Gross thought. I vacuum and Lysol or bleach our bed. We have dual controls and separate bladders-so we are both happy. When my heater wears out I use his and when theyre both gone He orders more. Not to jinx us but no leaks in 20 years. Although he did jump on the bed one time too many and the bed let go but the bladder stayed strong. We got a couple of screws in to hold the bed together. We still laugh at that one.
The last thing I need is a bad back. I like my Euro Top bed. It would be interesting to know who owns a waterbed??
i do
I have been married for 41 years and lived with my guy for 3 years before that. We have always had a waterbed. They are completely different then when they first came out. Baffled, soft side and a heater. like a big hug going to bed. Love it.
Ha! I had one in college and I agree with you on most of the items on the list! 😉 The main problem I had with mine was the bed was absolutely huge and took up most of the room. When it was time to get rid of it I couldn’t even give it away, no one wanted it so in the dumpster it went!
Have had a waterbed for 30 years. Hubby and I love it.
Pro: For physical reasons I sleep best on a soft bed. Nice and warm in winter. Sex on a waterbed is just FINE thanks (hubby and I are in our early 60’s).
Con: It’s more expensive than a regular bed. Sheets cost a fortune.
We always say we will keep our waterbed until we are too old to crawl out of it, which so far is no problem.
I had a waterbed for MANY years and I loved mine! I had the waveless kind and used a foam pad on top. ALWAYS had a heater. Never had a leak, moved a lot in my life.
I liked the drawers stacked under mine (pedestal), which made it very handy for a small bedroom since no dresser was needed.
To each their own, I guess!
I use an air bed now, but only because I haven’t seen a waterbed store in at least 10 years!
You can get the frames on craigslist most anytime for around 1-2 hundred bucks, the mattresses on ebay for around 60, liner and all, and the heaters on ebay for around 75..sooo, 250-300 for the whole set up, which is much much much less than just the mattress part of a conventional bed.. well thats full wave, not sure how much for the mattress on a waveless, still ill bet its less than a conventional bed. Happy sleeping!
ps, i have had a very bad back for 8 years due to ruptured and degenerated disks, never got any relief until i got my waterbed… its reduced my pain by quite a bit. I HATE going to a motel now cause my pain level shoots way up after sleeping on even a four star hotel bed. bleh.
Marie I agree with you 100%. I don’t know where anyone got the idea that a waterbed is expensive. I have a beautiful queen size with sliding doors, and attached nightstands with drawers. I went back to a regular bed 10 years ago, but recently went back to a waterbed. Now, I have no more back pain, I never have an arm or leg go numb or have that pins and needles feeling. Full motion is the least cost, but semi-or full waveless ARE good for your back. It’s all a matter of preference, and/or how you sleep.
Wow I agree… me and my wife got our first Cal king size when we were in our mid 20’s and still loving it today. We had four kids in that time, and they all jumped in at one time or another in the middle of the night making waves and snuggling in when they had a bad dream, to quickly fall back to sleep again. We are just over 60 now and have had minor issues compared to the issues others here are complaining about.
We never had more than a few pinholes develop in total and always had cats to boot.
Perhaps if these people would use some common sense to protect and insulate their bed and at least throw a comforter over the mattress in the morning… maybe the cat wouldn’t get his claws into the bladder and their power bill wouldn’t be so high trying to heat their home with their waterbed… lol.
We never had an excessive power bill because of our waterbed… that’s just silly.
Because we prefer a cool room and only a slightly warm bed, on hot days we actually sleep cooler for a couple days due to the thermal mass of the water… and if the heat goes out you stay warm for the same reason.
Water bed heaters are cheap to run in comparison to heating an average bedroom to 72 degrees. They use about the equivalent of a hundred watt light bulb or less when they are working and they hardly run if the bed is covered with a good mattress cover and down filled comforter.
We never had condensation problems in our bed and we live on the humid west coast of Canada, so we use a good (non-waterproof) mattress cover, and the heater only moderately. If there is ever any condensation tiny leaks are always the source of the problem, easily fixed and damage nothing if you are wise enough to use the liner all good bed manufacturers include with the mattress (a no brainer).
We never suffered with a sore back unless we caused it on the waterbed ourselves… ( back in the day, lol) or by over exertion during the day… and we are as fit and active as most 60+ who have only slept on conventional beds all their lives.
In fact friends and family our age and younger suffer from back and hip pain more than we do.
We never got sea sick.. or bothered by the noise? ( just silly) We simply take two minutes to work the air bubbles that can form in the bladder if we hear any of those light splashing sounds (maybe once a year) and we have only owned free flow wavy mattresses… Mind you, we do love the water and boats so maybe we are conditioned like people who live next to the tracks and never hear the trains…?
We hardly ever toss and turn or have to change positions much, because we are so comfortable when we go to sleep.
Anyway, after almost 40 years on the waterbed we were considering a change, being a bit self -conscious of being the only people we know sleeping on water.
So a shopping we did go… into the matress land of confusion… 300 models to compare and realize they are almost the same. We were finally hung between a $2500 pocket coil sprung job with all the bells and whistles… and a $3000 high end slab of latex rubber… We did the research and learned they either wear out in a few years and become a hammock or are a clinging sweat factory that requires a $300 wool topper to absorb the moisture… Talk about sleeping on a bacteria farm… ewwww. No Thanks… So we decided we are not the old fools after all… We would be fools and suckers to give up what has served us so well for so long and decided to move on up, to a top of the line wave-less waterbed mattress for a mere $600 and never worry about those pressure points or sagging springs or sweating on cool nights.
Waveless… only because… well… sooner or later… pretty well all of us will start making those nocturnal trips to the bathroom and that extra motion does interrupt both our sleep patterns.
Unfortunately, most people give up the luxury of a water bed because they lack either common sense or have mis used or abused the thin skin holding the 1000lbs of water they are sleeping upon.
We have slept in many excellent mattresses in five star hotels, moderate comfort of guest bedrooms, and suffered annually on camp out in tents and now less painfully in an RV in our time… and even though we always can fall sleep… we are always so glad to get home to sleep deep in our water bed.
In our recent quest searching bed options… we realized how all the mattress stores price the “one sided” plush beds with a thicker foam top at a premium… trying to eliminate “pressure points” and “body aches” in their “technically state of the art” beds putting you on synthetic or partially plant based synthetic foams and gels in a weak attempt to replicate what comes natural in a waterbed. The only similarity we found in these new beds with our waterbed… is that you can’t flip those new “one sided” or as I call them “half mattresses” either… LOL
TG what a wonderful reply to this article. My wife and I have been users of waterbeds since her mid teens and my mid twenties so we both have over 40 years experience. Wouldn’t stop using them for quids. We have had a beautiful cat scratching ours for 12 years(ofcourse the doona not the bladder) and another 10 years of sharing with 2 dogs. In spite of being in my 60s I wouldn’t have a waveless, we did years ago and found no bonus. I think the overall purpose of this article is the advertisement payment . More than sharing useful information. Hope you are making a fortune Len.
cheers,
M ichael
Great review!!! Much appreciated. ..
totally agree with you, Had ours all of 40 years probably 45 years.
I got it as a teenager from my Aunt and uncles house they owned one of the first water bed stores in the city, My sister bought one when all you could get was the bladder it was 2 times as thick as a modern cal king. So I up to this year always had a free flow bed, we changed the mattress to a filled low flow. I’ve over the years put 3 mattresses in it this being the forth but it wasn’t bad. I had to change the heater once
We don’t even use the heater now if you put a pillow top cover on it and cover it keeps warm enough to be just fine,
They don’t hurt your back unless they do not have enough water in them, its key to bring the mattress to just crest over the rails when you lay down your but or knee should not touch the bottom if it torches the wood its not full enough. Put more water in it. the floor is not going to crash through.
I’ve set this bed up and taken it down 15 or 20 times. I’ve also restained it and made a new sub platform. You can make a whole bed out of 2 or 3 2×8’s x 16′ and 1 sheet of 3/4″ plywood or osb OSB works fine They used to use Partial board. the pedstool was 1/2 on my bed I changed it to 2×8’s off other beds. A few tools and its made the mattress and heater a couple hundred bucks max
You don’t have to buy a premade bed.
A regual bed can cost 600 to 3k and the mattress should be changed every 6 to 8 years thats just the mattress its also got a box spring and frame headboard and foot board. that is 200 to 10k more.
