It’s been a busy week in the world of flexible workspace. The past 5 days alone have given us coworking unconference tips, a deep-dive into workspace design from COCO founder Don ball, a new post-Trump workspace sustainability drive, and more.
Now it’s Friday, and it’s time to take a lighter look at our busy industry.
This week we’re focusing on some of the more, erm, unusual amenities on offer in flexible workspaces. From the weird and wonderful to the ‘Why didn’t we think of that?’, workspace operators know no bounds when it comes to cool coworking perks. And we love it.
Check out our favourites below.
Hat tip to Cat Johnson’s Coworking Content Alliance group for providing so many wonderful ideas and sources of inspiration.
1. Zen Meditation Room
“For May Mental Health Awareness month, we converted an office into a Zen meditation room,” says Jerome Chang of BLANKSPACES. The Zen room is still being used and Jerome plans to keep it that way, at least until a new member snaps up the office.
2. Yoga
On the subject of Zen, Primary in New York offers wellness-focused coworking space for yoga enthusiasts. Members get all the usual features – workspace, furnishings, conference rooms – with the added benefit of daily fitness and wellness classes.
3. Entertainment for Children (or adults?)
Linda Liu told us about two coworking spaces in Germany offering childcare services for working parents. Rockzipfel and Colibri Coworking in Hamburg offer babysitting services along with various kids’ activities, ranging from toys and playrooms to music lessons.
4. Climbing Wall
Break up your working day with a spot of lunchtime bouldering. Brooklyn Boulders is a climbing community with on-site workspace… or, a coworking space with its own climbing wall and gym. Whichever way you look at it, it helps members aim high in more ways than one.
5. Nap Room
The Grove in Dallas has its own Inspiration Room featuring comfy leather chairs and recliners. “It’s affectionately dubbed The Nap Room,” says Justin Nygren. “It even has a pull down shade to block outside light.”
6. PB&J Bar
“We keep a stocked PB&J bar at Cohere,” says Angel Kwiatkowski (to anyone outside the U.S., that’s a Peanut Butter and Jam sandwich bar). And judging by their Facebook feed, it seems sandwiches aren’t the only snack laid on by Cohere. Cookies, doughnuts, M&Ms, and of course freshly ground coffee. Where do I sign up?