Nolah Evolution Mattress review: My sweetest sleep yet

I love my bed.

I know, that doesn’t make me special — like, who doesn’t love their bed? But I do; I love my bed, and I’m often hesitant to make changes to things that work for me, even when they’re in desperate need of a replacement.

Then, an opportunity arose. Enter Nolah mattresses.

I had no idea at the time, but I’d soon come to love my bed even more. I watch TV from my bed, work from my bed, read in bed, and most importantly, sleep in bed.

After using the Nolah Evolution 15 mattress for just about a month, here’s what I thought.

About Nolah

Nolah is not just a mattress brand, but a “sleep technology” company dedicated to pain-free sleep. To the Nolah team, “the dream is to perfect the sleep experience for customers of all sleep positions, sizes, ages, and budgets.”

Using premium materials like AirFoam and a proprietary HDMax Tri-Zone coil system, Nolah mattresses are designed to address vulnerabilities with ergonomic solutions that target common pain points like your hips and spine.

The brand currently offers seven different mattress models, all of which target different needs. There’s the Nurture, made from Talalay latex and designed specifically for kids’ beds; the Signature, which offers the most pressure relief with more AirFoam layers; the Original, an AirFoam mattress for any sleeping type, and the one we tested, the Evolution, which is Nolah’s most popular mattress with “the best cooling and comfort features,” is also one of the best mattresses for side-sleepers.

Nolah Evolution 15

Nolah

Layers: 7 | Height: 15″ | Dimensions (queen): 60″ x 80″ | Firmness levels available: 3 (plush, luxury firm, firm) | Sleep trial: 120 nights | Free shipping: yes, via FedEx | Warranty: limited lifetime warranty

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Our review of the Nolah Evolution 15 mattress

Nolah Evolution delivery and unboxing

The Nolah Evolution was my first “mattress in a box” experience, so suffice it to say I was very intrigued by the whole enterprise. Previously, I’d bought mattresses from furniture stores, so it was always delivered to my house already opened up, fluffy, and ready to sleep on. That’s obviously not the case with boxed mattresses, but the entire process was much simpler than I expected.

The mattress arrived on my doorstep and while I was able to drag the box inside myself, it was quite heavy, so moving it into the bedroom and actually beginning the unboxing process was definitely a two-person job. Nolah’s instructions, sent to me in an email shortly after ordering the mattress, were easy to understand and simple to follow.

Step one: open one end of the box and slide the mattress roll out.

From there, we were instructed to pick up the entire mattress roll, plastic wrap still intact, and align it on the base of the bed frame. Then, it was time to cut the plastic wrap and unroll, releasing the vacuum sealing that kept the mattress tightly rolled up.

Angela Tricarico

Once you’ve cut through the plastic significantly enough, the mattress will spring open and expand quickly. All that was left to do was position the mattress correctly and let it continue to expand.

All in all, it took about 5 minutes from box to bed, and not much longer after that to fully expand.

Nolah Evolution 15 construction

The Nolah Evolution mattress has seven internal layers, all serving different functions. Here’s a little bit more about them.

1. Cooling Quilted Euro Topper: a 2-inch breathable foam topper that cushions your curves while drawing heat away from the body.
2. AirBreath Heat Escape Gusset: a 4-inch border that aids air circulation by letting body heat escape rather than accumulating inside the mattress, keeping the foam layers cool, fresh, and dry.
3. Zoned AirFoam HD: This high-density foam layer heightens pressure relief for side sleepers, with enhanced flexibility around the shoulders and firmer support around the lumbar region.
4. CoreComfort Foam: another foam layer provides an additional 2 inches of pressure relief and head-to-toe support.
5. EverAdapt Transition Foam: placed right above the coil layer, this 1-inch layer of foam adds a subtle bounce and absorbs fluctuations from the coils below (so you won’t feel it when your partner moves or gets out of bed).
6. HDMax Tri-Zone Coils and Reinforced Edges: at 8 inches, the thickest layer of the mattress offers deep support and durability with individually wrapped coils made for motion isolation and grouped into three zones for targeted support. Thicker perimeter coils increase edge support.
7. Stabilizing Base Foam: The coil layer rests on top of one final foam foundation layer, increasing overall stability.

Angela Tricarico

All of these layers are encased in an extra-strong fabric border with carrying handles and a non-skid backside to keep your mattress stable on a bed frame or foundation. The top of the Evolution mattress is covered with a soft cotton ArcticTex cover that keeps you cool and protects the mattress from damage.

Sleeping on the Nolah Evolution mattress

For a long time, a new mattress seemed like more of a hassle than it was worth, so the one on my bed had stuck around a while. I’m talking years — I had my pre-Nolah mattress since at least high school, and despite searching all over it, I couldn’t even figure out what brand it was.

I know what I like, though, and that’s another reason I was hesitant to make a big change. What if I get this mattress, go through the entire process of moving my old one, and set up this new one just to end up hating it?!

Angela Tricarico

Nolah’s 120-night sleep trial eased some of the nerves that came with buying and installing a mattress I hadn’t gotten the chance to test out in a store beforehand.

I’ll just get this out of the way now: I love the Nolah Evolution mattress, and even after over a month of use, I haven’t been able to find a major flaw. I don’t like an overly plush mattress, so the “firm” firmness has been perfect. On its own scale, Nolah rates the firmness of the “firm” mattress as a 7-8, putting it closer to “wood log” than “jello” on a spectrum.

Per The Sleep Foundation, a 7-8 firm mattress has virtually no sinkage and minimal conforming.