Unless you spend big bucks they are not as comfortable but you can get out of them with a little less work. unless you know what your doing. in the long run a water bed will cost you pennies on the dollar over a normal bed.
i have some motion sickness and i always take some meclizine HCL to remedy it.’
I’m sorry, but the blogger is clueless about more modern, foam baffled, waveless waterbeds.
My husband and I have had one for 25 years. We’ve have only had to replace the mattress TWICE in 25 years. (less frequent mattress replacements than our friends with conventional beds.) Both due to very slow leaks that the inner “pool liner” caught, and no damage was done to the floor or even the wood bed at all. The small leaks were cleaned up with water bed cleaner and paper towels. Then we simply installed the new mattress, which was brought home in a small car, all folded up.
In 25 years, we have NEVER had a “smell.” They still sell water bed conditioner, and the water is in a sealed environment. In 25 years we’ve never had “mildew” a leak or any problems. Our electric bills are no more than our friend’s with conventional beds’ bills. Newer heaters are very energy efficient.
Our bed has NEVER been “moist.” The water is sealed IN. No seepage at all. And there is no fear of allergies (you simply wipe the mattress off with vinyl cleaner every time you clean the sheets, then put the (washable) mattress cover back on. No dust mites, no bedbugs EVER!
Sex is AMAZING on a waterbed…. assuming you know what you are doing. We’ve been married for 27 years have make love more than anyone we know, including newly weds. I give at least part of that credit to our “Love Pit.” (And part to my amazing, imaginative, sexy, persistent husband…)
Maybe Len had an old 1960s “bag bed.” Newer technologies, with sealed, baffled, foam filled mattresses have eliminated all the problems with old fashioned water beds, and these new beds have been around for at LEAST 26 years.
At one times, I thought the bed was contributing to some back problems, but I stopped wearing my Birkenstocks and the pain went away.
We love our water bed.
Maggie is right. Lots have things have changed since the original waterbeds. I also had one for nearly 20 years and never had a leak. No doubt they can be a pain to move, but I don’t move my conventional bed all that much. They are more economical, last longer and hold up better than any regular mattress. I have e not had a good nights sleep since I went back to a regular mattress. I’m headed back to Watertown.
I had a soft-wided waterbed for 18 years and absolutely loved it. You couldn’t tell it was a waterbed until you sat on it. It was waveless and used the same sheets as a regular bed. There was insulation/padding between the “bladder” and the top cover of the bed so I never used the heater and I lived in Colorado! My new puppies ate through the side in 2007 and I decided to replace it with a tempur-pedic bed and have always regretted it. Yes it’s difficult to move but it was so comfortable for my back. I miss it very much!
I’m replacing my 27-year-old waterbed, Patty, and I went searching and looking at reviews and finally decided better the devil I know than the one I don’t and got myself another soft-sided waterbed (this time with drawers in the base). The old bed was the best bed I’ve ever slept in. BTST a waterbed was also the worst bed I’ve ever slept in. The reason? It was a hard-sided one. It also had no baffles in the mattress. You absolutely need baffles. If the bed is for two people you also need a dual-mattress bed with separate heaters.
Yes, they can be a pain to set up (especially the initial set-up). But what’s a good night’s sleep worth? Plenty of quality sleep is as essential as good food to your health.
I’m not sure how much my waterbed costs to run but I had the old one’s heater set to zero, and all that did was take the chill off the sheets. I didn’t notice any warmth at all when I got into it. In winter I preferred to rely on a 100% down duvet to keep me warm.
As for puppies (or adult dogs or cats, come to that) damaging a waterbed, I won’t allow my dogs in my bedroom anyway. If I did how would I convince them that I’M the boss? 🙂
I agree I think he must have had a very old 1980s water “bag” bed . The new one we have is wonderful !and the wave stops in 3-4 seconds . So even if my hubby turns over it’s no big deal I don’t even notice it .
But going to even a posh hotel with there luxury bed I’m so pleased to get home to th comfort of my water bed !
Waterbeds can be fun…wink wink.. but indeed, they are not that practical at all.
Actually they are practical.
I have read a lot of bullshit that has been written about waterbeds but your comments beat them all We all perspire ( I know you dont ) and if you were to cut open your conventional mattress you will find mildew,rusty springs, & as much dead skin too feed a multitude of bed mites I have had a waterbed for 46yrs best investment I ever made Do yourself a favour try a softside dual system waveless mattress and see if you feel the same.
No need to get personal, Ray.
Now, why don’t you give us the name and address of your waterbed store, so my readers can check out your merchandise? After all, it sounds like you’re having a big going-out-of-business sale this weekend. xoxox
Was that really necessary, the accusation of owning a store? BTW I don’t own a waterbed store. I buy online, or from the ads in an aussie paper called the trader, or craigslist, mostly ebay. At present the best deals in Australia seem to be waterbedsaustralia and lyle professional waterbeds. Both of which give great advice on caring for your waterbed online as well as the best prices I can find. I haven’t yet bought from either but read both their webpages.
Yes, it was necessary.
The waveless are the best and hear in the uk I orders online and they built what I asked for and delivered it for my hubby to build ! Cheap easy and the best nights sleep in years . I need turning in the night due to disability and my hubby now uses the water bed to roll me! Before the water bed I needed rolling every 1.5 hours now I only need to change positions 2/3 per night it’s amazing how the new technology in water beds have changed . U should try one !!
Had a king waterbed for 30 years . When my husband needed to change to a hospital bed because of bone cancer, the bed had to go.I slept on the different mattresses available and am going to be buying a waterbed again. I’ll buy a soft side this time. I never had the issues with my bed that you described, except one tiny slow leak in all those years. Easy clean-up as it was contained in the liner. Quick fix, as well.bed was awesome for a painful back .
Oh , I forgot…try moving a Temper- pedic/ Memory foam king bed!
I have been sleeping on a king size water bed for 35 years. I liked the cheap mattresses that have no baffles, just a big bag of water. I have had no trouble with bad back or any other problems. In my opinion water beds are the most comfortable beds around. No bad smells either…not unless the dog pisses on it. I had a Pomeranian that did this a few times. Other than that, no problems.
Reason # 15 is right on. I’m not going to get into any juicy details either, but it’s like trying to play tennis against the drapes!
I have been married for 32 years now and for 23 of those years years we have had a waterbed. First a queen full wave and have just now got a replacement 99 percent wave-less for our king size bed.
I can only agree with maybe 2 of your 15 reasons above. They can be difficult to setup or time consuming and once they are in place, they are in place. You don’t move it you move around it.
In all the years we have had two problems with leakage. One because one of the boys when he was about 10, (now thirty) unconsciously stuck it with a pin a few times, just the cement on the holes fixed it in a matter of minutes. Second time was due to age of the mattress that was bought used.
I can agree with you half way on the back aches. If the lumbar support in the wave-less get out of position, you may experience some problems.
There are many advantages that I feel far outweigh the above mentioned including sexual satisfaction. I look forward to slipping between the warm sheets every night and would think that by itself is worth $20.00 a month. In the last 20 or so years I would have spent thousands on replacing a regular mattress.
I suppose I love to be suckered. I love my bed.
My waterbed is so cozy. I’ve never bought waterbed sheets. I buy the fuzzy soft king sized blankets and use them for sheets. I have drape rods around my canopy waterbed with beautiful tapestry drapes all around it to block the sun if I’m taking a nap. Mine has drawers underneath for storage. I feel like I’m wrapped in a soothing cocoon when I’m sleeping. It smells so good. I use gain fabric softener on my bedding. It’s the cleanest bed ever. I can wash everything around the waterbed mattress. Some of the things said seem to be regarding only simplified, original waterbeds. Sex is fun on one and has its advantages. No other bed in the world compares to mine, to me. I love it.
sounds like we are a lot alike .i have a canopy waterbed too.absolutely love it .drapes around mine too .came upon this website looking for mattress reviews for a new one .will be softside .
I had a softside waterbed years ago. It had some kind of reflector and required no heater. I liked the bed a lot and still wish I had it. I got rid of it when I moved. It had no leaking dampness issues.
I’ve used a waterbed for about 30 years, and love it.
Points the author has wrong:
* Waterbed mattresses do not get moist unless there is a leak or you sweat a lot.
