Saatva Solaire Mattress Review 2024: A Truly Customizable Mattress for Couples

While traditional mattresses may contain coils or memory foam, brands like Sleep Number and ReST are known for their internal air chamber mattresses that allow individuals to customize the firmness on their side of the bed. This sleep tech is great for couples who don't see eye to eye on factors like firmness level or sleeping position. Although Saatva is known for its traditional mattresses like the Saatva Classic, it has now released a competitor for other mattress brands: the Saatva Solaire.

First impressions of the Saatva Solaire mattress

My first impression of Saatva Solaire was confusion. When we first received the bed, I was not aware of what kind of mattress the Solaire was. It looks very similar to Saatva's other beds like the Classic, HD and Loom & Leaf, but those mattresses don't have cables and remotes sticking out of the head of the bed.

This mattress does come with complimentary white glove delivery, which means we didn't have to do any of the setup process; however, our team decided it would be a good idea to take over for the delivery team and set the mattress up ourselves to get familiar with the bed as quickly as possible. Fortunately for myself and for the team, there really wasn't all that much to it, unlike the Sleep Number Climate 360 Smart Bed, which required a lot of setup from a local team sent over from Sleep Number. The Saatva Solaire is designed with simplicity in mind. 

It did take a while for the air chambers inside the mattress to do the initial fill, but once that was finished it was really easy to adjust the firmness of the mattress, which is a big part of the story with the Saatva Solaire. 

Video: Saatva Solaire mattress review

Watch me review the Saatva Solaire mattress in this video review.

Saatva Solaire construction and feel

The key construction element of the Saatva Solaire is its support layer. The vast majority of mattresses either use a steel coil system or some type of foam as the support layer. The Saatva Solaire uses two independent air chambers for support, which is what makes the firmness adjustable. We didn't observe a noticeable gap between the two air chambers, which is good news for couples. 

Above the adjustable air chambers is a 2-inch-thick layer of gel memory foam for some additional pressure relief, and right above that is a 1-inch-thick layer of responsive latex foam. Memory foam and latex foam are virtually polar opposites in terms of feel. Memory foam is usually very dense and slow to respond and provides a sink-in sensation, and latex foam is light and airy while being very responsive and buoyant. Having both in the same bed sort of cancels out the feels of both, leaving sleepers with a more neutral feel. 

Above the comfort foams is the quilted European pillow top that gives the Saatva Solaire a very luxurious look and makes it feel very similar to the Saatva Classic. I would describe the overall feel of the Solaire to be a neutral, pillow-top that I think the majority of people will find nice and comfortable. 

This attached remote adjusts firmness.

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Saatva Solaire mattress firmness and sleeper types

What really sets this mattress apart is the fact that the firmness of the Solaire is adjustable, making it appropriate for almost everyone.

It might take some experimentation during the trial period to find your ideal firmness on the Solaire, but it's very easy to adjust the firmness up and down and then set the remote to remember your preferred firmness rating, and you can change it whenever you want. 

I do think that even with this adjustable firmness system, the Solaire doesn't quite reach the levels of true firmness found on other mattresses, especially the Saatva Classic. At the highest number, I would say the Solaire gets to a medium-firm to firm rating, which should be firm enough for most everyone seeking a firm mattress and at the lowest number, the Solaire is a medium-soft to soft, which is extremely plush.

Probably the biggest advantage to this is that if you're sharing these mattresses (and it's definitely designed for couples), neither of you have to really compromise on firmness. I can see a small percentage of people not finding the Solaire firm enough for their liking, even at the highest setting, but it would be a rare case. 

Dillon Payne/CNET

Saatva Solaire mattress performance

Edge support

A mattress with subpar edge support can be tough for couples because the "roll-off" feeling sleepers report on mattresses without good edge support can cause seriously interrupted sleep.
In testing, I found the Saatva Solaire to have solid edge support, although the firmness settings did have a minor impact. The edge support on the firmer settings is a bit stronger than the softer ones, but even so I don't see it being an issue.   

Motion isolation

Saatva beds aren't known for having exceptional motion isolation, mostly because its most popular models are responsive hybrid beds. The Saatva Solaire mattress is significantly different, though, and has great motion isolation. 

Because the air chambers that make up the support layer of the bed are split down the middle of the mattress, movement from your partner won't transfer through the support layer and impact your sleep. You might feel some motion transfer through the comfort foams, but the support layer is the primary culprit of motion transfer, and you won't have much to worry about on Solaire. 

Testing the edge support on the Saatva Solaire.

Dillon Payne/CNET

Temperature regulation

The Saatva Solaire doesn't have any active cooling elements like a phase-change material woven into the cover, but thanks to the nature of the materials, it should help you sleep without warming up too much.

If you sleep hot, it probably has a lot more to do with your sleeping environment than your mattress, but if you want an additional edge to sleep cool, check out our best cooling beds list.

Saatva Solaire pricing

There's no getting around the fact that the Saatva Solaire is an expensive mattress. Given its specialized design, this is no surprise. It also comes in some unique configurations like "upper-flex" queen and king. This works specifically with Saatva's adjustable base and allows for the head of the bed to be adjusted independently without being a full split model, which isn't something we usually see. 

