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Emily Roche
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My Free Nap in New York City

May 10, 2018 | A Dash of Fun Paprika

How much would you pay to take a power nap in the middle of New York City? Finding a few minutes of peace to recharge and plow through the rest of my day is something I’d pay for, but only if the price is right. Of course there are apps that grant access to hotel rooms for wholesome fractions of time, but it still seems too expensive and shady.

nap at Casper

Hitting the nap jackpot at Casper

Last week I struck nap gold with Casper, purveyor of mattresses for the new economy. Get this. You can take a twenty-minute nap in a Casper showroom. For free. For real.

Let that sink in a minute. A free nap in New York City! I can’t remember how I discovered this but the second I realized it was a thing I made a beeline for Casper’s site to make sure it was real. To my greedy joy it was, so I immediately booked my naptime in their store on Broadway between Bleecker and Houston.

I just want to state here and now that this that the whole test-at-home-and-send-it-back (if you can cram it back into the box) luxury mattress craze feels insane and wrong. But it’s so over the top that I had to try it. I figured it would be my only chance to be a part of the 1%, if only for a few minutes. So I took it and booked my appointment for a Friday afternoon, a perfect way to end the workweek.

Two naps for the price of none

I had no idea what to expect so I let my imagination run wild until I got a voicemail from Casper the day of my appointment. They’d called to confirm and invited me to call back with questions, so I did. The woman who answered the phone was a riot. She confirmed that my nap was free, real, and scheduled for that afternoon. She then asked what mattress I wanted to try – the regular Casper or the new, fancy Wave model. When I said I had no idea, she said I could try both. “You mean I can spend ten minutes on each mattress?” I asked. “No,” she said. “You can spend twenty minutes on each one.”

Casper nap rooms

My Two Nap Rooms

My brain stopped for a second. I couldn’t believe I could be a part of so much luxury for the hell of it. When I regained the ability to speak I told her I’d love to try both, and would be there later in the afternoon.

I spent the rest of the day grinning and telling everyone at work about my after-work nap adventure. In every single office I’ve worked in I’ve had in-depth conversations with colleagues about how to take a guilt-free nap during the workday. Even though some companies convert the worst conference room into an ad-hoc “nap room” and Arianna Huffington’s making a business out of sleep, most offices have not embraced the nap revolution. Casper’s near my office so their setup seemed to be the ideal nap solution: offsite, on my own time, and on a real mattress – not some half-assed beanbag chair tossed on the floor.

A tiny house fever dream

Casper sets the stage for naptime the second you walk in the door. The front showroom surrounds you with bedding and all kinds of cozy comforts. But the back is where the inaction is. Each mattress is enclosed in an adorable little house with its own dream décor. It’s a tiny house fever dream. When I walked in I felt all at once sleepy and too excited to fall asleep – would this work??

Casper tiny house

Casper’s tiny house fever dream

The sales associate greeted me and showed me around. She handed me an eye mask and bottle of water as she brought me to my first nap in the regular Casper mattress house. There were no sheets or bedding on the mattress (too much effort), but the foot of the bed was covered so I could nap barefoot. She explained how the mattress was made, drew the shades, closed the curtain door, and said she’d be back in twenty minutes to wake me up.

I put on the mask, sank into the Casper’s dense, foamy layers, and let myself drift into the delicious hover state between awake and asleep. The tiny house is very open (it has no ceiling), so I could hear the goings on in the store as I wafted into my semi-conscious state. The mattress felt firm and reassuring, but I don’t think it’s something I’d buy. Even so, it was fantastic. I’m positive I fell asleep at some point because I was groggy when the sales associate knocked on the door to move me to my second nap in the Wave tiny house walk-up.

My Wave nap was simply divine. I fell asleep for real and was totally out of it when the sales associate woke me up. She let me get myself together and off I went, back into the sidewalk madness of Soho.

The verdict? If I was in the market for a new, luxury mattress, I would consider the Wave. It had a bit more spring to it and was more comfortable in a way I can’t describe. But when the time comes to buy a new pillow, I am 99% sure I’m buying one from Casper. I’m a side sleeper and their pillows were firm but not prohibitive. I think they’re forgiving enough that stomach and back sleepers could use them, too. I’m betting the pillow was the reason I passed out in my second nap. But don’t take my word for it, go test it out for yourself, and let me know how it went.

Hi! I’m Emily, and welcome to A Dash of Paprika. It’s where you’ll find my freewheeling take on the business world and read about my adventures in New York City and beyond. No matter which path you take, the posts will bring a little zip into your day. Andiamo, ragazzi!

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Emily is an amazing analytical human who can turn verbal diarrhea into pithy copy that cuts through the noise and makes an impact.

Calum Kilgour   |   Slingshot Edge

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Emily in several message development workshops. The workshops are intense and a lot of work, but made fun and exciting by Emily and her team. They are masters of pulling out the significant details and helping craft a message that communicates the true value of your products and services. Emily in particular is very astute in assigning value to ideas making it possible for the true message to rise to the top.

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Emily is among the best writers I had the privilege of working with, during my nearly-20 years in marketing. Not only is Emily a great pro and a wonderful writer, who knows how to capture the essence of a story and pass it to the reader in a clear and precise way, but she is also a fun person to work with.

Ilan Vagenshtein   |   Marketing, Sales Enablement & Business Development

Emily worked with my team at iCrossing as a freelance Content Strategist for about 7 months and became an invaluable member of our team. Once she’s immersed herself into a project she becomes a go-to resource, retaining even the most minute details. I felt extremely comfortable when Emily took responsibility for a piece of the project because I knew it would be done well, on time, and she would be able to speak to any questions that our clients may have had.

Charlie Chapin   |   Associate Director of Operations, Essence

Emily is one of the most astute, analytical, and strategic forward-thinking executives I have worked with in a marketing capacity — all helped with a keen creative mind and an exceptional sense of humor. Her ability to synthesize complex business needs and devise a creative win-win solution for her clients truly sets her apart from her competitors. I would not hesitate to use her services when the need arises.

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A Dash of   Business Paprika

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A Dash of   Fun Paprika

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  • My Free Nap in New York City
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