* There is no smell, unless you have a leak. There may be an initial vinyl smell, but it goes away pretty quickly. There may be a minor smell on draining it if you don’t use a water conditioner.
* They may be a pain to set up, but the more simple a frame you get, the less of a pain it is.
I got mine used for $50, 30 years ago and I’m still using the same frame. Through college, it was much easier to move than a mattress and boxspring. I didn’t have a pickup truck, and the bed can be moved by one person. Try that with a traditional bed!
* They are only noisy if you don’t periodically bleed out the air bubbles. Use a long wooden yardstick. It’s a little bit of a pain, but worth the noiseless sleep.
* Unless the mattress is defective, they are only “prone to leak” if your mattress pad isn’t thick enough to prevent skin oils, cat claws and other things from getting to the mattress.
I will add one disadvantage, though:
The heaters do not last forever. If you can get yours to last 10 years, you’re doing good.
And to replace the heater, you have to drain the bed completely. If you don’t fill it with hot water, it can take 24 hours or more to reach a temperature that you can sleep in.
And the state of waterbed heaters is dismal. Like they’re stuck in the dark ages. Only one model has a digital readout of temperature (in retro LED!), and it’s only the temp you’ve set, not the actual temp of the bed. Every other model relies on a knob which is difficult to read at night, and uses a neon lamp which always die in a couple years, so you can’t see if the heater is on or not.
Manufacturers take note:
Because those neon lamps die in a couple years, we can’t see when the heater is on continuously, struggling to keep the bed at temp. That’s a sign that the heater is going bad. If the consumers could see when the heater was going bad, they might replace it sooner! Instead, they wait until the bed goes cold and then they have to rush to find a new one.
My husband had a water bed for like 20 years, it was recommended by the hospital due to an spine-neck injure. When we married, we replace it for a new model. The price 5000 euros with all the side accessories and state of the art, including set up, double heaters, waveless, fantastic sex (oh, well that one depends on the mood, but I find that the coils on a regular mattress help more on the going, like you have to be more fit to get what you want on a water bed, but they have to be waiveless or they are a nightmare).
Then, we moved, and the company moved it for us (again only one strong guy needed, man!that company kept sending good looking guys). Our giant dog jumps on the bed and we have no damage whatsoever, he also likes to sleep there but no odor either, it’s very very clean, because we have protection for the bed and we throw it in the washing machine when needed.
Now after 3 years, we have pain in the lower back, due to not exercising. Soon, will travel for 3 months and sleep on a good normal mattress we have. Done it before, at the beginning all good, then the normal mattress feels not so good anymore, the body becomes stiff and once we go back to our water bed, it feels heavenly.
I bought one of those so-called “new and improved” waterbeds a few years ago. I agree with almost all of your points except I didn’t have trouble with motion issues. I sold it a little more than a year after I got it.
To each his own I guess.
I’ve owned a California King freeflow since 1981. Paid $125 American dollars for it, brand new. I’m on my 3rd freeflow mattress since then, same heater, Mattress cost me $69 new about 3 yrs ago, so I bought 2. The only problem I had was the fill area would start to crack due to age, Never had a leak. I have 3 herniated disc and sleeping in a traditional bed leaves me barely able to walk. My waterbed not so, No pain. I also use regular bed sheets King size, fits fine. Sex is great in the bed. Maybe it’s personal preference that matters.
We sell waterbeds about wasserbetten-store.de since more than 20 years. At Europe waterbeds are not such old fashioned products as for example at the USA. Because here the prices were higher and so there was capital for product development. Nobody use here hard framed Hardside waterbeds and the new mattress have progressive growing firmness from top side to bottom and compare pressure free comfort with good body support. We use energy saving systems combined with SYMPATEX Reflexion technology and liquid gel beds or Isolit-waterbeds for example need not heaters.
I have owned a water bed for 10 years and I love it. They do require maintenance but I think that would be assumed by anyone thinking of buying one. Its obviously a commitment not a convenience. You do have to open it up once a year and refill it and bleed the air out. You have to be consciences of keys and sharp objects but I’m a pretty sharp guy and I have never had a leak in ten years. If you keep the bed full and bleed the air out once or twice a year they do remain therapeutic, but if you neglect them they’ll fill with air and slosh about. They provide tabs that you put into them that take care of the smell or bacteria you have to put them in once a year when you bleed and refill the bed. SO YES they require a considerable amount of maintenance and they are a bit of a novelty but girls get a kick out of them and they are fun for bedroom activities. All things considered they can be a pain and to cant exactly rearrange your room in a couple hours. I still wouldn’t trade mine in for a conventional bed. 🙂
My waterbed rocks. I’ve had one since 1973. I built my own frame when I had a roommate who was a carpenter who helped me build a nice one, and I still use it to this day.
I never used to use a heater but a foam pad instead, but when I moved into my new house and had to set up the bed I decided to get one and I like it. It’s wonderful in the winter. In summer it’s turned way down.
Neither the motion nor the sloshing sound has ever bothered me. The mattress never develops either a lump or low spot like regular beds. Anytime I’m away from home I toss and turn on regular beds, unable to get comfortable. I love my waterbed and will sleep on one the rest of my days.
My wife and I bought our first waterbed in 1980 for about $150, hard side full flow and loved it. Then in 1990 we bought a new waterbed and bedroom set to match (remember when black lacquer furniture was the rage) $3000 for the dresser, armoire, drawers under the bed, two night stands, headboard with bookshelves, and lamps. Plus the mattress was waveless, but still hard side. Best bed we ever had, and we moved it 6 times all over the country. Never had any of the problems you mentioned. Of course we were careful not to puncture it, to use the water conditioner, we used a pad and a heater, and it was the best sleep we could get. Then in 2008 the mattress sprung a leak, we fixed it and it happened again a few months later, so we decided that it was time to replace the mattress. The problem was that it was hard to find a store that sold them, so we opted for a conventional mattress. $2000 for a new latex foam that was suppose to be the best there was. Biggest mistake we’ve ever made. This mattress sleeps so hot, has developed ruts where we lay, and hurts my back and my wife’s shoulder. So here we are looking for a new mattress and guess what, I’m online looking at waterbeds, probably go with a soft side this time, uses regular sheets and looks like a regular mattress.
One thing that surprised me by all the negative post, most of the people saying negative things about a waterbed had never slept on one. Please try one, you’ll know.
Initial set up time: 25 years ago, lost to memory, but just a one time project, what are you whining about?
Moving it: nope, it stays put
Leaks: 2 small ones, easily patched
Odor/moisture: none, ever
Motion: semi-baffled, just enough to be comforting
Back pain: only if it’s overfilled!
Noise: not if it’s “burped” when topping off, easily done
Comfort: outstanding, particularly during pregnancy! three kids, and I could sleep well carrying them all
Getting in and out: go with the roll
Expense: the initial heater wasn’t very efficient, but new ones are out; solid state with a digital current temperature readout is about $100; getting ready to buy one, after the second wore out – sure beats replacing a dead bed mattress every few years! and we can keep the home very cool at night, so cost is offset for kw actually used on the bed
Sex: if you don’t like the motion, there are other places in the house …
Love my waterbed! We own 2 and top both with 4 inch memory foam mattresses. Talk about a soft, comfy bed! It makes straight memory foam feel like the Rock of Gibralter. We did this for pain control for our son who is disabled from childhood from arthritis and me who loses sleep from lupus and fibromyalgia pain. This post is utter rubbish! We don’t use heaters with the memory foam toppers, so zero electrical. Waterbed mattresses cost a fraction of standard mattresses. There’s no smell or moisture issue, and although we’ve had to deal with a leak twice in 16 years, it was no big deal, and nothing was damaged. They are more work to move, but so are our piano, armoires, refrigerator, table saws, and we aren’t feeling like chumps for owning those items. So we get better sleep for less up front cost and no addition electrical bill. That’s what we call MYTH BUSTED!
I have been sleeping on a waterbed for 30 plus years. It is the best thing I own. Sex in it is great!
I absolutely LOVE my water bed. Just a year ago I got in a car wreck and my spine became permanently injured. Luckily all I have to deal with is pain in my lower back for now. My water bed has actually helped me so much. I wake up every morning feeling refreshed and warm. But I also like sleeping on blankets and I got one of those black heating pads that don’t use electricity. So..
