I look to be in the market for a new mattress. Anyone Or someone you know buy one lately? What brand ya got? Looking for feedback
Had one since the 70s but bed was destroyed in 2005 Hurracane Katrina. Wife wanted a new one.
So replaced it with whole new bed, mattress and pillow top thing.
The mattress goes inside the pillow top like suit case.
So if ya bought one lately post what ya bought.
Yea i have lava lamps too.

Had one back in the late '70s - early '80s, don't recall the brand but they were pretty big in SoCal @ the time.
It was comfortable, but - maybe because I didn't have it full enough ? - was kinda sloshy when getting in & out of bed.
Doubt that's much help, but there it is...at least a bump.

Your problem is you need to get a black light, some incense, and somebody wearing a tank top, and a mattress will be the last of your concerns, IMO,

Been on my waterbed since 1978, still have it. In 1990 we bought a dual waveless dual heater system with pillow topper and still use it today. I haven't seen anything for sale in a local store in decades though. Amazon has them, eBay also, then there are a couple of sites on the web that still has them but I have not needed any since 1990...

Dang since '78?! You should get up and stretch your legs

"The Whale" in the TV series "Monk" comes to mind.

I had one from 2000-2004. Had to buy 3 bladders because of cats- after the 3rd set of claws in the 3rd one and the heater failed i said to F with these. Spending the money on a good regular mattress was the best decision I made at that point in life and I stand behind it till today, but whats good for one may not be for others.

After hearing "THE BED IS LEAKING" at 11:00 PM for the 3rd time I told the wife to take the day off work and go buy whatever frame and mattress she wanted to have for the rest of our lives. Yes the mattress has been changed several times since 1983 but IT DOESN'T suddenly start leaking

Been sleeping on a water bed for about 35 years now. Still am. We replace the mattress when we have to move the bed. Last time was about 7 years or so ago when we got new carpet in the bedroom. Like the OP said, they are zipped into a nice fabric bag these days and are available with various levels of baffling to make them varing degrees of "waveless". We still like having one. There are some waterbed vendors on line that have all the mattresses, sheets, etc.

I had a full motion from 1977 till we moved the bed to my home in 1992. Pine bed hardside, double pedestal under it, 4 post canopy with mirrors. Got a 90 percent waveless. From 1992 till 2005 when Katrina hit. Ruined the dresser, pedestal, post and night stands.
Hippies would be proud

So bought in oak a bed package, to get the frame, heater, mirror head board with lights. 90 PERCENT lumbar support with pillow top zipper thingy that encased mattress. As a package was cheap. Was not worth making it. It was not much more than the needed heater, mattresses, liner, and zipper case for mattress.
My friend owned a cabinet work shop so made, a dresser with tri-fold mirror, and entertainment center, along with pedistal with draws and center storage. And two nice night stands. I think tget make money on tge added stuff to make it a suite.
New mattress brands are:

Boyd ( old company but looks like not made like used to) mixed reviews-good when ya get them but do not last.

Inomax mixed reviews either good or bad when ya get them but last.

US WATER mixed reviews about like Boyd

And a 4th newer China company better reviews out the gate but no long term reviews . Do not remember bame

No cats here. My 2005 mattress has small pin hole in seam but patched and does not leak. But will swap it and pillowtop thing it goes in while the getting is good. Who knows how long the old hardside stuff will be avalible

When I met me future wife (that I still have) in 1981 she moved in shortly afterwards. Had a full motion mattress at the time. I came home from work one day and sat on the bed, it was totally wet! Asked her what she did that day and said she had sewed a few things. I asked her where, she said sitting on the side of the bed. You know how you sew something then put the needle down, usually into the couch or chair until you need it again? Yep, she did that 11 times in the mattress...

For what its worth, Innomax has a location in Denver that I have been buying from for many years now. A couple of mattress and heaters over the last 20+ years. I have no complaints about the quality or durability of what I have purchased. Mattresses have been full motion.

Sometimes I miss my waterbed, especially in the winter when you can raise the thermostat on the bed & lower the thermostat in the house to breath better. Had semi wave-less one from 1985 until about 10 years ago when when it started to leak. It wasn't the first time it leaked, but it felt like the vinyl was drying out & that repairing it would be ongoing. We now have a memory foam mattress that is firmer but is very comfortable. I would've been fine getting another water bed mattress but my wife was getting tired of it.

Funniest thing I remember about the waterbed was when my wife was 8 months pregnant & would try to get out of it. Ever watch a beetle that was flipped on it's back try to flip back over to get up?

Yepper heater off in summer. But wife puts it on at the very mention it os going to be cold.
Ya know them big bad New Orleans winters can be rough.

My wife liked it hot, and I sweated my [censored] off for about a year, no covers to keep the heat in! Had no mattress pad and just a sheet over the vinyl. One night I rolled over and sploosh, my elbow went through the vinyl that had gotten brittle because of how hot she wanted it! Luckily the sheet kept me from going full bore into the water, but what a freakin' mess! That is when we started using a mattress pad under the sheet, and turned down the temperature. The dual mattress system wasn't available yet, but as soon as it became available we bought it. My side is 20 degrees colder than hers...

I have slept on one for 45 years, full motion only for me. I used to get my mattresses from Wooden Ship Waterbeds in California, but sadly the owner passed away during Covid era, and they are no longer in business.

The best mattresses I have found are made by, https://www.thewaterbeddoctor.com/ heaters as well. Mattresses are made in the USA. Ones I got before where made oversea and didn't last, seam splits and horrible plastic smell.

Our current mattress, from them, is seven years old and has been emptied and refilled three times in the last few years.

My friend bought one at a garage sale in the 90's, he lived in his parents little house up in the attic. The bed popped one day and completely ruined the attic floor and main floor "roof". Every corner and vent etc had water stains for years afterwards lol. I honestly haven't even heard of a waterbed since then.

I got one in 7th grade. Semi-waveless. Loved it. It's very difficult to get out of a waterbed with broken ribs, in case anyone was curious.

It is also difficult to get out of when one reaches 60...

I had to get rid of mine after I graduated from college. I wish I still had it.