Stone beds, popular among some people in Korea in the 1990s, seem to have found their way to America, possibly introduced by people of Korean origin.
These beds are like a flat bench, and stone makes up just the top layer of an approximately 4-inch sleeping platform. The beds can be made of quartz, mica, topaz and several varieties of jade, and feature embedded heating coils that give off a low, radiant heat.
Another popular version of the bed - not quite as hard, but still very solid - has a vinyl surface covering a layer of specially formulated hardened mud.
Fans of the beds report that they help, rather than hurt, their backs, and can tick off their benefits: their radiant heat soothes muscles, they're hypoallergenic, they'll last forever.
And doctors can find no reasons to avoid these stone beds.
Timothy Radomisli, an orthopedic surgeon in Manhattan, said softer mattresses don't necessarily keep the spine aligned, and there's no definitive evidence that firmer mattresses are worse or better.
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