In the Bedroom

Are Waterbeds A Psychedelic Fad Or Cutting-Edge Sleep Technology?

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Today we are going to discuss the question “Are waterbeds a psychedelic fad or cutting-edge sleep technology?”.

Waterbeds first came on the scene in the late 1960s through the 1970’s best known as the product owned by hippies during a time of psychedelic drugs, the sexual revolution/ liberation, and bad clothing. In their hay day, it is said that they owned a whopping 20 percent market share. While they are nowhere near that popular today, they revolutionized how and what we sleep on. Little did we know how beneficial they could be for those with back problems and health issues, such as allergies and asthma – considering most were purchased just for fun!

Modern Sleep Technology Has Transformed Waterbeds

As with any bed made, H2o beds are not perfect, however, most of the early difficulties have been remedied. Today, the waterbed experience is quite different, and consumers will be pleasantly surprised when they visit a showroom and try them out. There are, in fact, two general categories of waterbeds today:

Old School

Hard-sided waterbeds are nearly identical in design to the original ones, there are few manufacturers still making them so styles really haven’t changed much. Innomax is one of the few companies still building them. Innomax still believes that there is a market for these beds and has developed several more modern versions of the old design. Another useful change is that vinyl. Today’s vinyl quality is better and is a few mils thicker with better seams. Finally, baffling wave control systems within the mattresses are still available and with significant improvements that help contribute to a greatly reduced “wave effect.” As with original waterbeds, the mattress is placed into a wooden frame, with rails, a liner, and a heater. Customers who have had experience with original waterbeds will find these new hard-sided waterbeds greatly improved!

New School

Soft-sided waterbeds look like any regular mattress and typically include a quilted zippered casing. Within the vinyl, safety lining is holding chambers that contain water. There are a couple of different methods to slightly or substantially reduce waves. The advantage of soft-sided mattresses is that they can be placed either within a traditional metal/wood bed frame or installed on different types of pedestals. Their look mimics a regular mattress and doesn’t require special size sheets and bedding.
The holding chambers are available in 3 soft-side waterbeds variations.

The first is the hydraulic one which includes small vinyl coils that essentially fill and drain with water when a person lies down on the bed. Tubes, single and dual bladders are the most popular. These mattresses can be free-flowing or fully waveless and are viable options for those who want a traditional mattress feel but the therapeutic effects of a waterbed.

Conversions Mattresses:

Often, individuals with waterbeds have purchased an entire bedroom suite when they decide that they no longer wish to have water filled with water. Rather than face discarding an entire room of furniture, consumers may now purchase regular mattresses called a waterbed insert which is designed to replace water mattresses. These “conversion” mattresses will provide a one-inch opening on all sides, so that, when placed in a frame, they can easily be manipulated for linen changes.

Whether you need a new waterbed mattress, an entirely new waterbed system or simply wish to convert your waterbed mattress, you now have lots of options!

We hope we have answered your question about “Are waterbeds a psychedelic fad“. Please contact us below if you have more questions.

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Douglas Belleville

Doug Belleville and his father Dave own and run STLBeds - a specialty sleep store located in Arnold, MO. The staff at STLBeds is highly educated about sleep, comfort and their special sleep products. STLBeds only carries high quality mattresses and bed-related products. You won't find the brand names here - click here to find out why!

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