This week, Off-Ramp got to test out a service on the cutting edge when two young entrepreneurs drove their vision for a mobile siesta-space into KPCC's parking lot.
Kevin and Ken Pham, who were both born in Vietnam but now line in Garden Grove, parked what looks like a B-level movie star trailer outside our studios. The Phams have started a company called Nappify, and the trailer contained four "nap pods." They invited us to take off our shoes and come inside.
"Nappify is coming back to my childhood," says Kevin Pham. "In Vietnam we have an actual culture — businessmen take a break from 1-2 p.m. every day and they start the second half of the day refreshed, refocused, and ready to work."
U.S.C. sleep expert Dr. Raj Dasgupta says for Americans, sleep is underrated.
"We focus so much on the day, what you eat, your exercise — focus on the night! That's the other half of your day," he said.
Some fellow KPCC-ers stopped by to try out the new pods.
Reporter Jen Miller was intrigued. " It feels a little bit like being in a capsule hotel in Tokyo," she told John Rabe.
Reporter Leo Duran felt like the Nappify pods had room for improvement.
"This window, I would love it if it was blackout out," he said.
John Rabe, outfitted in his Merona pajamas, was easier to win over. "The answer is 'yes, I think I could do this'."
