Much like a vampire must rest in a wooden box filled with their native soil, a tech worker must sometimes pay $900/month to sleep in a wooden box equipped with a twin mattress.
Both are cursed — one by immortality, the other by skyrocketing housing costs and the mad dash to get in on AI.
Brownstone Shared Housing rents out private sleep pods in San Francisco ($700/month), Palo Alto ($900/month), and Bakersfield ($500/month).
They’re stacked two-high like bunk beds, each 4 feet tall and 3.5 feet wide. Features include a dimmable light, temperature control, a shelf and hanging rail, charging ports, and a privacy curtain.
The “houses” contain a kitchen (sans stove or oven), shared bathrooms, and common spaces. There’s no laundry.
One tech worker described the pods as a “little toastie” but a fine place to sleep while he pursues a career in AI.
Brownstone CEO James Stallworth told SFGate that many come to do the same. In San Francisco, all 28 beds are booked through October. (There is a city inspection pending, but Stallworth isn’t worried about it.)
Utilities are included, there’s no security deposit, contracts are month-to-month, and guests can network with each other.
In Bakersfield, where the median studio apartment costs $995, Brownstone’s $500/month offering may be appealing. In San Francisco, where it’s ~$2.2k, Brownstone’s, sadly, not a horrible deal…
… nor a new one: Japan has capsule hotels for the minimalist tourist, and similar “pod” arrangements in the US attract travelers, digital nomads, and people looking to save on rent by “co-living.” PodShare, with locations across California is one such example.
BTW: For those who’d actually like to sleep in a coffin, there’s Berlin’s Propeller Island City Lodge — though temporarily closed for renovations and a “new concept,” the hotel has 25+ bizarre themed rooms, including one where you can do just that.