Travelling siesta pods to hit the streets of Paris this week
The cabins – containing a mattress and pillows – will be pulled through the French capital by electric bikes
Travelling Ikea siesta pods are to hit the streets of Paris from August 30 to September 3
Ikea
People in Paris will this week be able to take a siesta in one of eight specially designed cabins roaming the city’s streets.
Between August 30 and September 3, Ikea will be mobilising a fleet of electric bicycles, each of which will pull a sleep pod.
These little rooms are equipped with a mattress, cushions, a duvet, a rug, and pillows.
They will be available between 13:30 and 18:30, although people wishing to use them must book by sharing a story or a tweet containing the hashtag #lasiesteIkea and mentioning @IKEA_FRANCE.
Once the reservation is confirmed, a pod will arrive in the customer’s location of choice within half an hour, as long as they can present a valid health pass.
The cabins are disinfected and aired for 10 minutes in between each napper, and all of the bedding materials are also changed.
Siesta bars
Since 2011, people in Paris have also been able to take a siesta at the ZZZen Bar à Sieste. Customers can choose from a range of reclining massage chairs and beds, and can even come along with a friend if they so wish.
Siesta bars can also be found in cities including Lyon, Nantes, and Rouen.
A legal right?
Back in 2007, the then-Health Minister Xavier Bertrand announced that he was encouraging companies to experiment with 15-minute siesta breaks, citing “their tangible results in terms of public health and work organisation”.
He added that if it were “accepted by businesses and used by employees”, the daily nap concept would be “promoted” as a practice in workplaces across France.
Despite this trial, afternoon siestas are still yet to become commonplace in French offices, which is why Ikea says that it is using “this busy rentrée [return to work and school after the summer] period to provide cabins specially adapted for naps” on the street outside.
In 2007, Mr Bertrand also pledged an annual budget of €7million, aimed at educating the French population – and especially children and teenagers – about different sleep problems, to help people to avoid them.
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