Hooray! It’s a new feature, Materialistas, where I talk to people I like, about stuff they love. Today I’m chatting with comedian and graphic designer Shayna Ferm about her Homedics® SoundSpa Sound Machine, which she says she can no longer sleep without. Let’s kick this off, shall we?
MM: Hi Shayna! Tell me a little bit about why you wanted to buy a sound machine (or how you got it, if it was a present)?
SF: I fell in love with a sound machine that an ex-boyfriend had at his apartment about 8 or 9 years ago. He used to keep it on "white noise" and I could hear this high-pitched sort of music in it and if I focused on that, I would immediately fall asleep. I loved it but never thought to buy my own after we broke up. Years later I bought this hi-tech one that had aromatherapy pods and crap like that. It broke about the third time I used it. It took my husband buying me the one I have now to get me back in the sound machine saddle, and now I'll never stop using it.
MM: What drew you to the SoundSpa in particular?
SF: The best thing about this one is that it's 20 bucks, and fully functional!
MM: Now, you use it every night, right? Walk me through how you set it
up, how long you play it for, etc.
SF: It has a timer for auto shut off, but I don't use it. I let it that thing play all night long. I have it set on "waterfall" because it reminds me of standing in the shower and letting the water fall on me, and it relaxes me. I love long showers… Okay - now I'm getting a little weird.
MM: Any TOTALLY fascinating or funny stories involving the Soundspa?
SF: Hmmmm. I brought it with me when I went home to Denver for my wedding because I was afraid I couldn't sleep. Is that story-worthy?
MM: Sure! How long have you had it for? And how well does it run compared to when you first got it?
SF: Embarrassingly enough - I've used it so much, now when you turn it on, you have to have a magic touch to get the knob to turn just right so it stays on. The sound will cut in and out otherwise.
MM: When it (sorry to even suggest this) eventually dies, will you replace it with another one of the same model? Or is there something else you have your eye on?
SF: I believe I would get the same one. I feel a kinship to it after all these years. And the fancier one disappointed me. I like my trusty Homedics one.
You can get the SoundSpa over at Bed Bath & Beyond, and, as an added bonus, I highly recommend picking up Shayna’s new hilarious and awesome album, “Blonde.” It may not rock you to sleep, but it'll certainly rock you.
SoundSpa: [$20, Bed Bath & Beyond]
Blonde: [$12.50, ShaynaFerm.com]
