Short on Sleep? Mall of America Sells Naps

The Associated Press

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Mall of America has a 74-foot Ferris wheel, a shark tank and a dinosaur museum. But if that puts you to sleep, a new nap store will sell you some shuteye for 70 cents a minute.

The store, to be called MinneNAPolis, is aimed at weary travelers who need a nap after a long flight but aren't staying long enough to book a hotel room, or spouses of shoppers who are traversing the mall's 4.3 miles of storefronts.

"We think it would be really good for husbands at Christmas, when their wives are power-shopping," said mall spokeswoman Julie Hansen.

Founded by PowerNap Sleep Centers Inc. of Boca Raton, Fla., the new store will include at least three themed rooms: Asian Mist, Tropical Isle and Deep Space. Each will have walls thick enough to drown out the sounds of squealing children at the indoor amusement park.

The 70 cents per minute fee works out to $42 an hour. Some pointed out that it would be cheaper to buy an $8 movie ticket and spend two hours sleeping through a quiet movie. At the company's other napping center at the airport in Boca Raton, annual memberships cost $1,200 for unlimited sleep time.

It would be even cheaper to stretch out on one of the mall's wooden benches, but people who work in the mall said they have seen plenty of tired people walking around, but haven't seen many of them doze off in public.

"We've got the view of quite a few benches here, and I can tell you that it just doesn't happen," said Sue Wendler, who has worked in the mall for six years in the marketing office for Mystic Lake casino.

Still, some shoppers had their doubts about paying for a nap.

"Would you get your money back if someone snored?" asked Linda Belz, 54, of Orlando, Fla.

"How do I know there won't be lice in the sheets?" said Ericka Dickerson, of Bradenton, Fla.

PowerNap Sleep Centers did not return a phone message left Friday by The Associated Press. Mall officials said the store would adhere to a one-person-per-room policy.