There's precious little human dignity in economy airline travel to begin with; why not go all the way? The HypNap TruRest offers you the opportunity to attempt sleep with your face mashed into a padded cradle, and arrive red, wrinkly and refreshed.
It's just like the hole in a massage table, really. Well, except there's no massage, the roar of jet engines stands in for the typical Enya and whale noises, and the aromatherapy is provided by the lout in the seat beside you, who's just returned from what's essentially a randomly moving public toilet, with no shoes or socks on.
The TruRest mounts to a good, sturdy foundation... Oh, wait. No, it clips onto your tray table, an item so flimsy that any drink large enough to reach the back of your throat without evaporating is verboten for your own safety. What's more, it clips to the point on the tray table farthest from its own supports, for maximum leverage and springboard action during turbulence.
You then adjust it to the height and dimensions of your face and chest, lean forward, plant your face in it like a tired zoo gynecologist, and settle in for a good snooze looking like you've just stepped off the transport ship onto Pandora. Just look at this model, in his shiny silver suit. He's together. He's with it. He's confident and successful. He knows he's going to get to his meeting fresh and full of ideas, even though he'll be presenting them with a big red wrinkly ring around his face.
Better still is the side view, which looks like he's just been hit in the face by an automatic cream pie dispenser installed by some prankster of the skies.
You know what the worst thing about the TruRest is? This ridiculous device, one step removed from the hard hat with integrated toilet plunger designs allegedly used by sleepy Japanese train commuters, is probably one of the best options we've seen for getting some sleep on a flight without brutalizing your spine.
Would I use one? Well, I'm in the enviable position of having no dignity or shame to begin with. So yes. Yes, I would. Yours for just $145 on Kickstarter, deliveries to begin in January, standard crowdfunding cautions apply.
Click through on the link below to enjoy a video starring our silver-suited friend. That guy's going places.
Source: Hypnap Trurest Kickstarter