I booked a cheap flight from Nice to Sydney, which included an overnight layover in Dubai. The overnight layover was why it was cheap. My neighbor told me about accommodation at the airport which only cost $89.00. I believed her, unfortunately, and booked it.
I made sure I packed clean undies, the good old cotton knickers type instead of sexy lacy, and an assortment of toiletries in my carry on so I could freshen up along the way. Also, I could purchase additional bathroom accessories, like a shower cap, soap, towel, toothbrush for an extra fee at this accommodation.
It was easy to find the appropriate desk after disembarking from the plane. Thel little sweet receptionist greeted me and led me around to dusky hallway, opening up to a room with subdued lighting and neutral walls. That aura made the SleepPods stand out even more.
I stared at 16 coffin shaped beehive domed pods. It flashed through my mind that I was in a SciFi movie and something bad was going to happen. I yelped in surprise and the little sweet hostess shhhhoooshed me while glaring.
She showed me where to stow my carry-on and opened the pod by unlatching it at the bottom and swinging the top high up. The hinge was at the top of the pod so it was wide open now, reminding of some kind of macbre set of jaws, exposing a mattress and pillow inside.
The little sweet lady showed me the different buttons, spaces, and temperature controls, and left me alone to get settled.
It really did look like a coffin, maybe a foot longer, with a domed lid that had slats in the roof for air, but strangley enough, no light entered. I was glad there was no flowers or satin inside.
I got what I needed for the next morning out of my carry-on and thought about how to enter my new bed. Turning around, I sat down and wiggled backwards, about halfway up the mattress.
I am a tall lady and in those days, I was a bit broad, too. Not obese, just curveicous. The pod ceiling at its highest point, was too low for me to fully sit up.
Slightly slumped, taking my top off involved some dramatic arm movements which resulted in elbows bumping sides of the pod . I also wriggled out of my bra and considered my jeans, which were a bit tight to begin with. Wriggling is not the correct word for my attempts to take my jeans off. Struggling would be more accurate. But finally everything was stowed in a side pocket and I put on a long, yellow cotton nightgown and laid back. With a sigh, I left my body relax and feel the welcome sensation of a prone position.
It was then when I knew that I had to pee. I pee a lot. And that wasn’t going to go away without a visit to the bathroom. With a sigh, I hit the button to open the roof and scooted out on my bum. I assumed that there would be a bathroom within this area for Pod customers, and grabbing my toothbrush and toiletries kit, set out to find it.
But, alas, no bathroom in sight. The pretty little lady out front told me that I had to use the Concourse bathroom which was available to all female travelers. Huh? The main Concourse? With people walking back and forth? Fully clothed? Past restaurants with people eating at tables? Past folks charging their iPhones? Past people waiting for flights?
I stopped dead and thought of the gymnastic convulotions it took to undress in the pod. The time it took to stow my clothes.
I couldn’t face that again. But I had to pee. And my teeth had grown sweaters. I stood straight up, dropped my head to stare at my yellow nightgown and with toiletries clutched to my chest, walked out into the crowded Concourse. My eyes darted left and right until I saw the Toilet Women sign. After a few steps I took sidelong looks at other passengers, expecting to see shocked faces. Or at least amused expressions. But nobody noticed me, nobody cared about my bare feet, my nightgown draping to the ground, the boobs bouncing unhindered.
I shrugged and found the bathroom and did my thing, ending up by washing up a bit and brushing my teeth. Although not clean, I was a lot closer to it and felt ready for bed.
My way back to my Pod was without incident or drama, and wiggled back onto my mattress and stretched out, staring at the slats above me. I closed my eyes and it was morning.
Since then I understand that Sleep Pods have been replaced by Sleep Igloos but I’m not willing to experiene. Once was enough.