Nolah Signature 12 Mattress Review 2024: Testing the Brand's Signature Take On Comfort

Nolah beds have been around for a while, and their extensive lineup showcases that pretty well. Here at CNET, we've been testing Nolah beds for several years now and have concluded that they are all worth your consideration. You've got some supportive pillow-top beds, a natural hybrid,, and two comfy all-foam mattresses, so there really is something for everyone to enjoy.

One of these all-foam beds is the Nolah Signature, a complete upgrade from the Original 10'' mattress. It's designed to surpass the flagship Nolah bed by offering a more luxurious quality and comfort level, which, spoiler alert: I think it does with ease. In this review, I'll cover what you need to know about this mattress, including who will benefit most from sleeping on it.

Video: Nolah Signature 12 mattress review

Watch me review the Nolah Signature mattress in this video review.

First impressions of the Nolah Signature 12

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Nolah will ship this bed directly to your home for free. It'll arrive at your doorstep inside a big box, compressed and roll-packed in plastic. From there, you just drag it inside, dump out the contents, rip into that big bed burrito and, just like that, you've got yourself a brand new bed -- it's really that simple.

I've received hundreds of beds just like this, and somehow, the process never manages to get old. It's always fun and exciting to see something as big as a mattress expand from all that packaging. But since this is an all-foam mattress, you may want to give this bed a bit of time to sit out on your foundation for a night to properly inflate -- after a long journey, some beds do get a bit jet-lagged.

This was the case for the Nolah Signature, so I waited until the next morning to test it out. Upon testing responsiveness, I noticed that it had a nuanced feel. It felt like a memory foam bed in terms of pressure relief, but it responded rather quickly, like a neutral foam bed. When I hopped on, it also felt softer than your average foam mattress.

Nolah Signature 12 mattress firmness and feel

What does the Nolah Signature feel like?

This bed feels similar to the Original 10''. Its top layer of Nolah AirFoam conforms to the shape of your body like memory foam, but unlike memory foam, it returns to its original shape almost instantly. For this reason, I'd classify this bed as a mixed or blended foam feel.

While this type of feel in a mattress might sound strange at first, it's comfortable and should be accommodating to most people. I think of it as the best of both worlds, in terms of feel. You get the sink-in sensation of a memory foam without any of that slow response time associated with classic memory foam beds. Once most people try a mixed foam feel, they rarely go back.

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How firm is the Nolah Signature mattress?

This bed skews softer than your average all-foam mattress found online. It sits between a medium and a medium-soft on CNET's scale. This firmness profile makes the bed a viable option for all sleeper types, but especially strict side sleepers looking for a more pressure-relieving mattress.

Both of the all-foam beds from Nolah are great considerations if you prefer sleeping on your side at night. That proprietary Nolah AirFoam on top offers an ample amount of pressure relief for your shoulders and hips, but it's also supportive enough to handle back and stomach sleepers. If you're looking for a much firmer style of Nolah bed, the Evolution 15 is available in a firm rendition, and the Comfort Plus is firmer by default.

Nolah Signature mattress construction

This is a 12-inch thick all-foam mattress with a premium design. It's made up of the following support and comfort layers:

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1. On the bottom, you've got around 7 inches of a dense, polyurethane support foam

2. Then you have 1 inch of high-density AirFoam to act as a buffer between the support and comfort for the mattress.

3. Above that transition layer, you've got a 2-inch layer of another responsive transition foam

4. For the main comfort layer, the bed has a Zoned AirFoam, which gives the bed its blended feel and adds a lumbar support feature to it.

5. Rounding everything out is an organic cotton cover that's also slightly cool to the touch.

Nolah Signature 12 mattress performance

Motion isolation

Given the bed's all-foam construction and softer profile, it absorbs a good amount of motion at night. Since dense memory foam beds usually perform the beds for this category, you might get a superior amount of motion isolation from something like a Tempur-Pedic mattress. Comparatively, though, the Nolah Signature deadens cross-mattress movement quite well, and you shouldn't have any issues waking up your partner if they're a light sleeper.

Edge-to-edge support

This bed performs average in terms of supporting you along its perimeter. Its edge support is on par with other all-foam mattresses of a more premium design. It would likely have better edge support if a foam border ran along the edges, but even without that, there's no apparent roll-off sensation when sleeping close to the perimeter of this mattress at night -- great news for bed hogs.

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Temperature

While the organic cotton cover on the Nolah Signature is cool to the touch, I don't think it gives the bed a true "active cooling" quality. It may sleep slightly cooler than the average foam bed to an especially hot sleeper, but in general, I'd classify this as a temperature-neutral sleeping mattress.