Firmness, check. It’s just how I like it.

Onto the next major criteria: how do I feel after a good night’s sleep?

In my sleeping experience (all 27 years of it), there’s always one major sign that the mattress I’m sleeping on, as a side-sleeper, just isn’t for me: hip and lower back pain. It happens nearly every time I sleep in a hotel and it definitely made college dorms a bit of a struggle.

When I woke up the morning after my first restful sleep on the Nolah Evolution, my hips didn’t hurt, and I knew that if that pain hadn’t started overnight on that first night, it likely wouldn’t develop the longer I slept on it — and so far, it hasn’t.

The only minor flaw I’ve found, and I mean minor, is the mattress height. At 15 inches, it’s quite tall, so depending on your bed frame, you may find yourself having to do a little hop to get up on it at night, like I do. You’ll likely feel a little more elevated, too, depending on your old mattress’ height.

Nolah Evolution mattress pricing

The Nolah Evolution 15 mattress is available in seven different sizes. Here’s how much they cost, before any deals or discounts.

Size:Price:

Twin (38″ x 74″)	$1,460.00
Twin XL (38″ x 80″)	$1,727.00
Full (54″ x 75″)	$1,994.00
Queen (60″ x 80″)	$2,127.00
King (76″ x 80″)	$2,394.00
California King (72″ x 84″)	$2,394.00
Split King 2x (38″ x 80″)	$3,454.00

Nolah shipping, warranty, and sleep trial

All of Nolah’s mattresses, including the one I received, ship free via FedEx from the brand’s warehouse in Arizona. Mine shipped on March 26 and arrived on my doorstep five days later on March 31.

All of the mattresses also come with a 120-night sleep trial to ensure your mattress of choice is the right one for you. During the trial period, you’ll be able to request an exchange or return your mattress for a full refund. You’ll have to pay $99.00 for pickup and return shipping if you choose to return your mattress.

Nolah mattresses are also covered by a limited lifetime warranty. For the first 10 years from the original purchase date, the mattress is warranted against non-excluded defects in the workmanship or materials at no additional cost to the customer. Beyond the first 10 years, users will have to pay a prorated replacement charge that changes depending on how long they’ve had the mattress.

The final verdict

If you, like me, consider yourself someone hesitant to jump on the mattress-in-a-box trend, take this as a sign that it’s 100% worth it.

When you consider all of the factors, including the incredibly easy setup, sleep trial, price, and warranty, the Nolah Evolution 15 is an excellent mattress that will be sure to bring you sweet dreams.

How we tested

Angela Tricarico

I’ve been sleeping on the Nolah Evolution 15 for about a month at the time of writing.

As noted above, I switched from a very old mattress, and to make it comfortable, I’ve had to put a memory foam mattress pad on top. I could immediately feel the difference between using a mattress and a mattress pad combination vs. this new mattress, with a cooling foam topper built in. It’s a small thing that actually makes a massive difference. 

It’s been quite warm in my house, so I’ve been sure to note how the cooling technology of the mattress works, as well. 

To provide the most comprehensive review I could, I tested the mattress based on these criteria: comfort level, pressure relief, edge support, and temperature regulation.

Comfort level: For me, a comfortable mattress means something on the firmer side, that’s not too plush and has minimal sinkage. The firm Nolah Evolution 15 mattress is the perfect balance of firmness with a softer top that has led to nothing but sweet dreams. 

Pressure relief: As a side-sleeper, if I’m sleeping on the wrong mattress, my hips will know it immediately. The Nolah Evolution offers full-body support, with a specific focus on the hips and lower back, to relieve pressure from those points. I haven’t woken up with hip or back pain yet; so far, so good!

Edge support: This is a big consideration, due to the fact that I’ve been sleeping on a twin mattress. If I’m not completely centered on the mattress, I’m automatically drifting toward an edge. Thanks to the thicker coils around the perimeter of the mattress, the edge support is increased. I don’t feel like I’m going to roll right off the side if I happen to get closer to the edge in my sleep. It’s a bit softer on the edges, but it’s still just as supportive as the center of the mattress. 

Temperature regulation: I started testing this mattress during a perfect time: it’s not yet hot enough to warrant turning the air conditioning on, but it’s not cold either. I knew I would be putting Nolah Evolution’s cooling factors to the test. I don’t use cooling sheets or anything in that realm, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this mattress doesn’t trap body heat. Obviously, where you sleep is going to be warmer, but it cools quickly and makes for an incredibly pleasant sleeping environment.

FAQ

How to choose the right mattress for you

Mattresses are one of those things where “one size fits all” does not apply. While the different sizes are standardized, the varying firmnesses will be what makes a mattress the right one for you. According to The Sleep Foundation, your sleep position and height/weight are major factors in determining which one is best for you.

• Extra Soft to Soft (1-3 out of 10): Often comfortable for side sleepers who weigh under 130 pounds
• Medium Soft to Medium Firm (4-6 out of 10): Moderate support, less sinkage. Sleepers who weigh between 130 and 230 pounds usually enjoy a good balance of contouring and support.
• Firm to Extra Firm (7-10 out of 10): Offers exceptional support for sleepers who weigh over 230 pounds and stomach sleepers

How often should you replace a mattress?

Under normal conditions, The Sleep Foundation recommends replacing a mattress every 6-8 years.

Various factors, including the materials a mattress is made from, will determine a specific mattress’ lifespan. If it’s noticeably saggy, noisier than normal, or negatively affecting your sleep, it might be time to shop for a new mattress.

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