Nolah Original 10″: A Unique Mattress for Side Sleepers

Nolah is thought for making mattresses that provide nice strain reduction whereas additionally retaining you cool. It now gives a formidable lineup of a number of completely different beds (together with the luxurious Nolah Evolution Hybrid), however the Nolah Original 10 was the very first mattress by the model. This Original 10 makes use of a traditional, three-layer, all-foam design that competes with different widespread manufacturers like Casper and Leesa.

Video: Nolah Original 10

First Impressions of the Nolah Original 10

In my six years of testing mattresses, I’ve unboxed three completely different variations of the Nolah Original 10. The foam layers have remained the identical with all three fashions, however the cowl design has modified considerably. 

This new iteration of the duvet is my favourite to this point, because it offers the mattress a extra premium look that matches the Nolah Original Hybrid, which was launched in 2023. 

Upon unboxing this newest model, I wasn’t certain if the basics of the earlier variations had modified in any respect, however as soon as the mattress firmed up after about 6 hours, it was fairly clear primarily based on its firmness and really feel that the Nolah Original 10 didn’t change below the hood. 

It nonetheless had an attention-grabbing, hard-to-pin-down really feel and the identical barely softer than a medium firmness profile. 

Nolah Original 10 insurance policies

Free delivery

Nolah Original 10 mattress ships proper to your door at no additional value within the contiguous United States within a field. Unboxing a mattress is a fast and straightforward course of; we’ve completed it a whole bunch of instances at CNET and it is really enjoyable — particularly for a mattress like this that is not all that heavy.

I like to recommend unboxing it with two folks as a result of it may be difficult solo, particularly for bigger sizes like queen and king.

120-night trial

Nolah offers prospects an in-home trial interval of 120 nights. The trial begins as soon as the mattress is delivered, so ensure you get it unboxed as rapidly as you may. Nolah does ask prospects to check out any mattress for a minimum of 30 nights earlier than initiating a return as a result of it might take time in your physique to regulate to a brand new mattress, regardless of how well-suited it’s to you and your sleeping preferences.

Also, when you’re assured you’ll love a mattress from Nolah, you have got the choice to waive the trial interval fully and save an extra $75 in your buy. 

I wouldn’t essentially suggest this feature as a result of a trial interval is vital to make sure the mattress really works for you, however it’s one thing we haven’t seen from another model.

Return coverage

Within the trial interval, you may return the Nolah Original 10 and get a refund, however not like most manufacturers, Nolah will cost you $99 to return a mattress. 

The return value is not paid upfront however it’ll be taken out of your refund. For instance, when you spent $950 on a queen-size Nolah Original 10″ mattress, you’ll get $851 back. This is atypical, but I wouldn’t be surprised if more brands start implementing a similar policy. This is here to help offset the cost of the mattress pickup process, which you can learn more about here.

Warranty

Nolah goes above and beyond the usual 10-year warranty and opts for a “Lifetime” warranty. Like pretty much any warranty that lasts longer than 10 years, this warranty is tiered and offers more protection in the first 10 years in comparison to the years after, but a lifetime warranty does mean that Nolah has confidence in its mattresses.

Construction and really feel

The Nolah Original 10 is roughly 10 inches thick, which is where the “10” in the name comes from. It’s constructed with three different layers of foam. The support layer is a 7-inch layer of dense foam, which is common for mattresses that don’t use coils for support.

Above the support foam is a 1-inch layer of “CoreComfort” support foam, which functions as a transition layer between the dense support underneath and the primary comfort layer above, which is a two-inch-thick layer of Nolah’s proprietary “AirFoam.” The AirFoam top layer is similar to classic memory foam: When you lie down on it, you’ll sink into it, and it will conform to your body’s shape nicely. It’s much more responsive than most memory foam, so when you remove pressure from it, the foam will snap back into its original shape. You shouldn’t get any of that “stuck in the mud” feeling some people feel when sleeping on memory foam.

The feel of the AirFoam, in combination with the transition layer below, gives the Nolah Original 10 mattress what we call a mixed or blended foam feel. Personally, I find this mattress to be very comfortable, and I think people who like the idea of memory foam but have had negative experiences with memory foam beds will enjoy this mattress’ feel.

One wrinkle to the Nolah Original 10 is the “hybrid” version. (Not to be confused with the Nolah Original Hybrid, which is an entirely different bed that uses pocketed coils for support.) This is a version of the Nolah Original 10 that uses different foam layers for support, which is designed to mimic the additional bouncy feel provided by a mattress with coils. 

I haven’t seen this construction feature from any other brand (Nolah also uses it in its Signature 12 mattress), and it isn’t something I’d recommend for most people because it mitigates the primary benefit of both hybrid beds and all-foam beds. 

The increased bounce of the “hybrid foam” means the motion isolation isn’t nearly as good as the regular model, which all-foam beds excel at, and it also doesn’t provide any added durability either by having real coils. 

I could see some people going for it, but there is also an added cost to the “hybrid foam” version of the Nolah Original 10, so I would advise sticking with the base model or looking at one of Nolah’s true hybrid offerings.

Nolah Original 10 firmness and sleeper varieties

During our testing process, we found the Nolah Original 10 to be just shy of a medium on our firmness scale, somewhere between a medium and a medium-soft (a 3 to 5 out of 10).

