What’s So Hot About Waterbeds?

A Waterbedtime Story™ sponsored by: InnoMax Corp.

While the health benefits of temperature controlled Waterbeds for arthritis relief and various other maladies were well documented by the 1980’s, it didn’t start out that way. As alluded to in the previous episode, many a ‘modern day Waterbed’ was purchased back in the early 1970’s without a heater. Notice I specified “modern”. This is because, while Waterbeds have a rich history dating back to 600 BCE when Persians would fill goat-skins with water to use as mattresses, ‘modern’ Waterbeds purveyed in the 70’s were generally based on designs conceptualized by Charlie Hall in the late 60’s and for which a Patent was granted him in 1971*.

So while you learned in the last episode my first Waterbed experience in the early 70’s was with a vinyl bladder a high school buddy’s parents had allowed him to fill over a drain in their basement, what I didn’t mention was how outrageously cold the thing was. Albeit not frigid by any stretch, even a body of water like a swimming pool can feel extremely cold at 70 degrees/room temperature. As such while a 70 degree ambient room air temp works well to moderate our 98.6 body and 85 degree skin temps, being submerged in 70 degree water or laying on a 70 degree Waterbed works like a giant heat sink and can get uncomfortably cold. This likely had some bearing on Charlie including a number of heater concepts in his 1970 patent application some of which are shown here.

Being impractical for 20th Century citizenry to lay their Waterbeds in the sun to warm up during the day, as 6th Century BCE Persians did, by the late 1970’s a cottage industry of Waterbed heater manufacturers had sprung up to accommodate the booming Waterbed industry. So by the early ‘80s it seemed somehow fitting a land in the midnight sun (with considerably less sun in winter), Norway, had become recognized as having more people per capita sleeping on Waterbeds than any other country on the planet. That said, it should be noted that temperature controlled Waterbeds can also provide cooling relief on hot steamy nights. 

Another phenomenon going on during this era was the increased popularity of isolation chambers. As the primary objective of this experience is sensory deprivation, like floating in space, a key element is temperature control. And as sleeping in an open tub of salt water is also fairly impractical, Waterbeds offered the next best thing by providing; a) contoured flotation support to eliminate pressure points associated with tossing & turning, and b) a temperature regulated environment so the body isn’t compensating by sweating or shivering to facilitate the deepest most restful sleep.

But wait that’s not all, with the advent of other design innovations like soft thermal barriers and dual Waterbed systems, couples never had to compromise when sleeping in the same bed. In addition to capability of having 2 different flotation modules in the same mattress with variable levels of support, couples could also adjust the temperature of their own side of the bed independently. And as if that isn’t enough, Waterbed designs had also evolved to optionally replace wooden hardside frames with softside frames which offered edge to edge flotation support and used conventional sheets & bedding.

As the oldest surviving US Waterbed heater manufacturer in the industry, Thermal Guardian temperature control systems by InnoMax offer proven reliable performance. And with the largest selection of options including Digital and Analog remote controls in both Full Watt for Hardside Waterbeds and Low Watt for Hybrid Softside Waterbeds, InnoMax offers a Thermal Guardian temperature control system specifically designed for every need.

In conclusion, what’s so hot about Waterbeds is that they are also cool…literally and figuratively!

Contributing author is Irvin Saathoff a Waterbed veteran who has worked in many aspects of the industry from design & product management to retail, wholesale and marketing. Check back in with the next issue when Waterbedtime Story™ fields the question; What did Mark Twain say about the Medical Benefits of Waterbeds? Meanwhile you can connect with InnoMax Corporation anytime at Sleep@InnoMax.com.

Footnote Citation: *Charles P Hall, Liquid support for human bodies, US Patent US3585356A.