Serious Nappers Only: Power Nap Head Pillow

Catching some Z’s when you don’t have access to a comfy bed can be tricky. Ever tried sleeping with your head smushed against a vibrating bus window? It sucks. You wake up with a stiff neck, a foggy brain, and the sneaking suspicion that the person across the aisle watched you drool. And apparently nobody cares that you’re napping. Is it too much to ask your boss, teacher, or therapist to shut up for 20 minutes and dim the lights? Probably.

That’s where the Power Nap Head Pillow comes in. This thing slides over your whole head like a cushioned helmet, leaving an opening around your nose and mouth. The idea is to block distracting light and muffle some of the surrounding noise while you grab a little shut-eye. It also makes you look like a weird alien with giant hollow eyes on the sides of your head. Which, if you ask me, is definitely a plus.

How the Power Nap Head Pillow Works

According to Hammacher Schlemmer’s product listing, the Spain-designed pillow wraps around the head and neck with a soft, padded shell. It has a gray exterior, a blue interior, and a big opening at the front so your nose and mouth aren’t buried in fabric. The retailer describes a viscose-rayon cover and hypoallergenic stuffing. So, unlike a regular travel pillow that just hugs your neck, this one gives your entire head its own tiny apartment. No windows. Terrible curb appeal. Excellent privacy.

And those strange holes on either side aren’t just there to complete your alien disguise. They’re pockets near the ears where you can tuck your hands while leaning forward onto a desk or airplane tray table. The padding is meant to support your head in that position, and the pillow can also be used flat like an ordinary cushion. It even folds down for packing, according to the retailer. That’s useful, because carrying a giant fabric space helmet through the airport would attract enough attention already.

For Serious Nappers, Not Serious Fashion Icons

The Power Nap Head Pillow was not exactly a bargain-bin neck cushion, either. A November 2013 travel gift roundup listed it at $99.95. That was the reported price at the time, not a promise about what it costs or whether you can buy it now. For nearly a hundred bucks, you could put your head inside a plush cave and let the rest of the world figure out how to make awkward eye contact with you. Worth it? Depends how badly you need that nap.

Of course, the pillow can’t force your bus to stop rattling or persuade your boss that nap time is a constitutional right. And muffling noise isn’t the same thing as making the world completely silent. But it’s a pretty entertaining attempt to make a little privacy where there isn’t any. In case you’re wondering, my book is still titled, ‘If People Are Going to Stare At You In Public Anyway, You Might As Well Look Like an Alien.’ I expect this pillow to make the cover. Right after I wake up.