This means that this mattress is in a nice sweet spot for strict side sleepers and combination sleepers who favor their side. In general, side sleepers should seek out softer mattresses to help relieve pressure on their hips and shoulders. Side sleepers who sleep on beds that are too firm can cause hip and shoulder pain over time and even be negative for spinal alignment. 

Keep in mind that firmness is subjective based on a person’s body weight, and we try to rate firmness for the average-sized individual. 

If you are more of a back or stomach sleeper, I would recommend looking for something firmer, because you’ll likely find this mattress too soft and it could cause or exacerbate back pain. 

Nolah Original 10 efficiency

Edge Support

There’s no additional edge support reinforcement along the borders of this mattress like you’ll find on some higher-end hybrid mattresses or a bed like the Original Purple. I found the edge support of the Nolah Original 10 to be just OK.

I didn’t feel much of a roll-off sensation when putting my weight on the edges of the bed. It could become an issue over time, because after several years, beds tend to soften and that could weaken the edge support.

Motion Isolation

During our testing, we found the motion isolation to be quite good on the Nolah Original 10, thanks in large part to its all-foam design. These types of beds perform better across the board at deadening cross-mattress motion. 

If you’re a light sleeper who shares a mattress, this should be a solid option to help ensure you don’t want to get up too often in the middle of the night.

Temperature Regulation

The Nolah Original 10 falls into the temperature-neutral category. There’s nothing in the mattress that will work to actively cool you down, like the cover found on the Nolah Evolution Hybrid, but the foams are nice and breathable. The cover is made of tencel fiber, which will help wick away moisture.

According to Nolah, its AirFoam layer is much more breathable than standard polyurethane foam, but I didn’t observe a significant difference between this bed and comparable mattresses we’ve tested. 

Sleeping temperature has more to do with your sleeping environment than the bed itself, and most beds these days don’t contribute much to sleeping warm. 

Nolah Original 10 mattress pricing

Nolah follows the mattress brand model of setting high retail prices and then offering heavy discounts throughout the year. We watch mattress prices constantly and I can’t remember a time when the Nolah Original 10 wasn’t on some kind of sale. 

The retail prices of the Nolah Original 10 are a little steep, in my opinion, but once you factor in discounts, it competes with other three-layer all-foam mattresses pretty well — usually coming in just below $1,000 for a queen size. Nolah will usually include two free pillows with any mattress purchase.

Make sure you check out our mattress deals page for the most up-to-date pricing and discounts on the Nolah Original 10 or any other bed you’re interested in. Mattress pricing can change rapidly, and we’re always doing our best to keep the pricing up to date.

Final verdict

The Nolah Original 10 fits a nice niche in the online mattress landscape. Its three-layer foam design is a style you can find with several other mattresses like the Casper Original, Leesa Original, Tuft and Needle Mint and Nectar, but it manages to be different in several ways. 

Its unique top layer gives it a feel that’s somewhere between a responsive soft foam and a memory foam that I think a lot of people will enjoy. It’s also slightly softer than many of its competitors, so it’s a more compelling option for side sleepers specifically looking for a softer mattress to help with pressure relief.

I think side sleepers looking for a foam mattress at an affordable price will gravitate toward the Nolah Original 10.

Other mattresses from Nolah

Nolah Signature 12: This bed is similar to the Nolah Original 10, only it’s thicker, softer, more plush and more expensive. It uses virtually the same materials with thicker comfort layers and is closer to a medium-soft on our firmness scale, making it a compelling option for strict side sleepers looking for tons of pressure relief.

Nolah Evolution 15: The main hybrid option from Nolah and their most popular mattress. It features a luxurious pillow-top design that provides a “hotel style” comfort that I think is almost universally comfortable. It comes in three different firmness options and it should work for everyone regardless of their preferred sleeping position. 

Nolah Natural 11: This mattress is a bit of a departure for Nolah because instead of using AirFoam, it uses natural latex foam as the primary comfort layer, along with coils for support. It has a handful of certifications for the organic cotton and wool found in its construction. It is roughly a medium on the firmness scale, and it has a quintessential responsive latex feel.

How does the Nolah Original 10 compare to similar mattresses?

Nolah Original 10 vs. Nectar

The Nectar mattress is popular because of its classic memory foam feel and affordable price. Both the Nolah 10 and the Nectar mattress use three layers of foam in their construction, but the Nectar mattress is roughly 2 inches thicker. 

The biggest differences are in the feel, a classic memory foam with Nectar and the unique, blended foam feel of Nolah that has some memory foam characteristics. The other difference is that Nectar is significantly firmer, so it’s a better option for back and stomach sleepers.

Nolah Original 10 vs. Casper Original

The Casper Original is another popular mattress that a lot of sleepers love for its almost universally comfortable soft-foam feel and accommodating medium firmness profile. The Casper Original is slightly thicker than the Nolah Original 10, and the difference in feel is noticeable, with Nolah having a more memory foam type of quality. Nolah is a bit more affordable after the discount, but both are in the same pricing tier, overall. 

The Nolah Original 10 is more geared toward side sleepers specifically, while the Casper should work decently well for any sleeping position.