Paying for it

There's nothing wrong with it. They provide a service and if people are willing to pay for it, what's wrong with that? Nothing at all. It's just that I never thought that I would do it. I never thought that I would want to, never mind have to. But I was absolutely desperate and I could not wait until I got home. I wanted this, I needed this and I was perfectly willing to lay down the cash for it.

So yesterday at lunch I took a short walk from my office and paid a stranger to let me…

take a nap.

I had about an hour and a half of sleep the night before and I was sick all weekend. I felt like crap and I could hardly keep my head from slamming down on to my keyboard. I'd heard of these napping spas and checked it out on line. Yeah, I thought, I'm a "sleep deprived modern warrior", what with my executive lifestyle and all. I could have a 20 minute nap for $15 and it was just a short walk from the office. 

Fuck, yeah.

The place was a soothing pallet of deep pinks and oranges and, to my relief, there was no Enya or mating whale noises on the speakers. After filling out a short form, I chose from a menu of ambient sounds (I picked the rain storm) and aromatherapy smells (I think it was something with figs) and helped myself to some lemon ginger tea. I was escorted into a small, oval shaped room, its walls upholstered in crisp white. I took off my shoes and glasses and settled into the somewhat clinical looking, but incredibly comfortable chair. My host slowly eased me back until my legs were just slightly above the level of my head. She draped a blanket over me and asked if I wanted the lights dimmed or total darkness (total darkness). After adjusting the volume of the thunderstorm, she reminded me that they can not guarantee that I would sleep, and left me to my "powernap."

I was at that point of exhaustion where sleep is so close and yet so far it's almost painful. I concentrated on the sound of the rain and crickets and the occasional rumbling of a distant thunderstorm. I closed my eyes and exhaled.

Fuck it was good.

I could feel my limbs go heavy as my eyelids fluttered. I wondered if anyone ever masturbated in these rooms. I let the thoughts come and go out of my head and breathed deeply. I felt weightless, floating just above the wet grass in a cool, deep forest. 

So close, I was so achingly close. My head dropped to the side, my lips parted and then with a soft, gentle click, I could sense the light change through my eyelids. The room slowly and gradually became brighter and brighter. I hit the button on the side of the chair and resumed an upright position. I rubbed my eyes, slipped on my shoes and glasses and left the comfort of my little pod. The receptionist confirmed my on-line payment and wished me a pleasant afternoon. I walked out on to the street a little wobbly, a little frustrated and a little embarrassed for having done what I just did.

I was loose, relaxed, but still technically exhausted, since I didn't actually get any sleep. I was content but a bit unsatisfied, kind of a sleepy version of blue balls. If only I had 10 minutes more. 20 minutes more. 

I'd totally pay for it.