SLEEP FOR SALE
How much do you value being well rested on business trips? Swissôtel
is betting the answer is a lot: The hospitality chain just rolled out a € 60
($76) “deep sleep” package at its Berlin location. Developed by a German sleep specialist, the package intends to ease jet lag for traveling
business execs. We took it for a test snooze.
LIGH T THERAPY
The offer: Guests bask in 30 minutes of
simulated sunshine emanating from in-room electronic light boxes. A “light to
go” headset discreetly emits light into
your ear canal.
Science says: It generally takes a week
for your body’s inner clock to adjust to a
major time-zone shift, and light therapy
restores circadian rhythms more quickly.
Sleep success: ZZ (out of five)
THE
RECOMMENDER
What are you
loving this month?
POWER NAP
The offer: Groggy guests spend 20 minutes in the PowerNap lounge, where relaxing sounds and ergonomic couches
optimize shut-eye.
Science says: Short naps yield Stage 2
sleep, which enhances alertness and
concentration, elevates mood, and sharpens motor skills. In one study on pilots,
a 26-minute nap enhanced performance
by 34% and overall alertness by 54%.
Sleep success: ZZZZZ
Fashion conglomerate PPR—home to Gucci and Stella McCartney—
has turned to social-media site TheFancy to unearth fashion’s next
success story. Designs created for a PPR–sponsored student competition were posted on TheFancy, where voters selected favorites. The
winning looks will be displayed at Barneys New York in conjunction with
this month’s Fashion’s Night Out. Here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll see.
Fashion Gets TheFancy
CATHY MERENDA VP of music publishing, T wentieth Cen- tury Fox We Wood Watches: “The We Wood folks have an eco thing going: They plant a tree for every wooden watch you buy.” Public Bikes: “I have one that is bright orange, eight speeds. I fell in love with it online, and I flew to San Francisco just o take a test drive.”
CHRISTY LEE: ACCESSORIES/ MENSWEAR
AM Y LAY TON:
WOMENSWEAR
YINGSHI
LIN:
WOMENS-
WEAR
JIN KAY:
WOMENS-
WEAR
RELAXING ELIXIR
The offer: Just before bed, travelers sip
a mug of hot cocoa, delivered directly to
their door.
Science says: While a mug of warm milk
has been a sleep aid for millennia, the
National Sleep Foundation recommends
avoiding chocolate before bedtime. It
contains caffeine as well as theobromine,
a compound that increases heart rate
and causes sleeplessness.
Sleep success: Z
BINAURAL BEATS
The offer: An audio pillow with small
speakers pumps out binaural beats: two
tones with different frequencies, played
simultaneously. Proponents claim the
out-of-sync peaks calm brain activity.
Science says: Sleep researchers are
skeptical, though sound from the audio
pillow did mask the unfamiliar bumps
and chatter that can make sleeping in a
new space so difficult.
Sleep success: ZZZ
MOUNTAIN AIR
The offer: Guests can spend half an
hour hooked up to an oxygen tank,
breathing mountain air.
Science says: Thin air promotes the release of nitrogen monoxide into the
blood stream, which widens blood vessels, thereby lowering blood pressure
and promoting calm.
Sleep success: ZZ
RIO CARAEFF
President, Vevo
Leica cameras:
“Smartphones
are eating away
at the point-and-shoot market, but Leica
makes extremely simple,
high-quality
digital cameras.
The difference
is in the lens.
You see a picture from a
Leica and you
say, ‘ Wow, I forgot what a real
picture looks
like.’;”
Rocket Cellini
Espresso machine: “It’s what
I use every day
to get motivated and get
going, but at
the same time
it’s a sculpture.”
VH1’s new series Miss You Much gives viewers the chance to
catch up with stars of the late ’90s and get an answer to that
burning question, Where are they now? Sound familiar? It
should—because this new show is a remake of VH1’s late-’90s
hit Where Are They Now. And where are the Where Are They
Now people now? Mostly, right where you’d expect them.
VH1 Is Repeating Its Repeats
MEREDI TH ROSS
Then: Where Are They Now
executive producer
Now: Freelance television
producer
SHELLY TATRO
Then: Where Are They
Now executive producer
Now: Miss You Much
executive producer
JAMES CURRERI
Then: Where Are
They Now narrator
Now: Casting
assistant and actor
