99 Pounds of Cloud nine

Since there are no local Essentia stores near me (Portland, OR), I ordered my Queen-sized Tatami, by phone, from their Seattle store. It was a big leap of faith on my part (especially for the price point), and since this is the only non-toxic 100% latex memory foam mattress available to me, and I have found other good independent online reviews about it, I decided to go for it! It arrived via FedEx in a very heavy 99-pound box (15"x15"x60"), all rolled up in a vacuum-sealed plastic bag. Once out of the bag, the mattress started to self "inflate" to the perfect size and and shape. They recommend that you give it anywhere from 20 minutes to a few hours to arrive at its full shape, due to being compressed. You can sleep on this the first night. I can attest that there is NO SMELL with this mattress right out of the packaging. No harsh off-gassing to be had. None. However, if your face/nose is right up against the cotton cover, there is only a very slight cotton-y smell, but this no problem for me. The striped cotton cover is also quite soft and very pretty close up. There is a zipper that runs along the outer top edge, which is removable and washable. Nicely done, Essentia. I have had this mattress a few weeks nows, and really wanted to let people know that this was an amazing surface on which to sleep! Personally, I prefer a slightly firmer mattress, but still need pressure-point relief. I was on the fence between the Classic 8 (2 steps down from the firmest) and the Tatami (one step down the firmest). At first, I thought the Tatami might be too squishy, but once it fully "opened up", it felt wonderful to me. While the price may be off-putting to some, consider the fact that you spend up to one-third of your life sleeping, and many mattresses out there are full of carcinogenic flame-retardants, and are breeding grounds for dust mites, allergens, and potentially bed-bugs (who wants that?). Do your mattress research before making the choice that is best for you. I would definitely recommend the Tatami to a friend.