If you’ve been having trouble finding the exact level of firmness you need in a bed, you might find luck with the Saatva Solaire. This mattress is technically an air bed that allows you to inflate or deflate the air chambers inside to get the exact amount of support and comfort you need. Better yet, each side of the bed is adjustable (for the Queen or King size), making the Solaire a great option for couples who have different sleep preferences.
So, what exactly does an air bed feel like, and will it provide pressure relief, motion isolation, and comfort? I ran a series of tests to discover just that and figure out what kind of sleeper would like the experience most.
Keep reading for my entire, in-depth review! If you’re short on time, head on over to my handy summary.
The Saatva Solaire uses air chambers to allow you to adjust the firmness level of your bed for precision comfort. Click this link automatically get a $200 discount until the offer expires on July 20!
Brand Snapshot
Saatva is an online-only mattress company that aims to provide the most comfortable, durable, and affordable mattresses to sleepers — even with its luxury design and use of sustainable materials. The brand puts a strong emphasis on spine health, and each Saatva mattress contains patented “Spinal Zone” sleep technology that aims to reduce back stiffness, provide correct spinal alignment, and produce a better night’s rest.
Saatva was an early pioneer of the direct-to-consumer mattress movement when it launched its first namesake innerspring bed in 2011. Over the following years, the company released two additional mattresses: the all-foam Loom & Leaf and the eco-friendly Zenhaven.
I’ll be comparing the Saatva Solaire to these sisters mattresses later on in this review. As far as other air mattresses go, one of Saatva Solaire’s biggest competitors is the Sleep Number adjustable bed, which I’ll also be sizing it up against in this piece.
What is the Saatva Solaire Mattress Made Of?
The Saatva Solaire is indeed an air bed, but it’s not like any air mattress you might have slept on while glamping. Above and below the chambers are various layers of memory foam, latex, and poly foam to promote pressure relief, comfort, and support.
Let’s dive into bed to see what this looks like:
Cover – The Solaire cover is made of soft and cozy organic cotton. There’s also some memory foam quilted in the cotton, which will provide some immediate comfort as soon as you hop on the bed.
Comfort – Below the cover, you’ll find a thick layer of memory foam, which has a slow response to pressure for deep body-contouring and sinkage. Beneath the memory foam is a 5-zone layer of latex foam, designed to support the lumbar region. While this material’s soft to the touch, its predominant feel is of bounce and breathability. Another cool thing about this comfort layer is that it’s flippable, so you can position either the latex or memory foam on top depending on your preferences.
Support – Up next are the aforementioned adjustable air chambers! Sizes Queen and up feature two connected air chambers, allowing different sides of the bed to have different firmnesses, which could be a big plus for couples. The air chamber itself has multi-directional box baffle design which helps maintains air fill from edge to edge and top to bottom for even support.
Base — All of the layers above are supported by a section of high-density poly foam edge support, which provides a strong foundation to the fill structure and allow sleepers to enjoy the entire surface area of the bed.
How Firm is the Saatva Solaire Mattress?
Testing out the firmness level of the Solaire is a bit different from my other reviews since you can adjust the air chamber to find a comfort level that best supports your body. Using the remote, you can choose a setting between 1-50, 1 being the softest and 50 being the most firm.
I tested out all 50 settings on the Solaire and found the firmness to fall anywhere between the 4-8 range, with 4 being a super soft feel and 8 being pretty darn firm.
For those strict side sleepers in the bunch, a setting somewhere in the 20 range will likely be ideal, as it’ll provide the deep pressure relief and sinkage you need at the shoulders and hips. Stomach sleepers, who tend to doze on the opposite end of the spectrum, will probably find the most comfort in the 40-50 range as the firmness will help position the hips more on top of the structure. And back sleepers should aim for anything between 30-35 as it’ll offer a nice balance between sinkage and firm support.
To adjust the firmness level, simply use the up and down arrows on the remote that comes with the Solaire. It might take a few nights to get the firmness level just right. Be patient and play around with it until you find the perfect amount of inflation in the air chamber.
The Saatva Solaire uses air chambers to allow you to adjust the firmness level of your bed for precision comfort. Click this link automatically get a $200 discount until the offer expires on July 20!
How Well Does the Saatva Solaire Relieve Pressure?
Regardless of the firmness setting, I thought the Solaire provided satisfying pressure relief as I didn’t really experience any points of tension at my low back, shoulders, or hips. To verify this, I decided to run an actual pressure test on a pressure map.
As I moved between positions, the map made a colorful graphic depicting how my body was interacting with the structure in real time. Blue areas indicate zones of low pressure while red ones demonstrate high tension. I ran this test twice, once with the firmness level at 20 (medium soft) and another at 40 (firm).
Back- My weight was evenly distributed when the Solaire was at both the 20 and 40 settings. Regardless of firmness level, back sleepers shouldn’t have an issue with pressure points forming across the body.
Side – I was pretty impressed with the pressure relief results, even when I rolled over to my side on the firm setting. A little green popped up on the pressure map, but this is quite normal since more weight presses against the hips and shoulders on your side. The foam in the cover and comfort layer definitely helped cradle my body, yet side sleepers will likely experience more comfort with a softer setting to safely support the shoulders and hips.
Stomach- You’ll see blue across the board on both pressure map readings. However, I did feel my hips sink into the structure on the 20 fill level and would advise stomach sleepers to choose a firmer setting to help support the hips and lower back.
