A soft side waterbed tends to be more convenient to place than a hard side waterbed. Soft side water beds have foam edgings that provide support to the main water mattress. The foam edging around the water bed provides enough support for the whole setup to be able to stand on its own. Newer soft side water beds provide a convenient way for the water mattress to be placed into conventional bed frames. This is done by dividing the foam edging, with the lower part being fixed and the upper part being a hinged rail. This allows easy positioning of the soft side water bed it is now much like a regular mattress, if somewhat heavier when full with water.

Hard side waterbeds follow the original water bed design, and may feel more secure to some people. This type of water bed uses a strong wooden support structure in which the water mattress is housed. The wooden support helps the water mattress keep its shape once weight is placed on the water bed. A lining is placed between the actual mattress and the wooden support to catch any stray water that might come from leaks. Hard side waterbeds provide secure support, but are much harder to move around than soft side waterbeds. These hard side waterbeds may also need specially designed bed frames, rather than being able to fit into regular bed frames as soft side waterbeds can.

The most convenient type of waterbed is the tube water mattress. This type consists of a simple thin rubber mattress that can be filled with water. This thin layer of water can then be just placed on top of a regular mattress. Tube water mattresses are then the easiest type of waterbed to set up or transfer. However, because the water layer is much thinner, most of the benefits of an actual waterbed are lost or at least drastically reduced. Thus it may not be worth it to get a water mattress instead of a water bed, as the reasons for wanting to get a waterbed are pretty much lost, with a thin water mattress.

The water bed was actually originally developed in the 1800s as a medical tool. A British doctor named Dr. Hooper recognized the benefits of having a pressure free surface to sleep on, especially for those patients with back problems, rheumatism, or arthritis. Burn victims and generally anyone else restricted to a bed would benefit from the water beds unmatched body support.

The years passed until in the 1960s an American named Charles Hall updated the design of the waterbed using modern materials and production methods. He came up with the PVC water mattress that is still in use today. Todays water beds employ sophisticated weight distribution and stabilization systems a far cry from the simple water mattresses originally used. These stabilization systems mean that the water in the water bed provides optimal support instead of just sagging away or creating pressure elsewhere inside the mattress.

Soft side waterbeds and hard side waterbeds both provide the medical benefits of a water bed, all relating to the great body support that water can give.

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