by Mark Miller
Waterbedtime Story™ sponsored by InnoMax Corp.
Foreword & closing by Irvin Saathoff
Foreword: It is fitting that Mark Miller, whose company InnoMax will be celebrating 50 years in the Waterbed industry in 2025, is introducing our next ‘Waterbedtime Story™’ series which will address the evolution of Softside Waterbeds. While Mark sets the stage in this episode with the motivation for development, future episodes will address their evolution from Deep to Shallow & Mid-Fill models.
Mark is pictured here in a throwback cameo exploring the revolutionary concept of using conventional bedding on Waterbeds.
Mark says: The waterbed certainly came out of the heyday of new age movements in the 1960’s and 1970’s into the bedding marketplace for pained sleepers with an insatiable search for promised relief and nighttime comfort. The sheer thought of sleeping on a waterbed conjures up thoughts of seasickness, marshmallow softness and geysers for leaks. The early purchasers of waterbeds had only the mere trappings of the sophistication and credibility of the most popular beds. The earliest benefactors of the early waterbeds and their improved circulation and relieved back aches and the joy of semi-weightless support began to put the waterbed into the mainstream. Less sleeping time and flat out being so comfortable you didn’t want to get up.
The least of the waterbeds problems were comfort but the four boards and 2x wood frame construction left much to be desired. Consumers became displeased with this bulky and cumbersome containment for the water mattress, although the ornate and flashy headboards were considered a good furniture investment. Bruised thighs, shins, ankles elbows and bumped heads only added and fueled the wood frame’s waterbed decline. A breakthrough was needed to take the waterbed enthusiasts to the next level.
Compared to conventional mattress factories, early on Softside Waterbed manufacturing facilities focused on developing Solid State foundations & Power Edge mattress designs to replace spring components and enhance the Fluid Suspension Sleep experience.
Enter the soft side waterbed with the look and convenience of a conventional mattress combined with the principles of floatation. A true flotation bed that looked like a conventional bed featuring traditional water bed depth of 8.5 to 9.5 inches and a controlled heating system plus choices in wave less ,mattress designs. Warm in the winter-cool in the summer, traditional bed styling, easy to sit on and utilized regular bed sheets.
Examples of Deep Fill Softside Fluid Suspension Sleep Waterbeds can be seen on the InnoMax website HERE.
High density foam bolsters, fitted quilted covers, upholstered box foundations & fitted liners replaced the plywood decks & tack-in liners of the past and incorporated the beneficial aspects of waterbed flotation sleep in a conventional style mattress. This particular design is enjoying a renaissance currently for those folks who have bought in and tried every miracle mattress on the market today and find themselves wanting to return to the lost benefits of sleeping and loving their waterbed.
Examples of Shallow-Fill Softside Fluid Suspension Sleep Waterbed support modules can be seen on the InnoMax website HERE.
Although today’s conventional world of bedding has been misappropriating the term, the original Hybrid Mattress refers to the fusion of waterbeds and traditional style mattresses. This series seeks to dispel confusion about the ever changing category and add even more dimensions as to “What is a Waterbed”.
Examples of Mid-Fill Softside Fluid Suspension Sleep Waterbeds can be seen on the InnoMax website HERE.
In closing, as today’s Softside Waterbeds offer sleepers a variety of Fluid Suspension Sleep experiences, we will be addressing the differences between Deep, Shallow and Mid-Fill models in future episodes of this series. I do hope you have enjoyed this month’s edition by InnoMax Corporation President Mark Miller. Check back in with our next edition when A Waterbedtime Story™ shares yet another perspective. Meanwhile you may connect with InnoMax Corporation anytime at Sleep@InnoMax.com.