If you want a flippable bed
People that want a comfy foam mattress
Heavier people
If you need a cheap mattress
Nolah Mattress Review
The Signature 12 Mattress from Nolah is the company’s high-end foam mattress. It’s flippable, has an organic cotton cover, and comes with a lifetime warranty. Basically all the positive things we have to say about the Original 10 apply also to the Signature 12, but it manages to be more ideal for back and stomach sleepers because it’s double-sided. It’s one of the more popular foam mattresses within the bed in a box market, and we’re impressed by their philanthropic business model.
Here’s a quick overview of the subjects that we’ll be covering in this review. Click the links to jump to the appropriate section in this mattress review:
Nolah Signature 12 Mattress Review Video
In the video above, Slumber Yard video personality JD offers a quick summary of Signature 12 and what our thoughts were when we reviewed it.
The Signature 12 Mattress Construction
The Nolah Signature 12 is a four-layer, double-sided mattress. In the graphic below, you can see how both sides of the mattress utilize a layer of the proprietary “Cooling Nolah AirFoam.” Here is a breakdown of the bed’s different layers:
- Comfort layer (firm side) – 1″ of Cooling Nolah AirFoam, which acts as the firmer side of the mattress
- Support layer – a Reinforced High-Density Core Foundation made with 7” of an “ultra-grade” core foundation foam
- Transition layer – a 1.5” soft yet supportive layer of Deep Supportive High-Resilience Foam to help soften up the comfort layer above it
- Comfort layer (soft side) – 2.5” top layer of Nolah’s Cooling AirFoam
Nolah AirFoam is a “fast responsive temperature-neutral ‘Memory Foam’ with the bounce of Latex.” However, it’s technically a high resilience polyurethane foam that is made without the heat-trapping chemicals that is normally found in memory foam. The best way to explain it is that it feels like a mix of traditional memory foam and latex.
Nolah is included on the CertiPUR-US list of companies that guarantees their products are free from formaldehyde and cancer-causing substances.
Nolah 12 Mattress Cover
The Nolah Signature 12” mattress is wrapped in an unbleached, thick, organic cover that does not have any harmful chemicals in it. It’s a nice cover that smells good, especially as compared to the cover on most other mattresses.
While the cover is technically removable, we don’t recommend throwing it in the wash. It may shrink and be impossible to get back on your mattress, Instead, if you spill something on your bed, we recommend spot cleaning. The easiest and best way to do this is to dampen a soft cloth with water and some detergent, and dab at the stain until it is gone.
Mattress Firmness And Feel
The Nolah Signature mattress has a different firmness level on either side of the bed. In other words, one side is softer (we’d call it “medium” firmness), and the other is firm (we’d call it “medium-firm”). This essentially provides you with two mattresses, so you can choose which one is most comfortable for your specific sleep style.
Both sides of the Signature 12” mattress are equally responsive. In fact, we’d say Nolah Signature 12 feels like a very responsive bed, which makes sense because the Signature 12” is made of a soft neutral-foam. This might be a plus for people who are turned off by the viscous, conforming feel of traditional memory foam.
The mattress pops right back into shape after pressure is removed. This is particularly helpful for combination sleepers that rotate positions during the night. In fact, a more responsiveness mattress can help combo sleepers to get more restful sleep because rotating positions requires less effort.
Is Nolah 12 A Good Mattress For Couples?
Motion Isolation
While typically the best motion isolating mattresses are made with memory foam, the Signature 12” holds its own well. Basically, the Nolah Signature 12” mattress is a good choice if you sleep in the same bed as a partner or large animal.
Edge Support
A variety of people from our team tested the Nolah Signature 12” bed for edge support, and we all found that it performed well. You can comfortably sleep on the edge of this bed and not feel like you’re going to end up on the floor.
Sleeper Type Analysis
Given that the Signature 12 mattress has two sides, each with a different firmness level, one side is naturally going to be better than the other for certain sleeper positions.
Back And Stomach Sleepers
The firm side of the Signature 12” will work well for back and stomach sleepers. It provides enough support and won’t allow you to sink too far in. If you’re petite, you might find that the softer side also offers enough support and is more comfortable for you.
Side Sleepers
We think the soft side of the Signature 12” mattress should provide more than enough pressure relief and comfort for side sleepers who love that plush mattress feel. If you’re a heavy side sleeper, you can choose between the soft and firm side depending on how soft of a mattress you want.
Combo Sleepers
The Nolah 12” is a responsive bed, so combo sleepers who shift positions during the night will find it meets their needs. Depending on your dominant sleeping position, you can choose the firm or soft side of the mattress, or just go with whatever feels right to you.
A lot of this depends also on your weight. If you’re on the heavier end of the spectrum, you may find the firm side provides enough pressure-relief.
Body Type Analysis
Heavy Individuals
For heavier individuals, we think the firm side of this mattress will be the best choice. We generally don’t recommend all-foam mattresses to heavy or obese people, but if you want a bed made entirely of foam, Nolah Signature 12 is not the worst option.
Because it is flippable and slightly thicker, it will probably last longer than your average bed-in-a-box mattress. That said, if you weigh more than ~230 lbs (what we consider heavy), you may want to look into their Nolah Evolution 15 bed. It’s their spring or hybrid mattress, which tend to be most durable than their all-foam counterparts.
Petite Individuals
Those who weigh under ~230 lbs or so will think Nolah Signature 12 is perfectly accommodating. Though, petite sleepers may want to stick with the softer side unless they want a particularly firm feel. Keep in mind, the lighter you are, the firmer a mattress is going to feel.
Nolah Signature 12 Price
The only real downside with this bed, as compared to the entry-level Original 10, is price. After applying a coupon code, it’s about $300-$400 more expensive than the Original 10. Not a huge difference, considering it’s objectively the nicer bed, but it might not be worth it if you’re a medium/petite side sleeper. In this scenario, you could save money and be a happy camper with the Original 10.
Nolah Signature 12 Mattress Review Verdict
All in all, the Nolah 12 bed is an accommodating mattress that we think will be a good choice for people who sleep on their back, stomach, side or a combination of the three. Furthermore, this mattress is flippable so people with a wide variety of body types should be able to sleep comfortably. If you are in a relationship or sleep with a partner, the Nolah Signature 12” mattress will be a good choice.
Other Nolah Reviews
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Review team
JD Christison
Combo Sleeper
Jon Gomez
Side Sleeper
McKenzie Dillon
Combo Sleeper
Wesley Ott
Combo Sleeper
Nolah Company Policy Information
Like most online mattress brands, Nolah’s perks are more generous than most online retailers because they want to offer an incentive (and safety net) to make it easier for you to purchase over the internet.
- Free shipping and completely free returns
- A 120-night risk-free trial period
- A lifetime warranty
Nolah Company Info
Nolah Mattress Contact Information
- Online form
- Live chat
- Phone: 1-866-403-6615
- Website
FAQs
This mattress is made with a classic, responsive Nolah Airfoam that gives off a very neutral feel.
A queen size Nolah Signature 12 Mattress will retail around $1,600
Nolah Signature 12 is more expensive than the original, and it’s also flippable, compared to the Original 10’s regular construction. This makes it more versatile in the sleeper types its able to accommodate.
Your bed will arrive in a box about the size of a 10-year-old. You just have to unbox it, unroll it, and wait about 24-48 hours to fully inflate.