Sleep Sells: Dreamery Offers Drinks, Sleep, and Product Placement
Those that aren’t getting their eight hours, look elsewhere. The Dreamery is here for the ad revenue.
Casper Sleep wants to take the city that never sleeps and make it the city that naps.
The Dreamery is a pop-up, experiential advertisement for Casper Sleep products, located around the corner from their Broadway store in Soho. It offers sanctuary from the bustling New York streets.
Google opened a similar, albeit quite different, experiential ad in the Flatiron District last Fall. Partnering with Netflix, Google showcased some of its state-of-the-art tech, in the setting of Netflix’s Stranger Things. The results were monstrously successful, as those who visited it can attest.
By either walk-in or appointment, you can take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city anytime between 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Mondays through Fridays, or 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
Casper Sleep wants to take the city that never sleeps and make it the city that naps.
“The biggest thing I’d say people should know is that it’s so much better if you give yourself time there,” said Caraline Weglarz, a second year business major, who first heard about the Dreamery this past summer.
The Dreamery recommends you show up fifteen minutes before your appointment, as the 45 minute time slot is only for how long you can stay in their sleep pod, called Nooks. You can spend as much time hanging out as you would like--and it’s worth it to get there early.
“Over the summer, I would go a half hour to forty five minutes early to enjoy all the free snacks and coffee, read for a bit, wash my face, and wind down,” Weglarz said.
Upon entering, you walk through a dark tunnel of twinkling stars. This tunnel opens up to the waiting area, stocked with complimentary snacks, books, water, tea, and coffee.
Casper partners with Sunday Riley, Hello, Sleepy Jones, and Headspace, all in an attempt to give New Yorkers a worthwhile sanctuary of sleep. These sponsored products, such as the toothbrush, toothpaste and pajamas are all included with the reservation.
Once you are finished changing and have locked up your belongings, you pass through another thick curtain, into a small room with a bench. This is a staging area of sorts. It gives the Nook room increased separation from noise and light. An attendant, called a Night Owl, will then escort you to your own personal Nook.
There are nine Nooks in total. They are spread, seemingly haphazardly, around the massive, dim, cool room. This is a smart choice, as imagining straight, perfect rows of bed-pods conjures a clinical, almost sci-fi environment.
Get comfortable, flip the light out, and listen to that gentle hum, as you struggle to come to terms with the fact that you just spent 25 dollars for this.
The Nooks are about 12 feet in circumference and six feet deep. While the inside of the round, light gray pods seem to be an inviting space to curl up, it is hard to relax in the warehouse of a room. For some reason, one you cannot name, it is slightly disturbing.
Inside each pod is a bed, an outlet, a light and a small shelf for your phone. The air conditioning creates white noise akin to the hum of the USS Enterprise’s engine.
Get comfortable, flip the light out, and listen to that gentle hum, as you struggle to come to terms with the fact that you just spent 25 dollars for this.
As far as practicality, it might seem ridiculous to trek up to SoHo and spend money on a nap, when you can pass out on one of the library chairs. However, the library chairs will probably crick your neck. As people rarely whisper, like they are supposed to in libraries, you may find it hard to fall asleep with all the noise. Not to mention, the librarians, hard workers though they may be, do not hand out pajamas and snacks.
Should you go? Vote with your dollar.