Durability

Since this is an all-foam mattress, it should be ideal for supporting average to petite-sized individuals. If you're a heavier person, over the 250-pound mark, you might prefer sleeping on a hybrid mattress that has coils for support. The Signature Hybrid is a perfect alternative to this bed since it has pocketed coils on the bottom rather than a dense foam. Due to its premium design, it should prove more durable in the long term than the Original 10''.

Who is the Nolah Signature mattress best for?

Since this all-foam mattress is on the softer side, it might be best for a specific set of sleeper types. Here's who we think will benefit from sleeping on the Nolah Signature the most.

Sleeping position

Given that the bed sits between a medium and a medium-soft on our firmness scale, it's going to be best for strict side and certain combination sleepers. Based on our observations over the years, we've noticed side sleepers tend to favor softer mattresses that offer plenty of pressure relief for their shoulders and hips. For this reason, we think side sleepers will mainly be best for this option. If you're a combination sleeper who also prefers a soft bed, you'll likely enjoy the Nolah Signature as well. Back and stomach sleepers who prefer a firmer, more supportive option should probably look elsewhere.

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Body type

While all body types could get by on this mattress, the all-foam design lends itself to be best at supporting medium to petite-sized individuals. If you're a heavier person, we always recommend getting a hybrid bed as opposed to an all-foam one. That's because coil support systems are a bit better at providing bigger body types with lots of support over time. Heavier folks can spend up for the Nolah Signature Hybrid, which basically swaps out the support foam for pocketed coils.

Nolah Signature mattress pricing

Since this is more of a premium all-foam mattress, it's priced a bit higher than your standard foam bed. Luckily, Nolah as a brand is quite good at offering heavy discounts on their beds practically year-round. After that, you can expect to pay closer to $1,250 for the queen size.

Trial, shipping and warranty

As a brand, Nolah backs its beds with some of the best policies in the game. Its beds ship to you in a box for free, and once it's in your possession, you get a 120-night trial period to try it at home risk-free. If you happen not to like it within that time frame, you can return it, but a small transportation fee will be deducted from your refund. On the other hand, if you decide to keep it, you're backed by a lifetime warranty. Just be sure to use the right foundation for the bed. Otherwise, you could void your bed's warranty.

How does Nolah Signature compare to other mattresses? 

Nolah Signature 12 vs. Nolah Original 10''

There are some major distinctions between the two all-foam beds from Nolah. The Nolah Original 10'' is made of just three foam layers, but it does have a similar firmness and feel to the Signature 12. The Nolah Signature has an additional transitional layer and an organic cotton cover, so it does have more of a premium look. Both beds are also available with hybrid constructions that you'll have to spend up for. In terms of pricing, the Original 10'' is also considerably more affordable than the Signature.

Nolah Signature 12 vs. Nolah Evolution 15

These beds are easy to compare since they're completely different. The Evolution 15 is the brand's more supportive pillow top mattress. It's a hybrid bed that's available in three different firmness options, while the Nolah Signature is an all-foam bed by default, available in just one firmness profile. You can get the more supportive hybrid version of the bed, but it will cost extra. Speaking of price, the Evolution 15 is the more expensive option of the two, but both are more luxurious beds within the Nolah lineup.

The final verdict

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All things considered, this is one of my favorite picks for side sleepers seeking a softer, more premium, all-foam mattress. The bed's blended foam feel is accommodating for a wide variety of sleepers, and for the quality you're getting here, I wouldn't say the price point is that egregious, especially after a discount is applied.

You might like the Nolah Signature mattress if:

• You want an all-foam mattress
• You want a blended foam feel
• You like a bed between a medium to medium-soft
• You want a bed backed by generous policies

You might not like the Nolah Signature bed if:

• You're looking for a hybrid mattress
• You prefer the feel of a dense memory foam
• You like your bed to be on the firmer side
• You're on a super strict budget

Other mattresses from Nolah

There are many other options to choose from within the Nolah lineup. You can check out the brand's most affordable options, which in this case are the two all-foam Original 10'' beds and the Original Hybrid. These are the most basic in terms of construction and design. 

From there, you step up into the midtier options, the Signature beds. You have the all-foam Signature and the Signature Hybrid to consider. Both have a more premium design than the Original beds.

In terms of hybrid beds, there are several options from Nolah nowadays. The Evolution 15 is the most popular and accommodating choice, as it's a comfortable pillow-top bed available in three different firmnesses. The Comfort Plus is the ultra-supportive version of this bed, and you even have an ethically sourced hybrid option to check out called the Nolah Natural. They even have a kids' bed called the Nurture and even a brand new Alaskan King -- the biggest Nolah yet.