Competitors
Now that we have a better idea of what the Saatva Solaire mattress feels like, I was curious to compare the bed to its main competitor: Sleep Number. Both companies feature air chambers for adjustable firmness levels with various layers of foam on top and beneath the support layer. Still, there are a few key differences:
Sleep Number I10 and I8
- The Sleep Number mattress is probably the biggest name in the adjustable air bed space.
- While both the Sleep Number I10 and I8 mattresses are more well-known than the Solaire, they do share super similar constructions with the Saatva bed.
- However, Sleep Number mattresses do include a Sleep IQ app, which collects sleep quality and quantity data for each sleeper.
- Sleep Number beds are significantly more expensive than Solaire, with a Queen I8 priced at $3,100 and a Queen I10 costing $4,699, compared to the Solaire at $2,695.
For more on Sleep Number, read the Sleep Number I8 review and the Sleep Number I10 review.
The Saatva Solaire uses air chambers to allow you to adjust the firmness level of your bed for precision comfort. Click this link automatically get a $200 discount until the offer expires on July 20!
Other Models
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, Saatva sells two other mattresses under the company brand: the all-foam Loom & Leaf bed and the eco-friendly, latex Zen Haven. Let’s take a look at them side-by-side.
Loom & Leaf
- Similar to the Solaire, the Loom & Leaf is a memory foam mattress that emphasizes pressure relief, contouring, and support.
- While you won’t be able to adjust the firmness level with a click of a button, you can choose between two different firmness levels with the Loom & Leaf.
- The Loom & Leaf also utilizes a special gel memory foam, which usually does a better job at keeping cool than normal memory foam does.
- The Loom & Leaf is priced between $750 – $,1700, making it more affordable than the Solaire, which ranges from $1,995 – $3,645 in price.
Read more in my Loom & Leaf mattress review!
Zenhaven
- Instead of memory foam, the Zenhaven uses latex, which is known for being bouncier and sleeping cooler.
- The Zenhaven mattress also features organic cotton and wool in its construction, which, along with all-natural latex, makes it a great option for eco-friendly sleepers.
- Instead of remote-controlled firmness, you can flip the Zenhaven for either soft sinkage or firm support on top.
- The Zenhaven is priced between $1300 – $2500, versus the Solaire’s $1,995 – $3,645 price range.
Get all the deets in my Zenhaven mattress review.
Motion Transfer
Next up is a motion transfer test, which will uncover the amount of movement you’ll likely detect from one side of the bed to the other. If you sleep with a partner who loves to move around a lot at night, you’ll definitely want a mattress that absorbs and dampens motion.
To illustrate this motion transfer, I dropped a 10 lb. steel ball from heights of 4 inches, 8 inches and 12 inches and measured the disturbance it caused: the bigger the lines, the bigger the disturbance.
I was really impressed with the Solaire’s ability to isolate motion from one side of the bed to the other. Based on these test results, you shouldn’t feel a ton of movement on either side of the bed, even if each side is set to a different firmness level.
Sinkage Test
This last test is all about sinkage, the component of a bed’s feel that determines whether you’ll feel “on top” of or “inside” the mattress.
I usually would demonstrate this sinkage by placing four balls of varying weights and densities (a 6 lb medicine ball, a 10 lb steel ball, a 50 lb medicine ball, and a 100 lb medicine ball) on the mattress and measuring how much they compressed the surface.
However, because the sinkage will change depending on the firmness setting you choose, I decided to skip this test. You’ll probably feel some slight sinkage regardless of the setting you pick because of the memory foam in the cover and comfort layer, but will never feel too stuck in bed thanks to the bounce from the latex foam.
As I mentioned in the firmness section, you’ll sink more if the bed is set to the 0-20 range, while anything in the 40-50 is likely to provide that on-top of mattress feel.
Is the Saatva Solaire Mattress Right for You?
So, should you buy the Saatva Solaire? I wish I could answer for each and every one of you, but that would be impossible. What I can do is leave you with some final pros and cons to help you come to an educated decision on your own.
The Saatva Solaire uses air chambers to allow you to adjust the firmness level of your bed for precision comfort. Click this link automatically get a $200 discount until the offer expires on July 20!
Saatva Solaire Recommendations
- The best feature of this bed is its personalized support, thanks to the adjustable air chamber(s) that allow the sleeper to find the perfect firmness level.
- Couples might love this bed since it isolates motion and allows people to personalize the firmness level on their own side of the bed.
- Based on the technology and construction used, Saatva Solaire is a value-buy — especially in comparison to its competitors.
Saatva Solaire Complaints
- The remote sticks a little when changing the firmness setting, so you might have to troubleshoot a bit with the Solaire accessories
- Due to the nature of it being an air bed, you may lose a little air overnight. If it does sink you can click the “Memory” button on the remote which will bring the air bed back to a set firmness level.
Basic Information
- Trial – 120 Nights
- Warranty – 25 Years
- Shipping – Free
- Price – $1995 – $3645
Other Saatva Reviews
- Loom & Leaf Mattress
- Saatva Mattress
- Zenhaven Mattress
- Saatva Pillow
- Saatva Dreams Lofton Sheets
- Saatva Lineal Adjustable Base
Size & Price Information
The Saatva Solaire uses air chambers to allow you to adjust the firmness level of your bed for precision comfort. Click this link automatically get a $200 discount until the offer expires on July 20!
| Size | Dimensions | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Twin XL | 38" x 80" | $1,995 |
| Full | 54" x 75" | 2,595 |
| Queen | 60" x 80" | $2,695 |
| King | 76" x 80" | $3,195 |
| California King | 72" x 84" | $3,195 |
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