Busy, busy, busy in Civic—hold on while I have a nap
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Emma Macdonald naps on work time and we’re ok with that. Meet Snoozapalooza—a Canberra salon dedicated to the art of drifting off.
My experience of Civic is always one of harried parking, shopping, meetings, odd jobs, and the endless rush of modern-day life.
Except for today. Today I am heading into Civic for a nap…
Snoozapalooza is a little hard to find at first. You head to Gus’s café, then enter the Garema Centre arcade and go up one flight. Over in the far corner, behind an ornate black door lies a new experience for Canberrans—two NASA-designed, zero-gravity EnergyPods and a salon dedicated to the art of drifting off.
Now, if I was living in Tokyo, I would probably have become well-acquainted with such high-tech wizardry long before now—Asian countries have embraced sleeping pods with gusto.
And if I was living in a country such as Spain, my natural desire to nap in the afternoon would be happily accommodated by an entire country which shuts down for siesta time.
Alas, I live in Canberra, where the cult of business and chronic sleep-deprivation has us all in its bleary-eyed thrall.
But today I am bucking the trend of four-to-six-hours of shut-eye a night (if I am lucky) and going in for a long-overdue rest.
The brainchild of Canberra mother-of-four Sonya Georgalis, Snoozapalooza was born out of Sonya’s own experience of that almost excruciating level of tiredness that comes from having young kids.
The former finance and admin worker remembers being so desperate to shut her eyes that she would book massages during the day just to be able to lie down and let sleep take over.
When that got too expensive, she began lunchtime yoga classes which ended in that blissful Savasana.
“But when I thought more about it, what I actually loved about yoga was not the yoga but just the Savasana.”
“It seemed to me that the entire yoga class loved that bit the best too, but it wasn’t practical to expect a roomful of people to all take a nap together … So I started researching better ways to allow people to get proper sleep breaks during the day.”
Sonya Georgalis.
The benefits of napping on cognitive function—not to mention reducing the compulsion to stab colleagues or family members throughout the day—are well-documented.
A nap of just 15-20 minutes a day is thought to be optimal in terms of improving mental clarity and performance without the lingering drowsiness of longer naps.
But, for most of us, open-plan offices leave little room for discreet shut-eye. And napping in the car can feel a little desperate (of course, I only know this because friends have told me…).
At Snoozapalooza, Sonya has set up two rooms with their own EnergyPods.
You simply arrive, check-in with Sonya in the lobby, and then head in for some deep and restorative time out.
For $20, you get a half-hour slot, although you can splurge on a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep if you really need it.
You sit down on the pod and choose whether to have sound—a rainforest background, classical music, or a guided meditation. Or the sweet sound of silence if you prefer. Take off your shoes, draw up the extra-large blanket (non-fluffy so your work suit won’t get wrecked), and slide the curved cover around for full immersion.
In my case, after a particularly adrenaline-fuelled pre-Christmas reconnaissance at the Canberra Centre, I arrive in a state of wide-awakeness.
Sonya programs the pod for a guided meditation with the added benefit of a massage. She reclines the pod full-whack to ensure a zero-gravity experience—reducing my blood pressure and slowing my heartrate almost immediately. She dims the lights and leaves the room, closing the door behind her. A deep American voice echoes through my head and my mind flits from task to task. For a few moments. Then the darkness takes over, the warmth spreads through my limbs and I Let. It. Go.
After a few minutes Mr Relaxation leaves the pod and very calming ambient sounds replace his voice. I am not sure what happens next other than recalling my thoughts moving from the path of reality and meandering into sub-conscious territory. I am out of it. After the 20-minute allotment, my friend’s voice returns with a gentle invitation to come back into the present. A dim light comes on and gradually I return to time and place.
I am deeply relaxed and after a minute or two feel fully alert. I bounce back out to thank Sonya. And then hit the pavement again, ready and raring to go.
After being open for just two months, Snoozapalooza has earned some repeat customers.
Sonya reports she has had everyone from harried mums taking just a short break in the day for themselves, to office workers taking a post-lunch, to students having a refresh before heading out to dinner and corporate-traveller types finding themselves in town for a few hours and needing to put their feet up.
“I have also had a few gift cards purchased for Secret Santa for Christmas, because at $20 it is a relatively cheap indulgence.”
While she recommends booking online, Sonya is also happy to accommodate people walking in off the street as best she can.
The location is so discreet nobody need know what you are doing. And when you emerge from the pod, you will feel a whole lot more prepared to face the world.
the essentials
What: Snoozapalooza
Where: Level 1, Garema Centre, 70 Bunda Street, Civic
Hours: Monday through Friday from 10 am–4 pm and extended beyond that upon request.
Contact: 02 6152 0458
Web: snoozapalooza.com.au
This editorial was created in partnership with Snoozapalooza. For more information on sponsored editorials, click here.
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