A Waterbedtime Story™ by Irvin Saathoff
Having had the good fortune of traveling worldwide doing business with waterbed designers, manufacturers, and retailers around the globe, it has been interesting to see how the waterbed industry evolved uniquely in different countries and especially interesting to see how the market has survived and thrived in a number of regions. After reaching out to notables in some of those markets, I am pleased to report we’ll be hearing from successful operations in Europe and Asia that have withstood the test of time in upcoming Waterbedtime Story™ episodes.
In the meantime, I’ll attempt to set the stage for what promises to be an enlightening and entertaining World of Waterbeds Series. While many theories have been postulated about the rise and fall of the waterbed industry in the USA, there exist a few markets stateside and many others worldwide that defy conventional wisdom. Albeit the general consensus in the US seems to dismiss waterbeds as a fad, enlightened citizenry aware of the health benefits both here and abroad continue to embrace fluid suspension sleep. As such I am uber excited that one of our contributors is based in Denmark, one of the healthiest places on the planet.
Rush hour in Copenhagen, Denmark where 62% of the population commute by bicycle to their work or study places each day
Another theory about the decline of the US waterbed business postulates that the race to the pricing bottom was its undoing. In other words, retailers competing to promote the lowest prices for cheap sleep, sometimes for $99 or less, left a significant number of dissatisfied consumers in its wake. Conversely in markets honor bound by the culture or duty bound by regulation to back product they sell, it is not unusual for waterbed sleep systems to sell for thousands of dollars. Being a country where it is common for auto dealerships and other retailers to make house calls selling turnkey product, service and support packages, I am also super thrilled that another of our contributors’ hails from Japan.
While selling mattresses for $1000s is rather passé these days, back in the heyday of waterbeds it was a big deal and not for the faint of heart. Relative to the following, and some lighthearted speculation on my part, I respectfully submit the most expensive waterbed of its day may well have been Toru Watanabe’s Wishsonic. On a more serious note, Toru’s contributions to the waterbed industry over the years in both manufacturing and retail have established a high end flotation sleep culture in Japan that endures today.
Toru Watanabe, former president of HB Dreambed, shown on US tour in the Wishsonic waterbed. Paraphrasing his FaceBook post above; the US tour, which included coverage by Car & Driver, went smoothly with exception to an elderly couple fearing it was an alien invasion from outer space.
Because producing and servicing waterbeds entails a bit more than inserting springs and/or foam into a mattress cover, it has been further postulated that the biggest of the big US manufacturers who jumped on the bandwagon back in the day, bailed out relatively quickly as promoting conventional bedding was clearly the path of least resistance. Being personally involved with certifications and compliance worldwide, I can certainly appreciate this conjecture.
Meanwhile manufacturers such as InnoMax based in Denver, Colorado have persevered by producing complete systems including components unique to fluid suspension sleep like temperature control systems, another documented therapeutic benefit of waterbeds, which enable sleepers to regulate their sleep environment. And by addressing international compliance considerations, including instructions in multiple languages, a number of these surviving manufacturers have continued to thrive by expanding business beyond their borders.
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In closing, as this series promises to have little or nothing to do with selling cheap sleep and everything to do with the successful promotion of quality fluid suspension sleep, I look forward to hearing from our international guest contributors in upcoming Waterbedtime Story™ World of Waterbeds episodes and hope you do as well.
Check back in with the next episode of Waterbedtime Story™ when we share yet another perspective. Sponsored by InnoMax Corporation (Sleep@InnoMax.com).