Nolah Original 10'' Mattress Review

Our conclusion: Nolah Original is an all-foam mattress that relieves pressure without deeply hugging the body. Its universal firmness level works well for all sleeping positions, although its support is best for people who weigh less than 230 pounds. It provides excellent spinal alignment, is cool, and minimizes motion transfer. 

Who Is the Nolah Original Mattress Best for?

Nolah Original Mattress Review Highlights

What we’re crazy about

• Nolah’s AirFoam allows generous air flow for a cool night’s sleep.
• Nolah is an excellent mattress for couples thanks to its ability to minimize motion transfer. It also has sturdy edges, so you can spread out if you need more space. 
• The Nolah Original earned a nearly perfect score in our test for spinal alignment. 
• Nolah’s shock-absorbing air pockets provide great pressure relief for side sleeping. In fact, it made our list as one of the best mattresses for side sleepers. 
• Nolah mattresses come with a risk-free 120-night trial and a lifetime warranty.

Video Review

Want to see how the Nolah mattress performed at our Mattress Advisor lab? Take a look at our Nolah mattress review video to see if it has what you need!

Mattress Advisor Score

The table below summarizes how the Nolah Original mattress performed during our mattress testing. Our 14 categories include performance and functional characteristics, customer experience, and social impact. 

Find out more about Our Review Process.

⭐Total Score for the Nolah Original Mattress: 8.9 /10⭐

Key Features

✅ Pros

• Nearly Perfect Spinal Support: The Nolah supports neutral spine alignment. Healthy alignment is good for everyone, but it’s even more important for people with back pain. 
• Impressive Motion Isolation: The Nolah’s all-foam construction minimizes motion transfer, so you won’t feel your sleeping partner’s every move. 
• Very Responsive: The Nolah quickly adapts to your movements, so you won’t feel stuck when you need to reposition.
• Reliable Edge Support: The Nolah has sturdy edges. This allows you to comfortably sleep or sit along the mattress perimeter.
• Sleeps Cool: Nolah’s AirFoam doesn’t sleep as hot as the foam found in most all-foam mattresses. This supports cool sleep, great for hot sleepers. 

❌ Cons

• Off-Gassing: Most all-foam beds emit small particles into the air right after they’re removed from their box, creating a mild odor known as off-gassing. The Nolah had this temporary scent when we set it up, but it went away in a few hours. 
• Not Too Durable: The Nolah has about average durability for an all-foam mattress, which isn’t quite as durable as the average hybrid or innerspring mattress. 

Excellent Responsiveness

Have you ever found it hard to move around on a mattress? This is typical of traditional memory foam mattresses that deeply hug the body. Because most mattresses today have thick foam layers, we test every mattress for its responsiveness, which is how quickly a mattress responds to your movements. The more responsive, the easier it is to move around and get comfy. 

During our responsiveness test, our mattress experts take turns lying on the mattress and switching sleeping positions. They rate the bed on a 1 to 10 scale for how easy it was to move and how quickly they settled into the new position. 

The Nolah earned an impressive 9.25/10, making it one of the most responsive all-foam mattresses that we’ve tested. This is great news for combination sleepers who tend to move around a lot at night. 

Great Spinal Alignment 

Proper posture isn’t only important during the day. At night, a mattress needs to deliver the right amount of support and contouring to keep the spine properly aligned. 

To see how well a mattress supports healthy spine alignment, we have our sleep testers lie on their sides. We then take a close-up image of their backs. What we want to see is a straight spine from base to tip. 

Take a look at the spine alignment images below. Both of our sleep subjects had spines that were nearly perfectly aligned, earning the Nolah mattress a 9.5/10 for spinal alignment. People with back pain need a bed that keeps their backs aligned to help relieve aches and pains. 

Decent Pressure Relief

Pressure relief is a measure of how well a mattress dissipates excess pressure from problem areas. Side sleepers need adequate cushion at their hips and shoulders, while back sleepers need some give at the lower back. 

We use a pressure mapping film to see if there are any areas of high pressure when our mattress testers lie on a mattress. Red marks extra-high pressure zones and yellow moderately-high pressure areas. What we want to see are cool blues and greens everywhere. 

As you can see from the images below, the Nolah provided excellent pressure relief when our mattress experts were lying on their backs. When on their sides, our lighter subject had reds in both their shoulders and hips, while our average-weight tester didn’t have any areas of extra-high pressure. 

What these results tell us is that the Nolah delivers sufficient pressure relief for back sleepers and some side sleepers. However, if you weigh less than 130 pounds and spend time side sleeping, you should look for a mattress with a softer top layer.

Firmness

The Nolah Original mattress is a medium-firm mattress. On a 1–10 firmness scale, with 10 being extra-firm, the Nolah falls between a 5 and 6. This level of firmness works well for every sleeping position and is the preferred feel of the average person. 

Sleeping Position Compatibility

The Nolah Original’s universal firmness level works for all positions: side sleepers, back sleepers, and stomach sleepers. There’s enough cushion for the average side sleeper and the right amount of support and comfort for stomach and back sleepers. And thanks to a responsive surface, it’s also a good fit for combination sleepers who toss and turn.

Does It Hold Body Heat?

Nolah’s foams are designed with breathable air pockets that reduce built-up body heat. The result is a mattress that’s cool enough for the average sleeper but isn’t quite as cool as most innerspring or hybrid mattresses.

Will It Work for Heavy People?

The Nolah Original isn’t the best mattress for heavy people. Nolah customer service recommends their thicker Signature and Evolution models for people who weigh more than 190 pounds. 

