Siesta, Siesta: Lunch break naps just got a whole lot better! Coco-Mat, a mattress store in Soho, offers the public hotel-style bedrooms to take free naps in. More details after the jump!
The complimentary upscale sleeping room, set up on the lower level of the store Coco-Mat, is a free by-the-hour suite – complete with couch, coffee table, bathroom and their famous customized Californian king.
In a no-strings-attached arrangement: the founder and Greek native Paul Efmorfidis welcomes you to take his all natural and handmade mattresses for a test drive, for a one, two or three hour nap.
While the idea comes from an ‘I sleep well, then I buy’ mentality, Mr Efmorfidis has no qualms if you simply just want to pop in for lunch (yes, they serve lunch every day in the showroom) and a restful nap.
In an age when the attitude of ‘what’s the catch?’ is prevalent, he told MailOnline, there is none.
‘In Greece, we want to show that everything is transparent. This is the policy of our company, to show that our mattresses are the best in the world,’ he said.
‘If I tell you they’re the best, why should you believe me? With [the sleeping room], you can see for yourself, with no obligation to buy.’
Really?
Yes, he explained: ‘I have no trouble if they misuse [the service]. If you come here with your friends for a handful of naps and don’t buy anything, that’s OK.
‘I guarantee when it’s time for you to invest in a mattress, you’ll think of us first. And you’ll talk about the experience with your friends.’
The idea started in Coco-Mat’s Amsterdam store and proved a great success.
Not so much a business model as a great idea, the unique room enables an everyday person, tourist, or SoHo regular to build a close rapport with the brand, even if they’re not in the market for a mattress.Â
When you walk in to Coco-Mat, which opened earlier this week, you’re immediately offered an orange juice or espresso, because all Mr Efmorfidis wants is for you to hang out, and have fun in his showroom.
‘We want to be close with our customer,’ Mr Efmorfidis said. ‘We’re a friend’.
Coco-Mat’s mattresses are made from all natural materials, including seaweed and eucalyptus, and have no metal springs, instead using natural rubbers made from trees to give the mattress’s their firm hold.
‘I was in Greece sleeping on Sparta beach, lying on seaweed and enjoying the sun,’Â Mr Efmorfidis explained. ‘The iodin in seaweed is so good for your health, I thought, why don’t I make a mattress from seaweed myself?’
Seaweed is a source of iodin, necessary for thyroid function, which also has has curative properties for tuberculosis, arthritis, colds and influenza, worm infestations and even tumors.
You can book Coco-Mat’s sleeping room, or if it’s vacant, they accept walk-ins.
You will be set you up with everything necessary for a good sleep – pillows of varying firmness, soft sheets, a glass of juice and soothing classical music, all on the house.
If you fall in love with the suite while you’re there, you can purchase everything in it too, if you so choose.
And if you don’t want to sleep alone, bringing a guest along is not a problem – which may explain oversize shower and sound proof walls.
