The Saatva Solaire adjustable firmness mattress has been on my radar for a long time. When it comes to firmness, my husband and I have always been at an impasse. He prefers a firm bed with solid back support, while I lean toward a medium-soft feel that cushions my side sleeping.
While we’ve always met in the middle and compromised with a medium mattress that supports us both, the idea of customizing firmness for each side instantly caught my attention.
Type: Smart mattress
Materials: Organic cotton, natural latex, memory foam, vulcanized air chambers
Brand-rated firmness (1-10): 3-8 (50 precise firmness settings)
Height: 13”
Trial period: 365 nights
Warranty: Lifetime
Price: From $2,999 at Saatva
The Solaire offers 50 precise firmness settings that you can tweak with a simple remote. On queen-sized beds and larger, each side has its own air chamber, letting both partners dial in the perfect firmness for their individual sleep preferences. Could this finally be the solution we were looking for?
With prices starting at $3,299 for a twin XL at full MSRP, the Solaire is certainly an investment. However, there is $400 off in this year's Saatva Black Friday sale. Beyond adjustable firmness, this best-selling smart mattress can be paired with the Saatva Adjustable Base Plus, and by choosing the more expensive Upper-Flex models of the Solaire, each partner can fine-tune the height and angle of their side for reading or watching TV.
The Solaire even features flippable comfort layers, so you can choose to have a more responsive natural latex side up or the more contouring memory foam side.
Is the Saatva Solaire a Black Friday mattress deal I recommend snapping up? And how does it compare to the best Saatva mattresses we've tested? These are my honest thoughts after sleeping on it for a week...
Saatva Solaire mattress: Price, trial, warranty
Saatva’s premium mattresses come with a higher price tag, but you’re paying for quality. Expect top-notch materials, expert craftsmanship and premium service with strong warranties.
While the upfront cost is higher, you’ll get a mattress designed to last longer with superior comfort and support. The Solaire’s industry-leading lifetime warranty also includes full coverage for the first five years of use.
The Saatva Solaire also comes with free white glove delivery, including setup and removal, and a 365-night sleep trial so you can test it for a full year before deciding if it's right for you. These are the kind of perks we expect from the best Saatva mattresses.
While you can expect to pay $4,599 for a queen at full MSRP, our semi-exclusive sale access knocks a straight $400 off all sizes (hit the link below.)
However because it's Saatva's most expensive bed, Saatva's standard sale savings will often yield the best discounts, with $500 or more off a queen when the brand is running its tiered discounts, and around $525 off of a queen during the brand's 15% off flash sales.
Regardless of the discount, the Solaire is still a significant investment, but the upside is that Saatva Solaire is built to last up to a whopping 25 years with normal use, more than twice the lifespan of the average mattress, which typically lasts 7-10 years.
Setting up my new Saatva Solaire mattress
Unlike a mattress in a box, the Saatva Solaire isn't compressed for delivery and instead arrives flat. Thanks to Saatva’s white glove delivery, you won’t have to lift a finger. I was genuinely impressed with the service. After scheduling my delivery over the phone, the mattress arrived just two days later. The team even accommodated my daughter’s nap schedule by putting us first on their route.
Within 30 minutes, the mattress was set up and fully inflated with zero off-gassing odor, which was a nice surprise and indicative of the quality materials used. The delivery crew walked me through the remote controls and explained that while the mattress needs electricity to adjust firmness, it will hold your chosen setting even if the power goes out.
The delivery team also told me that if I decide during the 365-night trial that it’s not the right fit, they’ll handle pickup, too, and that it’s very easy to schedule a Saatva return.
Saatva Solaire: My first week sleeping on it
Night 1: My very first time sleeping on an air mattress
Yes, it’s true: I’d never slept on an air mattress, not even on camping trips. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the Saatva Solaire, but it definitely exceeded my expectations for what I imagined an air mattress to be.
My first night was surprisingly comfortable. My husband and I both had a bit of a learning curve with the adjustable firmness controls, but after some experimenting, I settled on 15 (a softer feel) while my husband went with 22, which felt like a nice medium-soft for our first night.
I’d rate it as an equivalent to a 4 or 5 on our firmness scale. We also slept on the natural latex side, though I plan to flip the comfort layers in a week to test the memory foam side.
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 170-180lbs
Sleep style: Side and stomach
Sleep issues: Lower back pain, occasional hip pain, hot sleeper
Share a bed: Yes
The mattress offered excellent support while keeping our spines aligned without bottoming out. I also didn’t feel my husband shift sleep positions, which is surprising because he’s prone to tossing and turning. While we didn’t notice any specific cooling features, we slept comfortably all night without feeling hot.
That said, we keep our home at a cool 68 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s almost winter here, so I’m curious how the Solaire will perform in the summer. Overall, it was a solid first night and a promising start to finding our ideal firmness.
Night 2-7: Fine-tuning the sleep experience
After a few nights on the Saatva Solaire, my husband and I agreed that anything above a firmness level of 25 felt far too firm. My husband, who normally prefers a very firm mattress, was surprised by just how stiff the higher settings were. After trying a range of levels, he actually found himself most comfortable on some of the lowest settings, as soft as a 4 or 5.
The downside is the softer firmness levels offered weaker support along the bed's edge, which wasn’t surprising. If you rely on strong edge support to get in and out of bed comfortably, you’ll need a firmer setting.
We also tested what it would feel like if one partner slept on a firm setting and the other on a soft one. With one side set to 6 and the other to 37, the mattress created a noticeable “hill and valley” effect, with a clear downward slope toward the softer side.
Anytime either of us rolled toward the center, it felt awkward and uncomfortable. While I originally thought this mattress would be ideal for partners with completely different firmness preferences, I now feel it’s better suited for couples whose preferences are similar or only slightly different.
On the plus side, the softer settings provided noticeably better motion control. Once we increased the firmness, I could clearly feel my husband shifting positions, and he could feel my movements as well. The firmer levels had more bounce, while the softer ones did a better job of absorbing movement.
In my full review, we’ll also test the memory foam side, which I expect will provide even stronger motion control, though with less responsiveness, meaning it may be harder to change sleeping positions easily since memory foam responds slower than other materials.
One thing I wish Saatva would update is the remote controls. When you adjust the firmness, the mattress will continue to inflate or deflate until you press any button to stop it. This makes it almost impossible to land on a specific number, like 47. I’d prefer to see quick-adjust buttons that move in increments of five, or the ability to press “firm” or “soft” repeatedly to reach an exact setting.
Nonetheless, my husband and I slept well throughout the entire first week of testing the Solaire, even with the minor issues mentioned above. We felt consistently supported and never woke up with aches or pains, which was a big win for me since I’m prone to back and hip discomfort.
The Solaire also maintained a comfortable temperature. While I still don’t think it has any standout cooling technology, it does a good job regulating body heat and never felt too warm.
Saatva Solaire Mattress: My Early Thoughts
Adjusting to a completely customizable mattress was a new experience for both of us. After that initial week, it was clear that the Saatva Solaire has a lot to offer, especially for couples who have similar or mildly different firmness preferences (e.g. soft and medium).
I’m curious to see how it will perform in terms of support and comfort over a three-week period, which is about how long it takes for your body to get used to sleeping on a new mattress.
While there are minor quirks, like the remote controls and weaker edge support on softer settings, the overall sleep experience was solid. This gives me confidence that the Saatva Solaire could be a long-term solution for our unique sleep needs, as long as our preferred firmness levels aren’t at opposite extremes.
I’ll be back with my full review soon after sleeping on it for over three weeks, so stay tuned.
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