Nolah Sleep – Evolution 15" Hybrid Mattress Review

• Review
• Specs
• Comments

If you haven’t heard of Nolah Sleep, they’re a mattress brand that specializes in memory foam mattresses – not unlike your typical bed-in-a-box manufacturer. Their range includes beds solely made of memory foam, but for those who weren’t crazy about this type of mattress, Nolah didn’t have many alternatives. 

What if you can’t decide between memory foam and innerspring? Or, what if you prefer a little bit of both? In this day and age, we shouldn’t have to choose just one. Enter: the Nolah Evolution 15” Hybrid Mattress. 

As its name suggests, this mattress is a hybrid – incorporating both memory foam and coils. I’d only slept on innerspring mattresses with foam toppers, never a hybrid mattress combining the two into one. 

Since Nolah only ever made foam beds, their new hybrid style was one I definitely wanted to try. I was able to get my hands on the Nolah Evolution and see how it measured up in terms of firmness, cooling capabilities, alleviating pressure points and overall comfort. Keep reading to find out my honest thoughts and the final verdict!

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First Impressions and Customer Service Experience

The very first impression I had of Nolah was nothing short of, well, impressive. I was in a bit of a pickle trying to guarantee the delivery date of my new mattress as I was relocating to a new city (and needed a bed to sleep on for my move-in date). 

The one downfall was that it wasn’t possible to predict the exact arrival date. Some manufacturers like IKEA are able to do same-day delivery, but that’s because they have several warehouses scattered around a number of cities, so their products can reach you in record time. Nolah informed me that the Evolution mattress is manufactured in their California warehouse, so to have one shipped to me on the east coast would take a number of days. The rough estimate on Nolah’s website was that it would ship within 2-4 business days, but it goes without saying that travel time is unpredictable. 

I chatted with a lovely customer service representative named Amber who walked me through the delivery process and assured me that I’d be updated at every step of the way. She was extremely helpful and her consistently exceptional customer service (given that I’d called Nolah a few times and spoke to Amber each time) really stood out to me. 

Most people looking to buy a mattress are either replacing an old one, or buying one new when relocating to a new home. Either way, it can be a stressful process! Amber made me feel so supported and wished me well on my big move. Outstanding customer service is not easy to find, so when it is it should definitely be acknowledged. My Evolution mattress ended up arriving a day earlier than predicted by Fedex, so this was a huge bonus.

Unboxing and In-Home Setup

Many of you may be able to relate to living in a building with no elevator, which means walking up several flights of stairs everyday is unavoidable. Aside from the perk of getting in a great workout, it’s less than ideal when you’re lifting heavy furniture up all of these stairs (four flights, to be exact). I was dreading this when my Nolah mattress arrived. While I put a specific note for the mattress to be delivered right to my door, this is very uncommon for walk-up buildings (especially for extra-large, heavy packages), so I was in for a rude awakening. Thankfully, I had help to carry the heavy box up to my apartment, but it was not an easy process. Yes, the word “pivot” was used frequently while maneuvering the mattress through the narrow stairwell. After finally getting the bed into my new room, it was time to unbox.

As with most beds in a box, the Nolah Evolution came fully compressed and needed to be laid out to expand. As soon as I ripped open the plastic even a tiny bit, it started to hiss as the air escaped the vacuum-sealed packaging. It only took about ten minutes for the bed to fully expand, and while there was an expected offgassing smell, this dissipated in no time. Mattresses that are made of 100% memory foam typically have a stronger chemical smell that lasts longer, but since the Evolution is a hybrid mattress, thankfully offgassing was only minimal. The mattress was also lightweight, so it was easy to move around and place it exactly where I wanted in my bedroom.

Specs

• Materials: 7-layer construction including –

1. 1. A cooling ArcticTex™ cover
   2. Quilted Euro Topper
   3. AirFoamICE™ 2”
   4. High-Resilience Foam 2”
   5. High-Density Foam 1”
   6. HDMax™ TriZone™ 8” Support Coils
   7. Recycled Plant Fiber Foundation layer

• Thickness: 15 inches
• Sizes: Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, Cal King, Split King
• Comfort Positions: Suitable for all sleeping positions
• Warranty: 120 night mattress trial, lifetime warranty

Firmness Options: What’s the Difference?

There aren’t many mattress manufacturers who offer firmness options when you’re selecting which mattress you want. You pick the size and hit “add to cart” – that’s usually the extent of the customization process. 

But what if you’re someone who prefers sleeping on a more plush surface? Or what if you need your bed to be firm? Nolah offers Plush, Luxury Firm and Firm options for their Evolution mattress, and I opted for the Luxury Firm as this was the default and most popular choice. 

I don’t like my bedding to be too firm or too soft like a pancake, so the Goldilocks choice suited me perfectly. It’s also important to consider your body type when making your choice, since heavier body types may feel that the bed is on the softer side. As I’m more petite, the Luxury Firm option felt reasonably firm to me, and I didn’t experience much sinking. 

Comfort, Support and Motion Isolation: My Sleep Trial Experience

Though I may be biased given that I was sleeping on an air mattress immediately before my Nolah bed arrived, needless to say the contrast in terms of comfort was enormous. I’d only ever purchased basic mattresses from IKEA that were worth no more than $300, so to upgrade to a “luxury firm” bed was a godsend. I didn’t purchase a mattress pad or topper initially as I wanted to determine the mattress’ comfort level on its own. For the first night and every night since, I’ve been sleeping like a baby and feeling like royalty on the most luxurious bed I’ve ever owned.  

