Nolah mattresses have gained a reputation for their thick cores made of unique foam layers—some are designed to mimic steel coils and others perforated with bubbles for breathability. They've gone viral online for the extra cushion they provide, and after months of searching for a good mattress, associate shopping editor (and achey side sleeper) Janae McKenzie wanted to put the Nolah ones to the test. She even recruited several other House Beautiful editors to review Nolah's mattress offerings in order to see what all the hype was about.
Buying a mattress online is quite the investment to make, so we wanted to try a range of options to give you as much context as possible. We selected three mattresses with different thicknesses: 10, 12, and 15 inches. We also wanted to test different compositions: all foam, foam hybrid, and a foam/coil hybrid. This led us to three variants: the Nolah Original, Signature, and Evolution.
To see if Nolah mattresses are worth the buzz, assistant editor Meghan Shouse, visual assistant Natalie Boyce, and McKenzie spent a month each sleeping on a different Nolah mattress at home while evaluating their individual comfort and support. Scroll on to see what everyone had to say about their mattresses and if the brand indeed lived up to the hype.
Delivery and Inflation
Nolah mattresses arrive roll packed, in the shape of what Shouse called a "chunky cylinder," all in a navy blue cardboard box. The different thicknesses of the mattresses we tested led to different levels of difficulty getting it up the stairs. Shouse, who had the thinnest mattress at 10 inches, said her partner was able to carry it up three flights of steps by himself, but McKenzie needed an extra set of hands and to take frequent breaks when hauling her 15-inch thick mattress up two flights of stairs.
There are clear instructions on how to unwrap and enjoy your Nolah written on the box: remove it from the box, place the cylinder on your bed frame, cut the airtight wrapping and allow it to expand. Getting it out of its plastic casing is a tricky maneuver—it's wrapped super tight, but it starts expanding as soon as it's exposed to air.
Nolah Original Mattress
The Original comes in the biggest size range of mattresses we tested, from Twin to Split King, including Short Queen and Short King options. Shouse tested the Full, and she was a bit skeptical of the mattress at first. It's made of three layers of foam with a Tencel cover, and Shouse usually opts for something firmer than a foam mattress provides. "My partner and I like our mattress to feel like bedrock, so when I was sent Nolah’s Medium-Firm Original 10” Mattress, I kind of went into it expecting not to be the biggest fan," Shouse says. "However, my tune has definitely changed after sleeping on it for the past month."
Pros
- Minimal motion transfer, you won't feel it when someone gets in bed after you
- Mattress doesn’t trap heat
- The packaging was very compact and easy to transport
- Foam material provides great support
- It expanded quickly enough after unpacking it that it was comfortable to sleep on during the first night
Cons
- It’s very heavy, so putting on a fitted sheet is a bit difficult when you lift the corners
- Turning from one side to the other is slightly more difficult due to the foam top
Comfort
"My first impression after the first night sleeping on the mattress was pretty straightforward: I liked it more than I thought I would. I’ve never had a foam mattress before, so it was a bit odd getting into bed and not slightly bouncing from the springs, but it was very comfortable. And my thoughts only went up from that first experience. Though I would still like the mattress to be a bit firmer, I feel like I definitely get good support from it. I think the 'medium-firm' description is very accurate.
I’m comfortable in any sleeping position on the bed, but I’m a side sleeper. I felt that shifting from one side to the other was slightly more strenuous than it was with my spring mattress since the foam holds me a bit closer. However, it’s just as comfortable on my back or stomach as any other mattress has been."
Support
"When I’m sitting on the edge of the mattress, it does feel slightly more unstable than my spring mattress. I don’t have to flex my core muscles to keep myself upright, but it does have a bit more give to it than a spring one. However, when I’m laying down on it, it doesn’t feel like I’m going to roll off it at all, I’m guessing just because my weight is more evenly distributed."
Temperature Regulation
"I’m a very hot sleeper (see my Buffy comforter review for my recs if you run hot, too), and I don’t think this mattress trapped heat at all. I’ve dealt with mattress toppers that make me sweat even more before, but I haven’t been bothered by this at all."
Motion Transfer
"I don’t fully sink into it, which I love, but I’m carefully held by it, and it soaks up enough movement where I no longer wake up when my partner comes to bed after I’ve already been asleep. I used to always wake up when he would come in late, but now I just sleep through it."
Nolah Signature Mattress
Boyce is both a side and stomach sleeper, so she was curious how the mattress would hold up to a combination of sleeping positions. Home testing revealed that no matter which way she turned, it provided consistent support. Where the Nolah Original featured three layers of foam, the Nolah Signature 12-inch Hybrid Mattress comes in six layers of foam, including a hybrid three-layer support system that mimics the feel of wrapped coils. For sleepers looking for extra cushion, the three extra layers of foam are designed for greater pressure relief. The Nolah Signature also comes in Twin to Split King, minus the Short Queen and King options.
Pros
- Mattress material is breathable
- No too soft but not too firm
- Soft enough that it cushions the body but also keeps you aligned
- Firm enough that you don’t move every time your partner does
- Comes with two pillows
Cons
- The mattress itself is very heavy
- The two pillows included are very lumpy
Comfort
"It’s not the softest mattress, but it's definitely not the most firm. On my side, the mattress hugs the hips nicely, but doesn’t dip too much so that you end up in a full-body hole, as is the case with other mattresses. On my back, I think it does a nice job of leveling out the lower back and spine, and with the right pillow, cushions the upper back/shoulders nicely."
