Satin Water Bed Sheets

Water Beds came roaring onto the scene in the late sixties and early seventies. I can remember first hearing about water beds when I was in college. Curious radio ads started to run on the local underground stations about this head shop on the main street that was offering water beds. I visited the shop and had to make it past the pipes, bongs, blacklight posters and mildly x rated toys. The water beds were in the back. In those days, many shops sold waterbeds without frames or heaters. The water beds were basically a big bag of water. The bag was high in the middle and tapered off to the sides. At first, water beds were fairly poorly made and had the reputation of leaking or even breaking, spilling up to 180 gallons or 1,440 pounds of water onto the floor! No wonder many landlords forbid water beds.

Over some time, water bed heaters and water bed frames came onto the scene. Somewhere along this time, water bed manufacturers settled on a standard size structure. Standard King water beds were 6' x 7', Queen water beds were 5' x 7' and super-single waterbeds were 4' x 7'. Along with the size standards, the quality of the actual vinyl water mattresses improved. Waterbed frames and squared construction techniques of the water mattress manufacturers gave the water bed a more flat surface. Several schemes started to be employed to slow down the water bed waves and heaters added to temperature comfort. All of these advances happened quickly as there was money to be made. Water beds represented a whole new way of sleeping. The Viet Nam war still raged and a baby boomer generation was looking for new ways to do things.

In these early days, water beds were counter-culture. This was partly because they were a new sleeping surface that had very suggestive movements and also because most of the stores selling them were on the fringe. Even after stand alone water bed stores came into being, many were under capitalized and run by scruffy long hair types.

Because water beds were not the same size as conventional beds, owners had to make do with whatever they could find for bedding. Again, money was to be made. Unconventional sources that understood water beds started to have the correct style of sheets custom manufactured. These sheets were also sold at the same location of water bed sales. At some point in time early on, someone had the bright idea of sewing the top sheet to the bottom sheet so the movement of the water would not upset the sheet placement. Later, a six pocket sheet set was designed, the top sheet having two pockets at the foot.

Probably because of the slightly risque nature of the early water bed, someone had the bright idea of selling satin water bed sheets and satin comforters. Satin had its own risque reputation so it was natural to add satin and water bed together. The combination was electric, somewhat like chocolate and peanut butter. In my college days, if you had a water bed, you were pretty cool. If you had a water bed with satin sheets, you were awesome. A water bed with satin sheets in the early seventies was a pick up magnet.

To this day, satin water bed sheets are very popular.