Foundations and Bed Frames

The Nolah mattress is versatile and can be used on almost any sturdy foundation. This includes box springs, platform bed frames, adjustable bases, slatted bases with slats spaced no further than four inches, or a bunkie board.

Layer by Layer

The classic Nolah mattress is a three-layer all-foam mattress. Let’s take a look at what’s inside.

Nolah Original Mattress Sizes, Dimensions, and Pricing

*Prices do not reflect exclusive offers or discounts. Click below to see the best price for the Nolah Original mattress.

Unboxing

As a bed-in-a-box mattress brand, Nolah mattresses come compressed in a cardboard box. Nolah was one of the easiest mattresses that we’ve set up in the Mattress Advisor lab. Thanks to intelligently-designed packaging with handles, we set the Nolah up in less than two minutes. 

There was a slight off-gassing odor when we first removed it from its packaging that faded within a few hours.

Nolah Buying Information

Here’s what you can expect when you buy your next mattress from Nolah. 

Shipping and Delivery

Nolah mattresses are available anywhere in the lower 48 states with free FedEx delivery. Your new mattress will arrive compressed in a box in around five to 10 business days. You don’t have to sign for the mattress; it will simply be left at your door. 

Sleep Trial

After you’ve slept on your mattress for 30 nights, you can return it for a full refund within 120 nights from the day of delivery. This 120-night trial period is slightly longer than the industry-standard 100-night sleep trial, giving you even more time to make up your mind.  

Warranty

Nolah mattresses come with a lifetime limited warranty. During the first 15 years, Nolah will repair or replace the mattress and pay for shipping costs for a covered defect. After 15 years, the customer is responsible for shipping as well as prorated fees for repair or replacement. 

To file a claim, reach out to Nolah customer service. For more information, check out our Nolah mattress warranty breakdown.

Customer Service

It’s easy to get in touch with Nolah’s customer care team. Simply send them an email request, use the live chat feature at nolahmattress.com, or call them at 1-866-403-6615. When we’ve contacted them during the week, we’ve received help right away.  

Return Policy

You can return your mattress only after you’ve owned it for 30 nights. This waiting period allows your body time to adjust to a new sleeping surface while giving the foam time to break-in. After 30 days, you can initiate a refund at any time during your 120-night trial. Nolah will work with you to find a local charity to pick up the mattress so it goes to someone in need. After the donation, you’ll receive a full refund. Take a look at our Nolah return policy breakdown for more information.

Should You Buy Nolah Original?

The Nolah Original 10” mattress is a high-quality all-foam mattress. Its medium-firm feel is the preferred firmness of the average sleeper, and it works well for every sleeping position. Thanks to Nolah’s AirFoam, the mattress is both responsive and cool when compared to the average all-foam bed. 

In the Mattress Lab, the Nolah excelled in most of our tests and evaluations. When it comes to its performance, it earned an 8/10 or higher in our motion transfer, edge support, spine alignment, responsiveness, and cooling evaluations. Combined, these scores tell us that the Nolah is a good choice for couples, people with back pain, hot sleepers, and those who toss and turn. 

There is one group of people for whom the Nolah Original isn’t the best mattress—heavier people. If you weigh more than 230 pounds, you should look for a more supportive, durable mattress. An all-foam mattress that’s excellent for plus-size people is the Plank mattress by Brooklyn Bedding.   

Compare Nolah

The Nolah Original Mattress vs Other All-Foam Mattresses

The Nolah Original mattress costs around the same as the average bed-in-a-box foam mattress. Its medium-firm firmness level is also similar to the average all-foam bed. 

What makes the Nolah mattress stand out is that it utilizes no memory foam, so it doesn’t have a deeply hugging feeling. This makes the Nolah sleep cooler than your average foam bed while also being easier to move around on. 

Related: Nolah vs. Bear, Nolah vs. Layla, Nolah vs. Nectar

The Nolah Original Mattress vs Other Nolah Mattresses

The Nolah Original 10” vs The Nolah Signature 12”

Both of these mattresses are all-foam beds made with Nolah’s AirFoam for a cool and responsive night’s sleep. While the Nolah Original is a medium-firm mattress, the Nolah Signature is a flippable mattress with two firmnesses. The soft side is medium-soft and the firm side has a firm feel. This makes the Signature better for people who prefer mattresses that are softer or firmer than average. 

In the Mattress Advisor lab, the Original outperformed the Signature in our tests for spinal alignment, motion isolation, and edge support. These results lead us to recommend the Original over the Signature for couples and people with back pain. The Signature delivered superior pressure relief, so it may be better for side sleepers. 

Find out more in our full Nolah Signature 12” mattress review. 

The Nolah Original 10” vs The Nolah Evolution 15”

The Nolah Evolution is Nolah’s only hybrid mattress, meaning it’s the only one that has a layer of pocketed innerspring coils. This coil layer makes the Evolution cooler, bouncier, and more supportive than the Original. The Original’s all-foam construction provides better motion isolation. Both beds have a medium-firm feel with excellent spinal support.

Other products sold by Nolah

• The Nolah AirFoam™ Pillow: $99 for standard
• The Nolah AirFiber™ Pillow: $79 for standard
• The Nolah Signature 12” Mattress: $1,299 for queen
• The Nolah Adjustable Base: $799 for queen
• The Nolah Adjustable Base w/ Massage: $949 for queen
• The Nolah Organic Cotton Protector: $109 for queen
• The Nolah Bamboo Mattress Protector: $89 for queen

Nolah Mattress FAQs