Your article should be entitled, “15 Misnomers About Waterbeds”. There are solutions to almost all of the issues you raise. If you just buy the cheapest mattress and frame and slap it all together, never taking the time to learn how to set it up properly, you will likely be disappointed.
Conversely, when set up properly, a waterbed can be a source of many year’s great night’s sleep, requiring very little effort to maintain. Sloshing sounds, too much movement, odors, etc. are all caused by lack of maintenance or knowledge – either during the purchase the setup.
I’ve had one for over 30 years and find it to be much more comfortable than even the most expensive conventional mattresses on the market today.
Those aren’t misnomers, Grec. They are very real issues related to waterbeds. Those who want a waterbed and don’t mind implementing the solutions to all of those problems are, of course, free to do so.
They can also trust that the waterbed they want to buy has found an answer for each and every one of them. Caveat emptor.
I consider them misnomers because a waterbed that is properly set up and maintained doesn’t exhibit any of those problems. By the way, an average person standing on your floor will exert more pressure per square foot than your waterbed.
I suppose I could list 15 reasons why automobiles are for suckers… Start with tires go flat, engines overheat, paint fades, you will hurt someone’s feet if you run over their toes… I could go on.
Of course, if you avoid driving off road, maintain the coolant level, wax it once in a while, and watch where you drive, you could avoid those problems.
It happens in all sorts of activities. I’m a lifetime boater. I can’t begin to tell you how many people get a few extra bucks, buy a boat, and go “boating” without having a clue what they are doing or taking the time to learn about their new pastime. Then when someone gets hurt, they tell you how dangerous boats are.
The bottom line is that if you do a little research and set up the bed properly, you just don’t experience the problems you described.
“The bottom line is that if you do a little research and set up the bed properly, you just don’t experience the problems you described.”
Well, Grec … I guess that’s about as close as you’re going to get to admitting that this article actually does provide a public service for people considering a water bed — and I’ll take it!
If there are readers out there who decide they can get around the water bed problems I mentioned — and that you tacitly acknowledge are very real — by doing a little research and proper set up, then bully for them!
I own something you don’t see very often… a ROUND WATERBED! It’s 8 feet (96 inches) in diameter. It’s made out of solid Redwood, and it was handmade. It has a full motion mattress, padded bumpers, deluxe heater, Egyptian sheets, and a round velvet bedspread. I’ll never part with it!
Very cool, Meschell!
i used a waterbed, for years, and only went to a regular bed, because i was on the second floor, in this house. i have moved to a first floor, and will be very happy to renew my waterbed. waterbeds are great, and if you haven’t tried one, please don’t knock them. one of the issues i have with the people on the internet, is that many speak, with no knowledge…please try one before you go off half cocked…
Oh the irony, Bob.
One of the issues I have with people on the Internet is their poor reading comprehension skills. Please read the article more carefully next time; I promise you’ll save yourself the embarrassment of, well … going off half-cocked like you did on this one.
i loved mine when I was growing up (16+) I slept like a baby/ sex was great ( you could take a break and the bed would keep the momentum lol / I have shoulder pain now and would kill to have my old waterbed back 40 years old now & want another one!!!
I would have to disagree with several of the points listed and say you made no effort to properly setup and maintain your waterbed. With the right temperature, water level, and bladder you will not find a better bed for those with back issues. I have 4 rods in my spine and can sleep on nothing but a water bed. If your bed makes a sloshing noise at all you have air in it and that can and will cause you pain. If you gravitate toward the sides it is over filled, if you gravitate to the center it is under filled either of these will cause you pain. Most over fill their mattress. I can take down my water bed faster than most can take down a regular bed but as I hand built mine I have slight advantage. If your waterbed smells it’s you not the bed. Wash yourself. My bed has never leaked and waterbeds have been proven to be more durable than standard mattresses and often come with 10-20 year warranties. Mine is super easy to get out of but then again mine is custom made by me for me. Waterbeds are a great platform for sex, the free flow is kinda fun when you’re young but I prefer the waveless in my age as it is no different than sex on a regular bed.
It seems to me that most of your 15 points have to do with a plain cheap waterbed. I had a semi-waveless for 10 years and had the best sleep of my life during that time. I lived in the desert then, so it was nice to be able to shut the heater off for 6 months and always get into a cool bed. It was also nice to get into a warm bed on winter nights. I would fall asleep immediately and it helped heal a damaged disk in my back. As for sex, it was fantastic on the semi-waveless. The water lines your bodies up much better and the slight motion helps create perfect rhythm. My wife didn’t like sleeping on it as much as I did though, so we went back to a conventional mattress. Have had 4 beds since and back pain on all. Not married to her anymore so I’m considering going back. That is if I can get my 2nd wife on-board to the idea. She suffers from back pain too. Our current bed cost a small fortune, but is giving me all kinds of body pain. Sure water beds are a hassle, but I really miss having one. And as for them being heavy enough to cause home damage, if setup properly that is not a problem. The weight is distributed to more points than a conventional bed, so the pressure to any one spot is less. Had mine in an upstairs apt with no problems.
Your reasons are totally unfounded and very uneducated. Your weight theory is unfounded weight per square foot is less than a washer and dryer unit (due to size and displacement). Your insurance theory is wrong you just have to include it in your policy. Smelly try using something called taking care of your stuff by treating the water every six months. Only moron have a water bed without a heater so you those reason just lost. As for back noise and motion believe it or not they do make different types of waterbed mattresses. Try doing a little research before making a silly black that makes you look like a sucker.
If you enjoy your waterbed, bully for you James. Then again, there will always be a minority of people who enjoy odd things; for example, there are people who enjoy and will extoll the virtues of eating insects too.
You and Gary both pooh-pooh the weight issue in older homes because of weigh displacement. That means nothing if the displaced weight exceeds the total load capacity.
Sleep tight now.
Oh, goodness. I have a hard-sided, full wave waterbed. I would not sleep on anything else. So many of your complaints are just non-issues. True. You put it in place and you aren’t going to move it. As for the waves with a partner in the bed, that just feels like free rocking (hey, sleeping on a boat is fabulous). As for the too soft issue, unlike a regular mattress you buy and commit to for maybe decades, a waterbed is infinitely customizable. The warmth of the heated water is heaven on disabled/achy muscles. Getting in and out requires a bit of technique, but it’s EASY when you figure it out (roll out!). I was in a massive accident more than 25 years ago. One leg was badly, badly injured, pinned and plated, and non-weight bearing. So you sleep on the side of the bed which allows you to roll out onto your good leg. Not an issue. As for the “pain” of setting it up and it taking several hours to do, contrast that with moving a queen- or King-sized mattress and box springs up the stairs and around a narrow corner. I use normal flannel sheets on my waterbed. They don’t even usually come untucked. And, of course, you use a mattress pad under your sheets like you would on any other bed. Voila! No clammy mattress. The one negative about a full-wave, hard-sided waterbed that I agree with is that I avoid having to drain it. The draining only takes a few hours. The filling less than an hour (king-sized). BUT it will take a day or two or three to get the water temperature up to your absolutely, infinitely customizable,
preferred temperature. So you put a few layers of blankets under the mattress pad for a few days. I’m there as I write this. Yes, I pay to keep the bed heated, but for the blissful comfort I experience when I sleep, I’ll gladly pay less than a dollar a day. Oh, and you are more comfortable in the bed, so you move around less, bothering your partner less. No pressure points.
Just about every person on this planet slept of water for their first 9 months of existence.
Get a good waterbed mattress and fill it properly and it is a much better sleep than springs, air or foam.
In my opinion the basic wood frame ones where you are sleeping right on the water are preferable to the hammock effect you get from the softsides. The open top Euro style softside would be the exception.
Sex on the floor or pool table is better than any bed. Beds are for sleeping.
i’m sore all the time. i wake up and my hands and arms are sore, hip sore.
Sounds like it’s time to sell your waterbed, Gary.
I have read most of post then give up, he obviously had some cheap 1970s waterbed. These are the best thing for your back and all come with heaters that cost 10 per year to run, waterbeds are proven to be good for your back but get a modern firm one
I agree. Great post!
Why, thank you, Glenn!
i would imagine you are just trolling. first of all start out with a quality waveless mattress with lumbar support, you get what you pay for. I will never go back to a common mattress.
If I’m trolling, I sure caught a lot of fish.
In all fairness and in defense of the years of comfort and great sleep my wife and I have had in the nearly 40 years we have slept on a waterbed… I must say… I have had as many or more complaints and miserable nights sleeping on almost anything other than the best of mattresses in comparison to a waterbed. Few mattresses can compare to the consistent lasting comfort, benefits of the waterbed.
My wife and I got our first Cal king size when we were in our mid 20’s and still love it. We had four kids since and each has jumped in one time or another in the middle of the night when they had a bad dream and fell back to sleep almost before the last of the faint motion.
We are just over 60 now and we have had NONE of the negative issues you list and some others here are commenting about.
We never had more than a few pinholes develop on the corners from wear from sheet changes and have always had cats among other pets to boot.
If it does develop a leak you would have to be a fool to not purchase or use the liner every good manufacturer usually provides with a mattress.
Seriously… You can’t blame that kind of stupid on a waterbed …
From what I read… I think the problems stem from most people not using common sense, other than those who have medical, physical or psychological issues.
Only a teenager or careless college student would neglect to protect and insulate their bed and at least throw a comforter over the mattress in the morning. Grown ups should be able to figure that out and maybe the cat wouldn’t get his claws into the bladder to cause damage and their power bill wouldn’t be so high trying to heat their home… lol. Being responsible adult can sure save you a lot of money and grief…
And lets face it… a cat can cat wreck a regular bed with its claws too and if it leaves a calling card (the liquid kind) your mattress could be toast. We just wash and its sweet dreams and as good as new.
We certainly never had an excessive power bill due to our waterbed… that’s just silly… partly because we take 10 seconds to cover our bed in the morning and prefer a healthy cool room and only a slightly warm bed to sleep in at night. Simply common sense. Bonus… On hot days a waterbed is actually cooler for a couple days due to the thermal mass of the water retaining cooler temps… and if the heat goes out you stay warm for longer for the same reason.
Water bed heaters are essential and cheap to run in comparison to keeping the heat in an average bedroom to 72 degrees in most places in the winter. They only use about the equivalent of a hundred watt light bulb… or less when they are working and they hardly run if the bed is covered with a comfortable quilted mattress cover and down filled comforter.
We never had condensation problems since we cover the mattress as I said, and use a water bed heater. Certainly we never had a bad bed smell… I think maybe your cat did more than leave you a few claw holes in your bed…. lol
In fact, we live on the south west coast of Canada it rains tons and is very humid all winter. The few times we had any condensation or damp feeling in bed, tiny leaks were always the source of the problem. Our windows will be covered in moisture in the winter mornings but it is always warm and dry in our bed.
We rarely suffer with a sore back unless we caused it during the day… (or maybe in bed, back in the day… ha ha) and we are as active and fit as most 60+ who have slept on conventional beds all their lives. In fact friends and family our age and younger who sleep on sprung mattresses complain of back and hip pains more than we do.
As for waves… we have only owned free flow mattresses…
We have never got sea sick. That has to be as extremely rare as “Foam Rubber Phobia” Ha Ha… mind you, we don’t often struggle to get comfortable during the night and love the water and boats so maybe we are wave conditioned…?
Also…when we hear that faint splashing noise, maybe every year or two… we simply take a few minutes to bleed the air from the bladder. It’s a lot less work than spinning a king size mattress 180 degrees.
We hardly ever toss and turn or have to change positions during the night, simply because we are so comfortable when we go to sleep.
Anyway, after almost 40 years on the waterbed we were considering a change, almost falling victim to the old status quo… beginning to believe we were the odd ones, being some of the reluctant few still sleeping on water.
We did the research and hours shopping and were deadlocked between a $2500 pocket coil sprung job with all the bells and whistles or a $3500 latex rubber job… and learned they will either slowly degrade over a few years and eventually become a back breaking hammock or the rubber and soy blend that on a warm night, becomes a clinging sweaty kitchen sponge that is literally impossible to sanitize and requires a $300 wool topper to help absorb the moisture…
Talk about sleeping on a bacteria farm… ewwww…. So we decided we are not the fools after all in fact we would be the fools and suckers to give up what has served us so well for so long and decided to move on up, to a top of the line wave-less waterbed mattress for a mere $600 and need never worry about those nasty pressure points, morning back pain, sagging springs or soaking in our sweat on balmy nights.
This time… Waveless only because well sooner or later, pretty well all of us will be making those nocturnal trips to the bathroom and that extra motion does interrupt important sleep patterns.
I believe most people gave up the luxury of a water bed for either lack of common sense or mis-use or abuse of the 1000lbs of water they were sleeping upon. Perhaps they bought the line that waterbeds are not “cool” anymore, not healthy or nothing but trouble and they need to spend much more $$$ for a mattress that “looks” regal but actually will degrade significantly over a few years and eventually become unbearable to endure then they will probably repeat the motion in 5 to 10 years… but spend more to learn the same.
You see… Our waterbed is constant, consistent comfort, water feels as good today as it did 40 years ago.. it never loses its support or resiliency and we spent no more than a few hundred dollars in total on mattresses.
We have slept in many five star hotels, guest bedrooms, and annually camp out in tents and now an RV and even though we always get to sleep… we are always so glad to get home to get a deep restful sleep in our water bed. Every night feels as good as it ever did.
In our quest searching bed options… we realized how all the mattress stores price the “one sided” plush beds with a thicker foam top at a premium… trying to eliminate pressure points and body aches in their technically state of the art beds putting you on synthetic or partially plant based synthetic foams and gels in a weak attempt to synthesize and replicate the properties of water and what comes so simply and natural in a waterbed. The only similarity we found in these new beds with our waterbed is that you cant flip those new one sided or as I call them half mattresses either LOL
Len,
Your anti- waterbed blog looks more like a pro-waterbed blog judging by the comments… I guess you never had a waterbed outside of a dorm room…?
I’ve been sleeping on them for nearly forty years and was about to trade it in for the one sided half mattresses they peddle today. All I hear is what garbage they are and the early fail rates. Not liking the idea of sleeping in my own sweat on a slab of rubber kitchen sponge. Not a pleasant thought sleeping on a bacteria farm.
Anyway thankfully I came back to my senses again after I realized I would have to spend several thousand for an ultimately inferior bed and quality of sleep.
Buddy,,, a water bed stays comfortable as long as you look after it.
All your claims are bogus,
I only had two mattresses in 38 years and they were both as comfortable on the first day as they are today… Show me another mattress that can match that…
LOL, this starting article is humorous. This informed us more about the misuse of waterbeds than the waterbed’s actual drawbacks. Let me address some of these concerns.
1. They’re a pain to set up. Anything new and different is for most people. I can set one up pretty easy but I have done 9 setups over the years.
2. Waterbeds are hard to move. Yes and no. I have a king sized wood framed waterbed I bought in 1984 and yes I have moved it four times. Believe me moving it out of and into multi story homes is much easier than wrestling with any queen or kind sized mattress especially when it comes to navigating narrow hallways and stairs. Drain the mattress and then just fold it up and carry it out. The frame comes apart by loosening about 12 screws and four corner braces. No big deal. The pedestal with drawers just sits on the floor in two separate pieces. Set up is just the opposite order. Difficult? No. More time consuming? Yes. So if you are the type that moves every year when your lease goes up ya might want to stick with just a cheap mattress on the floor.
Can weight up to1800 pounds causing structural damage. I have had my king sized waterbed in my upstairs bedroom for 17 years now with no problems. My house is built to IRC code of 30 lbs per square foot which would equal 1,260 lbs but of course codes are not rated as the failure load but a safe load which is a fraction of the actually failed tested loading. Until a few years ago we have two additional super single water beds in the the other two bedrooms upstairs too. No problems!
4. They act as a heat sink. NEVER SLEEP ON AN UNHEATED WATER BED! This is misuse of the product and can lead to hypothermia. I am sure there are warning on the mattress or it’s instructions saying this. Furthermore, if you have an unheated waterbed I am sure that is why you are getting mold and mildew on the mattress fed by condensation. You are using the product out of compliance with the manufacture’s instructions. Nuff said!
7.Waterbeds can lead to higher electricity bills. Hummm. Never noticed a difference. I keep the heat turned down upstairs because it’s always comfortable in the room and I don’t need half my house that warm at night because of it. I bet that offsets the cost of that little water bed heater. In the summer I set the bed thermostat down about 4 degrees cooler and that lets me set my AC higher saving on AC costs too.
