The New Wave of Water Bed Demand

By Bob Cox

While many people associate the waterbed with the free love era of the 1960’s, waterbeds have been around for millenniums. The earliest known form of a waterbed dates back over 3,000 years ago to Persia. Goatskins were filled with water and placed in the sun to absorb heat. Historians have speculated that the warmed goatskins were used either by the sick or by royalty.

In 1832, Scottish physician Dr. Neil Arnott invented the Arnott hydrostatic waterbed as a way to help reduce bedsores in patients. It consisted of light bedding placed on top of a rubberized canvas, which rested on a tub filled with bath water. In the late 1800’s, Sir James Paget revived Arnott's design to treat ulcers while Dr. William Hooper promoted the waterbed as a cure for rheumatism and arthritis. In 1883, Hooper had the foresight to patent his version of the waterbed, but was unable to regulate the temperature of the water, causing his waterbed to be a commercial failure.

Waterbeds evolved from a novelty item into a viable commercial product with the invention of vinyl in the 1960’s. In 1968, San Francisco State University student Charles Prior Hall accidentally invented the waterbed while attempting to find stuffing for an experimental chair. Hall also invented a heater, liner and patch kit, transforming the waterbed into an enormous commercial success. By 1987, waterbed sales accounted for 22% of the mattress market. Ironically, Hall was unable to sufficiently defend his patents from other manufacturers and never reaped the full benefit of his invention.

Today’s waterbeds combine the medicinal benefits of pressure reduction and comfort with the highest standards of luxury. Most waterbeds are now sold on a regular frame and resemble ordinary spring and coil mattresses in their exterior appearance and size. Best of all, modern waterbeds offer sleepers the ability to control the temperature of the water without having to leave them in the sun.

I spoke to Pete Schiller, the owner of La Brie’s Sleep Center, to learn more about the history of waterbeds here in Sacramento and find out why more and more people are riding the new wave of sleeping on waterbeds. Here’s how our conversation went.

Q: How did La Brie’s Sleep Center get started?

A: Tom La Brie started the business back in 1972 and became a local celebrity while running commercials during the Late Night Comfort Show.

Q: Do you have a lot of competition here in Sacramento?

No, we’re the only store in Sacramento that carries waterbeds and one of a few in Northern California. We also have a nice selection of wall beds, air beds and specialty mattresses.

Q: What are some of the common misconceptions about waterbeds?

A: That they leak real easily. Also, people have expressed concern about the weight of a waterbed on their floor. They think they’re too heavy for their floor. Even today, I had a customer who would not put it on the second floor. In 1973, a law passed (senate bill 1645) to insure that any home built after that year requires enough floor strength to support the weight of a waterbed.

Q: I've heard that waterbeds are making a comeback, especially among seniors. What is driving this resurgence?

A: For a lot of people who had a waterbed in the past, that’s where most of our business is coming from. I just had a customer today who said, “You know, I had a waterbed for 5 years and I found another woman who asked me to get rid of it. So far, we've been through 5 mattresses in 5 years! I haven’t found one thing that we both like.” So, he’s going to bring her back in to show her some waterbeds. I don’t know how happy she is with each mattress they've bought, but that’s a lot of mattresses and he’s not buying cheap mattresses!

Q: What are the most common benefits of sleeping on a waterbed?

A: There is minimal pressure on your body when you lay on a waterbed. The customer I mentioned earlier complained that his shoulder and his side go to sleep on a standard mattress. As we get older, we become more susceptible to those kinds of problems. So, if you have pressure problems where your hip goes to sleep or your shoulder goes to sleep, it might still happen on a waterbed, but it lessens that pressure. That’s the biggest trend we’re seeing. It’s my older clientele that are now coming in and saying that they’re having trouble falling asleep. They’re buying waterbeds again because, for many people, that’s the only thing that has offered them relief.

Q: Are you getting feedback from your customers about their quality of sleep and overall comfort?

A: Yes, almost everybody! I had a lady with fibromyalgia who was in a support group and one of the members had recently bought a waterbed from us. My customer told her friend that was the only thing she got relief from. She told me that the doctors don’t really know what fibromyalgia is, and they don’t understand the level of pain people experience. After she purchased a waterbed from me, she said she still didn't sleep much more than 3 hours a night, but on a regular bed, she couldn't even sleep an hour. She said, “To you, that may not sound good. To me, it’s fantastic! I couldn't sleep at all in my other bed.” Even her husband chimed in, “Before we bought the waterbed, my wife was up all night, going from the bed, to the sofa, to the recliner, to the chair and back to bed. That used to be a nightly thing.”

Q: Do you recommend a waterbed for everybody?

A: No, they don’t work for everybody. Nothing works for everybody. But, if you have any pressure issues, typically a waterbed is going to be your solution.

Editor’s notes: For more information about La Brie’s Sleep Center, visit their website www.labries.com, their showroom at 1908 El Camino Ave., Sacramento, CA 95815 or call them at (916) 565-2541.