For an odd product that has survived for decades and still in mass production today, it would be foolish to write-off waterbeds as a fad that belonged to history.
They actually serve some pretty practical purposes.
Some people swear by their waterbed mattress playing a critical role in helping them fall asleep peacefully. Some rave relentlessly about the contoured support that adapts to a sleeper’s body shape and weight. There are even those who claim to find relieve from nightmares by sleeping on water beds.
Then there are also those with physical injuries or suffer from physical pain who use waterbeds as a form of therapeutic sleep.
So as one can see, waterbed mattresses do have a useful role to play in the market as a whole.
But is it good feng shui?
The case for bad feng shui of water beds
It does not take a lot to convince someone that a waterbed in the bedroom is bad feng shui.
After all, practitioners often recommend that there be no presence of water in the bedroom. And such a mattress, instead of using a spring or foam one, would be made up of at least 90% water.
The word “drowning” comes up a lot when practitioners speak out against waterbeds.
But the reality is that these types of bed don’t have water exposed. So it’s not exactly right to absolutely say that they are of the water element.
For example, when we discuss window views, it is known that even if a devastating pylon is somewhere in front of the window, a feng shui master can still determine that it is negligible because the view from two steps inside the window does not have it in sight. Supposedly, what we don’t see don’t do any harm.
The same with exposed standalone pillars. Feng shui masters often advocate using mirrors to create the visual disappearance of pillars to “remove” the sha chi emitted by these interior structures. So even though the pillar remains there, having it vanish from view can be judged to be a good remedy.
So does a mattress that is rectangularly shaped like a regular mattress bring bad water energy even though the water is not just unseen, but also totally enclosed from the surrounding?
The only circumstance that would make the presence of water energy indisputable is when the water mattress is blue or black in color, or have a form that constitutes water element.
Otherwise, everything else is really up to judgment, interpretation, and debate.
Some practitioners also contest that a bedroom is supposed to be an yin area of the house. It’s meant to be an area for residents to sleep and rest.
It should therefore be quiet, motionless, darker than the living room, etc. Inhabitants should use regular foam mattresses, install a headboard, position the bed properly and sleep with the head pointing at a favorable direction.
A water bed splashing about would create a yang disturbance to the space, thereby creating an imbalance of yin and yang.
Another argument is that for married couples, earth energy is required to energize both the patriarch and matriarch.
Thus, water energy which saps earth energy would be bad for a bedroom.
Yet the question goes back to whether there is sufficient water energy to cause a storm in the first place?
And what if it’s a household without couples?
To tell you the truth, there is no conclusive agreement to whether a waterbed in the bedroom is bad feng shui. And in feng shui, even the most generally unlucky things can be lucky in unique situations.
The only thing that is generally agreed is that if it’s a bed that is used sparingly for leisure, then any adverse feng shui effects are kept at a minimum, or non-existent.
However, it must be said that a slight majority feel that they are negative influences rather than a positive or neutral ones.
The case for good feng shui of water beds
The argument that waterbeds can actually be good feng shui is also based on the presence of water energy in which such a piece of furniture brings.
It can be good for those who are born with bazi that need water element, or those who are born in summer and need a little “cooling off”.
To tell you the truth, if you bring this argument into a debate on the subject, no one would be able to flatten the idea.
On top of that, the presence of water can also be advantageous if a favorable water star resides in the bedroom.
And what if the bedroom is located in the east of the house, which gives it the wood element and associated with health? Water would charge them up like a smartphone on fast charging.
We could actually go on and on.
But the point I’m trying to make is that there are just as many arguments for the good that waterbeds can do to feng shui, as the bad.
Waterbed feng shui in real life
It’s not often that I encounter waterbed mattresses when visiting homes.
And whenever I do run across them, I find that the waterbeds do not directly cause any adverse effects to inhabitants that are big enough to warrant sounding the alarm.
In fact, a lot of people who sleep on waterbeds have a lust for life, easy-going, and pleasantly unorthodox.
But if cornered, I’d probably lean toward them being more unfavorable than favorable. Avoid it if you can.
This is one question that has given me a headache. Maybe sleeping on a waterbed tonight can help alleviate the stress.