8.Motion issues. Personal choice, I actually like it.
9. Waterbeds are prone to leaks . If you are the type of person that is careless and breaks things a lot, maybe, you know like TV remotes etc. I have had a water bed for over 32 years and never had so much as a pin hole leak. If you count each waterbed we have had combined, it totals 56 years of water bed usage between 3 beds in the 32 year period.. Well, maybe we are the exception, we take care of our things and we don’t have pets. We have never ever had a remote control to any electronic I have owned break either.
12. Waterbeds are bad on the back. If they are under filled, just as a too soft conventional or worn out mattress can be. Waterbeds will need topping up once a year of so to keep them at the optimal level for your comfort. Everything is porous to some degree, even vinyl. While water will not go through it water vapor can at a very slow rate so yes they loose some water through evaporation.
11.. They’re hard to get in and out of. LOL! Not if you know the technique. It’s really easy. You just roll in from the side. Don’t try to dive in like a belly flop. Your shoulder blades will tough each other and the water will feel like concrete when you land. Personal experience not recommended, LOL. To get out you just roll out supporting yourself upright with your hand under you on the side rail as you stand up.
Waterbeds are overrated as a platform for sex. What are you talking about? They are great! Push once and coast for two! A third the effort using that return wave action! Just need to get in sync! Otherwise you are like the one clapping opposite everyone else at a sing along. LOL
I have never enjoyed getting into a bed more than my waterbed. I have slept on one for 37 years and am now faced with the challenge of giving up the most comfortable sleep I have ever known. Most of the people here discussing the cons about a waterbed have not experience one for a great length of time. They are so contoured to your body, that I know of no other bed that allowed me to sleep on my stomach when eight months pregnant. I wake up totally rested and not one ache or pain. For the first time in 37 years and after about three water bed mattresses, we experienced our first leak, a small seam tear. We have decided to look at going with either a sleep number bed, or a memory foam bed for the ability to have two separate sides that will move independently of each other. In the interim, we have been sleeping on a memory foam pad that goes over a conventional mattress and while it seems comfortable when you get into it, by morning I am sore in my upper and lower back and I’m not looking forward to the possibility of this as a permanent ongoing problem. In short, it’s a matter of adjustment for anyone and the amount of time they’re willing to spend on a mattress, any mattress to see how it will be for them long-term and also a matter of preference. I will miss my waterbed greatly.
My wife and I have slept on a waterbed for 42 years this month. Made my original pedestal and frame. We have a full motion water mattress, costs under $100. It works for us.
In 30 years my waterbed has never leaked. But if it did, the mattress sits inside of a waterproof vinyl surround that will contain the water.
I have the soft side , wave less due to a broken pelvis and tail bone , I couldn’t sleep on a normal bed now ! It’s amazing the difference makes including sex which I find the motion helps not be in pain ! I take lots of morphine and and spend most of my time on the bed ! I’ve had it nearly 2 years we’ve never had a leak and even if it is the soft side has a full pvc liner which protects the floor !
I’m in full support of the waveless waterbed ! I live in the UK and it was £600 which is cheaper then buying a good bed and mattress to cope with a back condition !
As for the electricity I don’t notice much of a difference in useage ! My hot tub uses tones of electric and I still use that as it helps with the pain!
I think if people are wakeing up in pain then the water level is to low !
As a happy waterbed owner for 30 years, I think this is a rather slanted article.
#1 is somewhat true. It takes me about 2 hours to setup and fill my waterbed. But have you ever tried to wrestle one of these 150 pound conventional modern king size gel mattresses up the stairs and into a bedroom? It took 3 men to move mine. I’ll take the waterbed setup any day.
#2 As you state, this is only a problem in very old houses. Any modern house is designed to handle the 40 pound per square foot load of a water bed. Would you worry about your house falling down if 8 adults were standing in your bedroom? If not, then a waterbed will be fine.
#3 If you buy a good quality mattress, and take reasonable precautions against punching holes in it, you’ll have no problems.
#4, 5 and 6. None of these things are a problem if you use a waterbed heater as intended. In fact, this is one of the biggest benefits. I have NEVER had cold feet in the winter in a waterbed.
#7 Not sure how you can complain about the electricity if you’re not using a heater as indicated in #4,5 and 6. If the 300 watt heater in my bed ran 24 x 7 it would cost me about $21 a month. But it doesn’t. I pay about $5 a month. And I don’t make my bed.
#8 Full motion can be an issue, but you get used to it. And if you think you won’t, then get a waveless mattress. The ones with foam inside are low maintenance.
#9 Unless you’re laying directly on the vinyl mattress bladder (not recommended), neither cats nor zippers are a worry. If you have a proper mattress pad with sheets, nothing short of a knife or an icepick will puncture the mattress. In 30 years I’ve never had a single leak. And the mattress sits inside of a vinyl liner so if the mattress were to leak, the water stays in the bed.
#10 never had a leak, so never had a problem.
#11 waterbed mattresses aren’t supposed to have air in them, so this shouldn’t be a problem. If you put a bottle of conditioner in the mattress every 6 to 12 months, you won’t get air in it. They are silent.
I love my waterbed.
Have had 3 waterbeds in 36 years. First one I gave away when I moved, was a waveless. Second one I also gave away because it was in a room I turned into a storage room and the 3rd one I had custom made. Never had problems with leaks, bad smells, mold, nothing. I got the wavy one because my grandkids love it and it rocks us to sleep. Cool in summer, warm and wonderful in the winter. Love the SIX drawers underneath. Very clean. Don’t need to be moving it. I did have to reinforce it when first assembled. Great for tired body. Very comforting. Wish I had a canopy to hang the drapes on for both warmth or coolness. I have always kept a thick comforter over mattress and used flat sheets and a beautiful comforter. I love the bookshelf headboard, holds everything! I love stuff at arms distance. I use it all. Love my waterbed! Thanks to all those tips about the “other” beds, that I don’t want.
We got our first waterbed when we moved to Orlando in 1976 (think we paid 99.00) The last one was top of the line but still much less costly than any of the so called foam bug breeders. We opted for a wave-less queen size with a “pillow-top” and we never feel the other get out of bed in the middle of the night. I agree the are a pain to move but we are older and have only moved it once in our new house. It seems all the people in this forum that actually have tried or do use a waterbed are pro; those who have never tried one are just speaking out their ass.
Allow me to solve all your issues with common sense.
Smell? Condition the water every 6 months
Noises because of air? Burp the air out of the bladder… figured this would be a no brainer
Cold and mold? You have to have a heater in a waterbed or this will occur.
Your back problem is YOUR opinion. I’ve slept on a waterbed since I was born, even converted my wife to loving it.
I stopped reading your comments after that.
People love to complain about things they don’t understand. Have you ever slept on a new modern waveless? I doubt it because you would realize the difference. My wife and I have slept on one for 30 plus years and love it! Different strokes for different folks. I nomad and Boyd waterbeds are easy to reach and do business with. I think conventional beds suck but it is not my place to try to convince those people no more than yours to condemn waterbeds! Have a nice closed mind life!
It has some drawbacks. But I LOVE waterbeds. I’ve had one since I was ten (I’m 40 now) and hough I went through a few periods where I could not use it, I still love it. C: I do ntted to get a oad for it sometime though. Cat claws *sometimes* puncture the mattress…when they get stupid and tear around the house (and over m mattress) chasing each other. Stupid cats.
I’ve had a waterbed for 38 years now, yes the first gen were crude but comfortable. The wave action took a little getting use to and the cat did put a couple of pin holes in it that were easily fixed in minutes with crazy glue. I use to think it was fun to do a big jump up and flop on my back to see if I could pop the wife out of bed until I blew a seam, thank goodness for the liner. It didn’t spill anything on the floor.
Then we bought a first gen baffled version and the baffles let go so it ended up like the first one. So we lived with it for quite awhile, the trick was to over fill it and it was very comfortable. Then we bought a fancy one about 12 years ago that has lumbar supports and is waveless, it is fantastic. We like to keep it quite warm, in the high 80s. and in the summer about 5 degrees cooler. Never had any so-called smell from it.
