The bean bag chair was first invented in 1968 by Italian designers Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini, and Franco Teodoro. Traditionally, it is a fabric bag filled with polystyrene beads that have the unique property of being anatomic, meaning it takes shape as defined by the user. Since 1968 there have been many iterations of the bean bag and now we have a new one, called the Moonpod. The Moonpod claims to be Cadillac of bean bag chairs. Indeed, many Moonpod review articles seem to support this claim. I, however, have decided to find out for myself.
The first thing I noticed when I unpacked the Moonpod was its shape. The Moonpod is shaped like a kidney bean with one end slightly elevated over the other, and a small dip between the two elevations. It would seem that the Moonpod doesn't get its name from its shape but rather its property of making the user feel as though they are weightless, or floating. This characteristic is what defines the product and sets it apart from other bean bag iterations. According to Moonpod's marketing, the sensation of floating is supposed to mimic that of floatation therapy and relieve the user of stress and anxiety. My first task, therefore, was to test this feature.
I placed the Moonpod in my bedroom and closed the blinds. The chair can be manipulated into three positions: flat, reclined or upright. For this exercise, I chose the flat position and lay down on my back. The first thing I noticed was the firmness of the material. Unlike a traditional bean bag chair where you tend to sink into its folds, the Moonpod holds you aloft. You do indeed feel like you're floating. Normally, when I'm relaxing, I rest on my side but I resisted the urge to turn on my side and instead tried to relax while laying flat on my back. It was an unnatural position for me but eventually, I became comfortable. I lay there for about twenty minutes before I began to feel bored. I was relaxed but I'm someone who can't sit still for very long. I was impressed that I'd manage to stave off the urge to do something for twenty minutes. Overall, I would agree that the Moonpod aids relaxation. However, as I was not under undue stress or anxiety while using the Moonpod, I can't say whether it helped in that area.
I next tested the Moonpod in the upright and reclined positions. I managed to maneuver the pod into the upright position with only a little difficulty. However, when I sat on it and leaned against the upright portion I found myself reclining. I discovered that I couldn't put too much pressure on the backing or it would recline. The reclined position was quite good for watching TV but in order to read or work on my laptop, I needed to be in an upright position. To solve this issue, I propped the chair up against a wall, in this manner I was able to maintain its upright position.
As with the traditional bean bag, the Moonpod is low to the ground and you feel a bit juvenile sitting in it. I felt especially diminutive when I had friends over and they were all seated on regular furniture and I was several inches below them on the Moonpod.
The Moonpod weighs 12 pounds and is 4 square feet in size. It is relatively easy to move and store. It also has the added benefit of a machine washable cover. This is quite convenient as I live with children and spills happen constantly.
The Moonpod is a definite improvement over the traditional bean bag. Its material is of much better quality and it ergonomically supports the body. It's quite relaxing to lay flat on, however as I've never experienced floatation therapy, I can't comment on how closely it mimics the sensations of that therapy. My children very much enjoy using the Moonpod while watching TV and reading, but as an adult, it made me feel small. I take issue with the fact that in the upright position you can't put too much pressure on the backing or it will recline but the reclined position is quite comfortable to use while watching TV. In sum, the Moonpod is maybe not the Cadillac of the bean bag world but it is definitely a luxury model.