Saatva mattresses will regularly go on discount through the year, which should save you a bit of money on the Solaire, and if you're interested in the adjustable base to go with it, you can usually get a bundle deal as well to help bring the price down further. 

If you want to see up-to-date pricing and discounts on the Solaire or any other bed you might be interested in, check out our mattress deals page.

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Saatva Solaire mattress policies

Free shipping (white glove delivery)

Unlike most online mattresses that are rolled up and packaged tightly in plastic and then shipped to you in a large box, Saatva ships all of its beds fully expanded with in-home setup and removal of your old mattress (if you choose). This is often called "white glove delivery."

This can be especially nice if you don't want to deal with unboxing a mattress, which isn't too difficult, but if you struggle to lift things, it can be a hassle. The bigger hassle is getting rid of your old bed, which can actually cost a bit of money, and with any mattress from Saatva, you won't have to deal with it.

365-night trial 

All Saatva mattresses come with an extra-long trial period of 365 nights in comparison with the usual standard of 100 nights. So you have quite a while to really test it out and see if you like it. 

Keep in mind that it can take a month or longer for your body to adjust to a new mattress, no matter how well-suited it is to your sleeping preferences. The trial period begins the day the mattress is delivered, not when you actually start sleeping on it.

Return policy

At any point after the first 30 nights post-delivery you decide the Saatva Solaire mattress isn't for you for any reason, you can return it and get a refund. You just contact the company, and it will coordinate with a third party to pick up the mattress for you and then the bed is usually donated. 

There is a $99 fee to return any mattress from Saatva.  It used to be one of the only brands that has a return fee, but more and more online brands now have a similar fee.

Warranty

All Saatva mattresses are backed by a lifetime warranty, which is above and beyond the usual online mattress standard of 10 years.

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.

The Saatva Solaire remote set to its highest number.

Dillon Payne/CNET

Final verdict

The Saatva Solaire mattress features a unique design that will appeal strongly to couples with different firmness preferences. It has a very accommodating and comfortable feel and performs well in the categories of edge support and motion isolation, which is also important for couples. 

One thing I appreciate about the Saatva Solaire when compared to other brands with adjustable firmness designs is its simplicity. It doesn't use any apps and isn't internet-connected, which I think will appeal to many sleepers, especially ones who aren't that tech savvy. Beds like ReST and Sleep Number might have more features like temperature control and automatic firmness adjustments, but the Solaire has the primary feature people looking for an adjustable mattress want in a luxurious, comfortable and simple package. For any couples interested in a mattress with adjustable firmness, I think the Saatva Solaire is a fantastic option. 

You might like the Saatva Solaire mattress if:

• You will be sharing your mattress
• You want to be able to adjust your firmness setting
• You want a neutral, accommodating mattress feel
• You're a light sleeper who wants excellent motion isolation

You might not like the Saatva Solaire mattress if:

• You're shopping on a tight budget
• You want a more traditional mattress design
• You want something ultra-firm
• You're a solo sleeper

Other mattresses from Saatva

Saatva Classic: This is one of our all-time favorite mattresses, and we put it on many of our best lists for its comfort, versatility and price. It comes in three different firmness levels that work for most sleepers. It uses two layers of coils instead of adjustable air chambers. It's plenty supportive, and it has an accommodating and traditional pillow top feel. There are just a lot of things to like about the Saatva Classic, and it's much more affordable in comparison to the Solaire, although its firmness is not adjustable.

Loom & Leaf: This is the premium memory foam mattress option from Saatva. It doesn't feature any coils and instead uses dense foam for support and two different layers of memory as the primary comfort layers. The luxurious quilted cover is filled with a more responsive type of foam, so it has more of a responsive memory foam feel overall. It also comes in two different firmness levels that lean toward the firm end of the spectrum.

Saatva Rx: The Saatva Rx is a relatively new bed from Saatva that's designed to provide targeted support for sleepers with chronic pain. It has two layers of coils, foam-tipped pocketed coils and micro coils to achieve that level of support, and it has a nice, comfy pillow-top feel. It comes in only one firmness level, and it's a bit softer than a medium to make it a nice option for side sleepers looking for joint pressure relief. 

How does the Saatva Soliare mattress compare to similar mattresses?

Saatva Soliare vs. ReST Smart Bed

The ReST Smart Bed takes the adjustable air chamber design to the extreme. It is app-controlled, and each air chamber has five different zones. The bed has five hoses on each side that connect to air pumps and the bed will automatically detect your movements with sensors inside the bed and adjust the air in each zone of the chamber to provide targeted support. You can also set the firmness completely manually, if you so choose. The concept is undoubtedly cool. However, the setup process is a lot, and back when we tested it we had issues with app connectivity. The ReST Smart Bed has more features than Solaire, but the Solaire is much more streamlined and affordable. 

Saatva Solaire vs. Sleep Number Climate Cool 360

The Sleep Number Climate Cool 360 mattress is one of the high-end mattresses from Sleep Number, which is the original adjustable firmness mattress. The amount of features this mattress has is truly impressive, and it comes with its own adjustable base, which also lets you control the temperature of each side of the mattress independently and even tracks your sleep. All of the controls are located inside of an app, and in comparison, the Saatva Solaire is just much more simple, which could either be a pro or con depending on how much tech you want in your bedroom.

Saatva Solaire mattress FAQs