The best thing about sleeping on a waterbed for me is after a hard 16 hour day of heavy lifting of tools and steel my back is shot in the morning my back feels great. The other great thing is if you sleep on your side your arm doesn’t get pin and needles until a very long time, unlike the conventional mattresses. I’ve been sleeping on a orthopedic $10,000 bed for the last year now because of doctors orders for my wife and her degenerative disc disease. I now I wake up with sore arms, sore hips and a sore back. I’m going back to my waterbed even if I have to sleep alone. As for sex on a waterbed, it is amazing, no sore knees if you know what I mean.
I agree 100%. Those$10,000 beds sucks. I wake up soar on them too. That’s if I get any sleep.
Ive owned a waterbed for over 35 years. No back problems @ all. In fact I bought it to help relieve my back problems. With the proper tools they are not hard to set up or move.
Heat sink? Sure its awesome during 90 degree summers. I just turn down the heat and stay nice and cool all night. Hint, but a sheep skin mattress pad. They smell? What a crock of ignorance. Thats what CONDITIONERS are for, Einstein!! They keep the water clean, stop mold, and keep the vinyl supple.
Repairs? Piece of cake. In the 35 + years Ive own a waterbed I have had 2 leaks. One which required replacing my 10 year old mattress and the other was patched in seconds.
Expensive? Not over the long haul, ad solid 95 to 99% waveless mattress are not noisy and last for a good 10 to 15 years. I bought a solid Red Oak Bed frame, so my waterbed has gone UP in value over the years, not down.
To each his own I guess. Ive never had a water bed leak, and it would be near impossible for 20 to 30 mil high quality pvc rubber to tear or pop, or leak from use. To say they would stop a bullet, well.. no, but these things are tough. And if it did leak, you have a 15 mil liner. Just not going to happen.
I’ve had waterbeds for decades. Some were junk. The last two I had (soft sided over 20 years) were the best beds ever made (for me)! 3 years ago I got rid of mine because I loved my girlfriend and she hated it (all in her mind). I bought two extremely expensive piles of crap just for her. I have not slept more than a few hours at a time since. I travel every week so Im in every top quality hotel, and on many types of mattresses. My waterbed was the best bed ever. I could sleep on my arm, and it would not fall asleep.
So the girl friend is gone, and I am definitely looking to find my new best bed, and it will be a waterbed. No other bed compares to the comfort, relaxation, and sleep quality of a good waterbed. How can they? Hard foam, soft foam, springs, whatever. Nothing can form to your body like a liquid. And the way they make waterbeds today? Amazing. Of course, I am biased since I love waterbeds and think they are the most comfortable beds on the planet. So for me, there is no comparison. A good waterbed blows everything else away. They are so comfortable, it is difficult to get up in the morning.
Now, there are a few cons: Every year or so you should treat the water, and every 6 months or so you may have to burp a little air out of it to silence the air bubble noise (if you so choose). The other things is if you get a hard sided one, and you keep you pressure low (amount of water) it may be difficult to get out of the bed physically. If you have physical limitations, a soft sided one may be the only solution, but even then, it might be tough getting out of the bed. And SEX in a waterbed is the great. So there you have it: Another opinion saying waterbeds are the best. But I just had to write since I disagree with almost everything Len wrote. Again, my opinion. You decide on your own.
I’ve had a waterbed since 1986 and it’s my favorite kind of bed. 😀 But then I have a heater, I lvoe full flow mattresses, I don’t mind the smell of vinyl (watereds don’t gather mold unless you let a let go and don’t fix it), I know how to fix any occasional leaks, am asexual so I don’t have to worry about having sex on the waterbed, and have plenty of practice getting out of it lol.
It IS a pain to move and set up, no argument there. Especially when one is alone. But my heater does not add a significant aount to my electric bill (older ones probably did) and the movement is part of what I like. If my bed doesn’t move, I am not as comfortable. lol My waterbed had to be in storage for at least 8 or 9 years, and the mattress was fine. I stored it in a large plastic bin. I’ve only had two mattresses in the lifetime of the bed…and as I said, it’s 30+ years old.
They’re not for everyone, it’s true. But a lot of these issues are subjective, depending on what the user of the bed wants or likes, some are not really a huge problem (like mildew…again, the outside ot the mattress is never damn unless you let a leak go. And even then it’s cleanable. And leaks don’t need you to drain the mattress. You just need the right stuff to fix the leak. I have cats…I know. lol)
The main ones for me are the difficulty in moving and setting up, but how often does one do that? Even as often as I had to move as a kid, I sitll considerd the pain in the ass worth it.
I had a waterbed growing up but swapped to a traditional mattress for twenty plus years. I opted to go back to a waterbed and I am so happy I did. I haven’t had back pain since I swapped. I was waking up sore daily before, but no longer. I have a hard side, semi-waveless. It was inexpensive and fairly easy to install. Anyone can do it. And to the person who says they hate having sex in a waterbed….you’re not doing it right. Best. Sex. Ever. The water is of huge assistance in getting the groove right….
I encourage everyone to opt for a waterbed. Best decision I have made for myself and my wellbeing.
Did I mention how wonderful it is crawling into your super warm bed after coming in from the winter cold?? There is nothing more relaxing and satisfying.
DO IT! You’ll thank yourself later!!
“The water is of huge assistance in getting the groove right …”
Why buy a water bed to get the groove right when you can put on the Barry White tunes and get the same results?
I’m really enjoying the design and layout of your site.
It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to come
here and visit more often. Did you hire out
a developer to create your theme? Excellent work!
My wife and I have had a tube waterbed for about 20 years. The tubes are oriented head to foot, and are surrounded by foam along the perimeter and on top. Because of the foam on top, we’ve never needed a heater [we live in Michigan]. It took a little getting used to, mostly rolling and getting out, but is comfortable with nice even support. There aren’t any sideway waves, and waves in the other direction are not too noticeable, since they only affect the person who is moving. The tubes need filling occasionally [I don’t know why], and bacteriacide. We replaced a few tubes, and fixed leaks a few times. The leaks happened where seams had a lot of flex, or were pinched and flexed. The water is contained by a liner that is underneath and extends up the foam perimeter. We haven’t had to move it, but I would rather move it than a traditional mattress and box spring. I don’t know why we would replace this mattress, but we can buy new tubes and basically have a new mattress. I disagree with most of Len’s 15 points, although I understand why landlords would prohibit waterbeds.
My wife and i sleep on a softsided motionless with multilayered foam inside instead of baffles. You need a firmer bed let a little water out and you get more support. We love our bed and so does our beagle.
We’ve owned water beds for over 25 years so I think we have a little more experience than you. In all this time we had to replace the liner one time for a leak. And that was because my daughter decided to take a sharp object to the mattress. It was simple to maintain and only needed one treatment per year for the water conditioner. No noise, no smell, no storage issues, no electrical heating issues. It was a great bed. We are now building a new home and will be purchasing a softside waterbed to replace the old hardside.
You are completely off base. You have no evidence or facts. Everything you have to say is based off of anecdotal evidence based off of an opinion for use of product for a couple years. You also completely over reach on issues you haven’t experienced for yourself personally. Calling it a scam is libel, and irresponsible. Statistics, none as facts for the layman has, refuted all of your claims, as well as the thousands of devoted waterbed fans that still have a waterbed for good reason.
I’ve had a soft side waterbed for over 13 years. Decked on a memory foam mattress. Caused me lower back pain for many years. Went back to a soft side waterbed, and it cured it. As far as sex, ITS AWESOME! It’s not over rated. Memory foam sucks for having sex on, because it’s impossible to get any traction. Waterbed goes with the flow of the action making it easy and natural.
Your issue is you are trying to be a Consumer Reports wanna be based on just your individual opinion, not facts or zero evidence, and try to come off as an expert when it’s obvious you don’t have a clue. Your review was so bad that I had to comment, because you are giving the very few people finding your site bad information. Waterbeds are NOT A SCAM. There is reason why they have been the longest selling style of bed after the cool mattress to this day.
“You have no evidence or facts. Everything you have to say is based off of anecdotal evidence based off of an opinion …”
Oh, the irony. I slept on waterbeds for years, Jeremy.
