Yesterday I went to a movie theater to watch an old Miyazaki film, Spirited Away. I had seen it in Japan years ago and only understood about 30% of it, and now I know why: It’s a pretty weird movie.
The theater had the nicest movie theater seats I’ve ever sat in. They were full-extension automated recliners, and they were incredibly comfortable.
As you may have guessed, I fell asleep for about 10-15 minutes. I woke up feeling quite refreshed.
In a way, I paid $8 for a good nap. So I got to thinking: How much would I pay for the best nap ever?
Like, what if there was a service–in the same realm as a spa or massage therapist–that specializes in providing absolutely amazing naps? I don’t know what that would entail, but probably comfortable bedding, maybe white noise, a particular balance to the air, pitch darkness monitoring equipment to help pull you out of the nap at exactly the right time…this isn’t my area of expertise, so I don’t know. But I bet it’s possible.
In general, if you asked me this question, I would probably say $0, because if I ever want a nap, I’ll just walk over to my bed and take one. But I’m sure there are times when I’d love the guarantee of a spectacular nap. And I bet after I had one, I’d be much more willing to pay for another. It’s hard to even name my price, as I haven’t had such a nap yet, but I’d say maybe in the $20-$30 range?
What about you?
I’d easily pay as much as a massage for a spectacular nap. Probably up to $50/hour…$20 for a shorter nap, perhaps? I have two big issues with naps: (1) Children. Naps are almost impossible once your children no longer nap. (2) Stress. If a nap place could calm my stress and allow me to fall asleep and awake refreshed and feeling less stress, I might pay even more than I stated above.
I’ve cited quite frequently, actually, that naps are one of the foremost things I’m looking forward to about retirement (or being a grandpa…whichever comes sooner). I’m pretty sure all grandpa’s have license to fall asleep wherever they want, whenever they want. It’s in the grandpa charter.
Trev: I hadn’t considered the kid factor! That’s a great point. And I think you’re correct about the grandpa charter. I look forward to that as well.
It’s a good thing you fathered all of those children out of wedlock in the late 90s. One of them is bound to make you a grandfather soon!
I seem to think I’ve read about similar nap places in Japan.
Nice! If you find the article, let me know. I’m curious what they’ve done to optimize the nap experience.