Support
"The edges of the mattress are rounded nicely, but I don’t feel like I’d fall off if I moved too close to the edge—the mattress is thick enough to support the weight. Previous mattresses I had would dip too much and sink the entire body, whereas this Nolah mattress cushions where you need it without sinking too much. To test further, I was able to place a cup of water on one side of the bed and move around a little without it tipping over."
Temperature Regulation
"I’m notoriously a warm sleeper and I’ve had a hard time finding a mattress that doesn’t trap so much of my body heat. That being said, I can honestly say that I’ve not been too warm throughout the night since sleeping on this Nolah mattress. I usually wake up from being too hot and need to discard a blanket layer, but I’ve not needed to do that with this mattress so far."
Motion Transfer
"I usually prefer softer mattresses and this one falls in that sweet spot of not being too soft nor too firm, but just right. It’s firm enough that I won’t be sliding when my partner moves around, but soft enough to hug the body on its side. I think if it were any softer, it wouldn’t offer the hip and back support that it claims to have."
Nolah Evolution Mattress
The Evolution has the same size range as the Signature, but unlike the Original or the Signature, the Evolution comes in three different firmness options: plush, luxury firm, and firm. McKenzie opted for the Nolah Evolution 15-inch Hybrid Mattress in Firm and was impressed by how one of the firmest mattresses on offer could still feel so cozy. Seven layers of adaptive foam and wrapped steel coils made for a hybrid mattress that supported spinal alignment.
Pros
- Quilted euro topper is extra plush to lie down on
- Thick mattress doesn’t require a box spring
- Inflated quickly and ready to sleep on same-day
- Supportive hybrid construction
- Cradles pressure points for side sleepers
Cons
- Super heavy and tricky to install
- Had a bit of off-gassing to do upon opening
Comfort
"The combination of the Euro top layer and the firm support of seven layers of foam and coils creates such a comfortable night’s rest. The tufted top gives my body plenty of cushion, a plush softness without sagging. Even when my sheets and comforter were on top of the mattress, that cradling was felt through several layers of bedding."
Support
"This mattress is designed for heavier sleepers and side sleepers, of which I am both. I normally opt for a firm mattress because I hate sinking into ones that are too soft. I tend to avoid all-foam mattresses for that reason, and the seven layers of adaptable foam and steel coils support my body at every angle.
It should be noted that the Euro topper on this mattress makes it better suited for sleeping than for lounging, as I prefer having a flatter surface to sit on. The Evolution works better when you're distributing your weight on a wider surface area, rather than sitting and sinking in one spot. This mattress also slopes at the edges, so side sleepers like myself should inch towards the middle of the bed, or risk rolling off the edge."
Temperature Regulation
"Though I enjoy the thickness of this mattress, I do believe it sacrifices a cooling effect. The quilted top layer tends to trap heat more than it cools me, but it’s by no means unbearable. Pairing it with a cooling sheet material like bamboo viscose or eucalyptus tends to nix that effect altogether."
Motion Transfer
"One pro of this super-thick mattress is the motion isolation of the individually wrapped coils. When my partner gets out of bed before me or I get in bed after them, there’s virtually no disturbance. What I don’t feel in my mattress, though, I do feel in my bed frame. The heavyweight mattress doesn’t pair well with my high-profile box spring, and I truly worry for the frame's integrity while holding everything. This is Nolah’s tallest mattress, so I recommend pairing it with deep pocket sheets and a low-profile foundation."
How We Tested the Nolah Mattresses
Three House Beautiful editors tested three different Nolah mattresses, each with varying thicknesses and layers, to get an idea of what the different options had to offer. We slept on each mattress for a minimum of 14 nights in our home environments, and evaluated them for four main features: comfort, support, temperature regulation, and motion transfer.
We assessed the comfort of the mattress for a balance between a plush feeling that we sank into and a firm, supportive one that didn't give us back pain in the morning. When checking for support, we judged how the mattress material cradled our joints, as well as if we could sit on the edge of the mattress comfortably without feeling like we would slide off. We also checked for temperature regulation, measuring if the mattress was more or less likely to trap heat, so we'd know whether or not it's a good fit for hot sleepers. Lastly, we evaluated for motion transfer. We wanted to see if the mattress was sensitive to movement, whether it was tossing and turning or sleeping in the bed with a partner.
Why Trust House Beautiful?
House Beautiful is dedicated to finding the best pieces for your home, no matter what your budget or design preference is. When it comes to mattresses, bedding, and bedroom accessories in particular, the team is well-versed in providing the best product recommendations. We've tested and reviewed some of the most in-demand mattresses out there, from Purple's luxury cooling mattress to Saatva's ultra-supportive editor favorite.
We love to combine our own expertise with thorough research and testing to give you first-person accounts of the market's best home products. When we researched Nolah mattresses to evaluate the brand's comfort and effectiveness, we had HB's expert editors test them in their own homes for weeks. Plus, associate shopping editor McKenzie has spent hundreds of hours testing luxury bedding, mattresses, and pillows for quality and comfort, so she knows what the best items are on the market.