I’ve slept on waterbed for over 30 years. I upgraded to a waveless years ago and couldn’t be happier with it. One wave and it stops. I read the negatives and smh. Little truth at all from my pov. My EX has a softside it was wonderful too. I have a mattress cover that is great. In the winter I barely noticed it was cold then i checked and after many yeas it was time to replace the heater. The heater does not run much. during winter I could sleep without it if I sleep on an extra blanket. Its not that hard to drain and re-fill. Love my Waveless King. I’ve had back problems and only when i lift heavy things improperly. The only leak I ever got was from the full wave after my young son jabbed it and busted it. While the holes were easy to fix the patches got loose in time With the mattress cover he would’t have busted my bed. The busted bed gave me the opportunity to buy a waveless and mattress cover which makes my bed much more pleasant, Never had odors. Sex? Whats that ? ; p
Seriously, it was good for me until I kicked her out, but for good reason.
I never added conditioner unless changing water and I checked it regularly. Never had a problem with any growth.
I still have my very first waterbed I got 30 years ago and I have to say still like new and not one issue. I have 3 hard-side waterbeds in my home . That one (full wave) in the guest room with a nice cloud like topper on it. Next one, of course, is in my daughters room since that’s what it took to remove her from my waterbed which is the third one in house. So one 30 year old full wave and two 96-98% waveless beds in my home. 2 Kings upstairs on main floor and one queen in the daughters room downstairs. The waveless are far less maintenance of course than a full wave. Rarely necessary to burp or add water or do anything to waveless really. BEST sleep I’ve ever had. Go to hotels, CAN NOT SLEEP and wake up sore unless it’s the Westin Heavenly bed and even then NOT like mine! Rarely use heater since I have nice toppers on them all but I was talked in to my FIRST ever “regular mattress” about 6 months ago “top of the line everything” bs jargon about this mattress. I broke down and let the fiance win after carpeting my home! MISTAKE!!! I stumbled upon your page here shopping for a replacement soft side so maybe I can launch this mattress that I feel like princess and the pea sleeping on, into outer space where it belongs! Can’t believe I let him talk me in to a regular mattress OMG! (I’m on the couch tonight lol) I have double scoliosis, neck issues and nerve damage and well (extreme allergies to dust mites)! I’ve slept horrible and wake up feeling like Ive been beat to death lol. My upper cervical doc/chiropractor recommends the waveless beds at least for my situations. The Full wave in guest room is being taken down and MY mattress or a new soft side going in there and I will just have my own room. Which by the way, (since you did mention it, I must also)- can be the sex room LOL! 30 years of it in a waterbed just IS NOT the same now on that regular enemy of a bed that is holding my bedroom hostage lol. If you have the right bed for you they’re amazing and I’m pissed and getting mine back up! This new “regular” mattress even has hot spots to where you wake up and feel like your rear end is on fire from the memory foam materials I have read. Only nice thing about it is you can raise up and vibrate while watching tv. I will say in closing though as far as maintenance, it don’t feel as though it’s any more than a standard mattress. I vacuum and clean the heck out of a regular mattress (dust mite prevention crap) and all ya have to do w waterbed is strip it, wash linens and wipe it down. I will never let a regular mattress come through this door again! I LOVE mine to pieces! Worst decision I ever made was let him talk me in to a new bed! I am truly in hell. 😆
I’ve slept on a Waterbed since 1984 and absolutely love it and feel great.
The article is an interesting one. My wife and I owned 2 waterbeds over 22 years. We experienced multiple leaks – some of them caused by the old fashioned nappy safety pins. Leaks were mostly caused through carelessness.
Yes they are easy to clean, although I tend to sweat when sleeping and the mattress did get quite moist at times. One thing I really enjoyed doing was turning down the mattress heater through the summer to sleep cool on the hot nights. I miss this advantage.
Overall the waterbeds seem quite comfortable. I started having back problems when there was a significant weight difference between my wife an myself. I always sunk lower and this wreaked havoc with my back. When the doctors finally analysed my back after a workplace injury, they noted underlying osteo- arthritis and advanced degenerative disc disease. They explained these conditions take a minimum of 20 years to develop. Obviously, the waterbed did not prevent this from happening.
I got a bit of a shock one day as I was in conversation with the person who sold me both waterbeds. He changed his shop from exclusively waterbeds to all types of beds. I asked him if that is due to bedding trends changing. He replied that his doctors had advised him to start sleeping on an innerspring mattress due to his bad back! I assume he was formerly sleeping on a waveless mattress as he sold a large range of all the varieties of waterbeds.
I wish in many respects that I could go back to a waterbed as they are quite enjoyable.
I am currently sleeping on an expensive 100% pure natural latex mattress. I get quite a degree of relief from back pain with this mattress.
Your an idiot and if you had any idea of what you are talking about there may be some validity in your statement however having slept on a hard side waveless mattress for nearly 10 years it was the best sleep I’ve ever had!
Tsk, tsk, Jim.
Rule #1: Never call anyone an idiot if you yourself don’t know the difference between “your” and “you’re” — it only makes YOU look like the idiot.
Over the years, since the 70s, I have had a waterbed. I have moved it 4 times, but always hired a pro. I have had 3 leaks, none of which caused any damage and the last one was a manufacturer defect and was replaced for free. The one I have now is a fiber filled waveless and it is enclosed in a pillow top mattress case. Looking at it, one would never know it was a waterbed. I dont even think now that if the heater went out, I would even know it. They dont smell. They cant get bedbugs or dust mites. So Im good, thanks!
My late husband and Ioved our waterbeds. Well worth any hassle. And I have scoliosis and 4 replaced joints!
I’ve owned a waterbed since the 80’s and I love it. I just bought a new matteess because my other one sprung a leak. But I’ve not had any problems other than that. I noticed when I had back problems it was because the mattress needed more water in it. Sex part is great for me. But that’s just my experience.
Funny, a lot of comments by people with no background piping in with there 2 cents.
I’ve had a hardside waterbed for 50 years
I’ve had a 20 year old mattress split on the seams
After it been set up and moved 5 times before I got it and set it up and moved it twice.
It finly split out in the heat of passion.
It didn’t go all over and I drained it.
Second mattress lasted 10 to 15 years and developed a leak. I belive im on my 5th mattress we bought a waveless I just filled it to find out the weld around the spout was bad. Ill find out how good the warranty is Tuesday becuse this was a factory defect and im pissed off. 45 bucks worth of fresh water wasted. Ive never had this happen in 50 years and my aunt owned a waterbed store in the 70s this bed came from.
Have had a full-motion hard side waterbed for 40 years. Loved it. Moved it three times. Even in an apartment for 5 years, made and signed by own agreement that I’d pay for any damage caused by a waterbed problem. There was no problem; they don’t leak, and I don’t play with knives in bed.
Got a new cat who was obsessed with it, and put substantial holes in it during an unguarded moment. (Not the cat’s fault, mine.) Decided to get a memory foam bed instead, not wanting to go through the extensive patching and setting it up again.
Absolutely hated the memory foam, as you sink in deeply and the slightest moment aggravated my back and It was hot. I woke up sweating in the middle of the might. Could not fix that problem even with special “cooling” mattress covers. After a year or trying, decided to resurrect the waterbed (I had kept everything but the water insert.)
Bought a replacement one online, mine was twin XL, theirs was SuperSize which they claimed would fit. They also couldn’t get a full motion one, so they substituted without my knowledge one with motion panels in it. Didn’t really fit well, with all that extra material on the sides, but it worked well enough, and I could get a good night’s sleep again.
Six months later, same thing happened again, and had to drain it to fix it. Those soft styrofoam-like panels in it made it extremely difficult to drain. So I decided, to hell with it, I’ll take out the panels as long as I have to do it and I cut a hand-size slit in the bottom of it, and did a series of patches over a week to make sure it was OK. Also did extensive modifications so that the bed would have adequate protection layer. That worked great, again.
But then the heating element was defective, which means I’d have to drain it *again*, and enough was enough, was not going to put any more money into it.
Had I been able to get the correct parts for my Twin XL, I would have stuck with it, but wasn’t willing to lose the space the bigger size would take up.
I now just got a twin-size couch bed which suits me fine. for less than a new waterbed liner would have cost, even if I could have found the right size.
Wasn’t going to take a chance on the softsides, as *I didn’t trust the sellers*, and got the distinct feeling they know waterbed users were a small select market, and the would say or charge whatever they wanted.
New one is entirely mechanical. Works flat or folded and there is no air, water, foam, electronics to deal with. This worked out fine, but it was great while it lasted.