I opted for the Full size Evolution mattress, and being 5”3 I was surprised that it was much shorter than expected. My feet almost hung off the end of the bed, so for anyone who’s about 5”4 or taller (which is probably most of you, let’s be honest), the Full size may not be the best option for you. I’d just moved into a tiny New York apartment, so investing in a Queen size (as I’d initially wanted) wasn’t going to work for the small space I had. The Nolah Evolution is super supportive and due to the firmness level I chose, it was the perfect balance between soft and firm.

Regarding motion isolation, the pillow top cover and transition layers do a great job to isolate movement. This is pretty hard to find in many mattresses that incorporate any amount of memory foam, so needless to say I was impressed. If you’re sleeping with a partner, I can’t see couples having any issues with motion isolation.

Benefits for Back and Side Pain

Another feature I was looking forward to was the pressure relief and spinal support that was supposedly one of the standouts of the Nolah Evolution. The AirFoamICE™ 2” layer made with tiny air bubbles is designed to create pressure relief that’s unparalleled, while the HDMax™ TriZone™ coils offer targeted relief at problem areas, such as the lower back. 

As someone who works from home full-time, it was important for me to find a mattress that specialized in lower back support, as I’ve struggled with back pain for many years. I felt a significant difference in my sharp back pain after just a few weeks trialing the Nolah Evolution – without changing anything else in my routine – so it was clear that my new bed was doing wonders to alleviate my lingering aches and pains. I’m a stomach sleeper, and although it’s the least optimal sleeping position, I didn’t experience any neck tension during my sleep trial. This is usually unavoidable for stomach sleepers since we have to force our heads to one side (which often results in neck strain). 

My pillow is on the thinner side, so I could feel the support of my mattress beneath me and experienced no neck pain from the first night I slept on the Nolah Evolution. As far as side pain goes, I’ve thankfully never struggled with this personally, but the Nolah Evolution is suitable for back, side and stomach sleepers alike and is designed to relieve pressure points for all – no matter your sleeping position.

Cooling Properties and Breathability

It was fitting that I ordered this mattress just as summer arrived, so I was able to see how this mattress would keep me cool on those scorching hot nights. I’m not typically a hot sleeper, so I can’t comment on how this mattress fares if you sleep hot all year round. 

The cooling Euro topper has a breathable gusset that’s able to draw body heat away from you as you sleep, making for a cool and comfortable night’s sleep. The AirFoamICE™ 2” layer also incorporates cooling graphite, so it’s like having a cooling foam topper inside the mattress itself. Nolah claims these comfort features offer “best-in-class cooling”, but I didn’t feel exceptionally cool sleeping on this mattress (and I only slept with a flat sheet, no comforter during my trial).

I’d say it was no warmer or cooler than any other innerspring mattress I’ve tried – it was just right for me. Given that it includes the AirFoamICE™ foam layer, you may not need a topper in addition – unless you prefer the feel of memory foam as your top layer. 

If you’re looking for bedding that will keep you extra cool (and want some more loft for your 15-inch mattress), go for a mattress topper with cooling properties.

A Note on Thick Mattresses

If you decide to purchase a mattress that measures around 15 inches in height, you may think ahead and order deep-pocket fitted sheets that will cover the entire bed. However, I did not think ahead, and I purchased a basic sheet set that hardly covered half of the mattress. 

A fitted sheet is obviously useless if the elastic can’t fit under each corner (and with room to spare), so you should definitely invest in deep-pocket sheets before buying a mattress as lofty as the Nolah Evolution. The mattress I had previously was around 5 inches high (I had a 3-inch foam topper in addition to this) so the sheets I already had just weren’t going to cut it. Keep this in mind before purchasing any new mattress, and look at the dimensions to see if your current sheets will fit.

Maintenance, Care, Protection and Warranty

Regarding maintenance and care of the Nolah Evolution, it goes without saying that cleaning mattresses in general isn’t so easy. As much as you’d love to throw it in the washer just like most of your other bedding, you can only really spot-clean a mattress. And if you only notice a stain after it’s seeped into your bed for months, chances are it’s not coming out. To best protect your new Nolah bed, I’d advise investing in a mattress pad, protector or topper to prolong its lifespan and avoid any nasty, lasting stains.

If you swear by sleeping on memory foam, you could purchase a gel foam topper which will not only protect your mattress, but give you that plush feel. A topper that’s any thicker than 2-3 inches won’t be ideal for the Nolah Evolution, given it already has 15 inches of height (and you may have an issue finding a fitted sheet that will actually fit, which I touched on earlier). The Nolah Evolution 15” Hybrid comes with an impressive 120 night trial as well as a lifetime warranty. This means you can test it out for a whole 4 months and see if it meets your expectations. If you’re suffering from back or side pain and are looking for a mattress to alleviate your pressure points, give it a go and see if your aches improve over the trial period. 

This should be plenty of time to decide if the mattress is a keeper, and I can confirm that my Nolah Evolution is here to stay. It speaks volumes when a company stands by their products and is willing to offer a lifetime warranty, which shows that they’re confident you’ll fall in love with your new mattress. 

Conclusion

Having slept on my Luxury Firm Nolah Evolution mattress for several weeks, I can confirm that this bed will be sticking around for many years. It’s perfect for every sleeping position including combination sleepers who change position during the night, it alleviates back pain and promotes optimal spinal support. 

With the right mattress protector to ensure it remains in perfect condition (as well as investing in deep pocket sheets that will fit snug around each corner) this hybrid mattress will make you feel like you’re sleeping in a luxurious hotel bed – every single night.

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This product was sent to me by Nolah – this is an honest review and it has not affected my review in any way.