'Wonder Bed' Draws Crowds Of Nappers To Koreatown Massage-Bed Store
KOREATOWN (CBSLA.com) — On a recent Wednesday afternoon in Koreatown, as traffic snarled and car horns blared outside, a few lucky patrons of a massage-bed store in a strip mall were feeling utter bliss.
They came to sample the store's main attraction: the Migun Bed, an acupressure bed made in South Korea that is quickly gaining a cult following in Los Angeles.
"It feels like my body's just butter," said David Alvarado, who said he makes daily trips to the store to take a 30-minute nap after hitting the gym.
The bed's secret is it has rows of heated domes that roll up and down the body, massaging the body from the calves to the neck.
Sam Park, manager of the Migun Western shop, said the bed combines "the wisdom of thousands of years of oriental medicine with Western technology."
So, why don't people just buy one of their own?
Well, it is a tad expensive. The bed costs more than $3,000.
But thanks to Park's generosity, visitors are welcome to sample the Migun bed by paying just a few dollars.
"'They're like, 'Wow [$3,000 is] over my head. I can't afford that," Park said. "And we tell them, 'It's OK, you can can come. Keep coming, and once you have the means, you can buy it."
Even those who will never be able to afford the bed are welcome to try it out, too, he said.
That policy has turned the mattress store into something of a makeshift spa and napping lounge.
Dozens of people come to the store to sample the bed every day, and there is often a line.
Many regulars come in after a long day of work or when they're in need of rejuvenation. Some patrons call the Migun bed the "wonder bed" and hope it can ease their ailments.
"It's relaxing and my body is healing," said Amaro Chavez, who comes in looking for relief from symptoms of pre-diabetes.
Another patron, Denise Butts, said she has bad circulation and has come to lie on the bed a few times. Though she hasn't been able to fall asleep yet, she's hoping to soon experience a nap on the bed.
"I'm not that far yet," Butts said. "I hope it will come."
The bed has an FDA clearance stating that it delivers heat and may temporarily relieve pain, but there is no scientific evidence to support any other medical claims.
For more on Migun Acupressure, go to www.migunwestern.com.
