Mattress store sound baths: a mattress company gets weird (and apparently, sales go up)
A sound bath practitioner, seeking a more resonant space, has commandeered an Atwater Village mattress store as her new venue, baffling locals and boosting sales for Mattress Central.
An unexpected oasis of chimes
It’s a Sunday night, and the showroom of Mattress Central is transformed. Blankets drape over a sea of mattresses, while the gentle tinkle of chimes fills the air. Participants, a mix of sleep-deprived Los Feliz residents and curious onlookers, lie motionless, seemingly lost in a meditative haze. This whole operation, dubbed ‘Moon Soul Sound Baths,’ began with a simple Google search and a surprising observation in Utah.
Alice Moon, the practitioner behind the sessions, explains her unconventional pivot. “I thought, how can I go bigger and better with my next space,” she said. “So I Googled sound baths in the news, and saw that someone in Utah was doing one at a mattress store, and I thought -- brilliant -- I gotta take that to LA.” The result? A surprisingly successful partnership.
The mattress sales spurt
Mattress Central owner, whose name is withheld, reports a significant uptick in sales since Moon began hosting her sound baths. “It’s been really good for Business,” he stated. “We’re seeing a definite increase in inquiries – people are coming in specifically to talk about the sound baths and, you know, to buy a mattress.”
Siri Swanson, a Los Feliz resident who attended a session, described the experience as “oddly calming.” “It was strangely peaceful to just be surrounded by all these beds,” she admitted. “I wasn’t sleeping, but I wasn’t fully conscious. It was a unique experience.”
Sound baths, rooted in ancient healing traditions, are believed to promote mental and physical well-being through the therapeutic effects of sound frequencies. Studies suggest that instruments like singing bowls and chimes can help reduce stress and anxiety. Elida Shaffer DeGovia, another attendee, noted, “I wasn’t sleeping, but I wasn’t fully conscious. It was a unique experience.”
Accessibility and a little bit of generosity
Moon is committed to making the experience accessible, offering up to ten free tickets per event. “I want to make the experience more accessible,” she said. “I give away up to 10 free tickets for each event because I want to make the experience more accessible.” The sound baths are decidedly not your typical retail environment – a testament to the unpredictable nature of wellness trends, and perhaps, a clever marketing strategy.
Ultimately, the sound bath at Mattress Central exemplifies an embrace of the unusual, demonstrating that even in the saturated landscape of consumerism, a little sonic serenity can be surprisingly effective.