What Happened To All The Waterbeds? For Nostalgic Gen X & Boomers, It’s Time For A Comeback
Waterbeds are no longer a thing of the past.
Africa images, Lucas Meneses, Pexels | Canva As the times change and fashion trends and consumer preferences shift, there are certain products and services that are never capable of keeping up with the times. These things tend to just fall off and never become mainstream again. Fortunately, these trends operate in a cycle. For fashion, that cycle tends to be what’s referred to as the 20-year rule — which thankfully means we’ve still got a few more years before low-waisted jeans make their return.
Although consumer trends are different than fashion, one man recently begged the question about what happened to a 70s and 80s bedroom icon. Old products that went out of style are constantly being reinvented in order to reignite the hype that once was — and we’re here to say that it’s time for waterbeds to make a comeback.
Nostalgic GenX and Boomers can rest assured that waterbeds are coming back.
Recently, a man on TikTok who goes by the handle @_acid_g_, decided to ask his following of around 4000 people: Where did all the waterbeds go?
Well, his TikTok seemingly left his target audience and reached nearly a million people who were concerned about the 70s bedroom icon. As a 30-year-old man, he revealed that when he was growing up, his grandma actually had a waterbed and that he loved it.
“I slept in that water bed all the time,” he said.
However, since then, he has no idea what happened to all the water beds. He knew they were once an iconic piece of bedroom furniture, but lacked the understanding of their fall from the public’s graces.
“Did we all like, collectively say ‘these aren’t very comfortable’ or like, ‘man this [thing’s] making me seasick?’ What was it? Where did all the waterbeds go?” he asks once more before asking if they’re still even around. “Is that just some [thing] that only existed in the 70s and after the 70s we were like, ‘this [thing’s] dumb?’”
Well, thanks to the mattress website Puffy, there’s a pretty logical explanation as to what happened to the waterbeds our friend once knew and loved.
Waterbeds didn’t actually go anywhere, they’ve been here all along.
Waterbeds once offered a unique twist on stale spring bed mattresses. It was viewed as modern comfort and quickly became a staple in the 70s and 80s, despite coming onto the scene as early as the 60s. There’s no one reason that waterbeds went out of fashion — they didn’t all simultaneously pop or disappear — but there are a variety of factors that went into the decline of their popularity.
Advancements in mattress technology meant that waterbeds were a thing of the past, despite their various health benefits. The introduction of memory foam and other materials meant that there were more comfortable options to select from as well. Not only were there newer, more comfortable options on the market, but updated mattresses also required much less maintenance and could easily be moved.
Of course, waterbed mattresses still exist today, although they’re now considered niche options as opposed to the average bed choice.
The constantly evolving mattress landscape means that one day, waterbeds may jump back into the spotlight, but for right now, there’s a loyal following that swears by them to this day.
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor for YourTango who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics.