On a Sunday night earlier in December, nearly every bed inside the Los Angeles store Mattress Central was occupied by world-weary people — and one floppy dog — who’d cocooned themselves with pillows, blankets and sleep masks. Any would-be mattress shoppers strolling by might have been befuddled as to why the store had closed early that night for an apparent slumber party.

But the event wasn’t for strangers and friends looking to gab, snack on pizza slices and watch bad movies; the relaxation itself was the point. 

That night, the mattress store welcomed in a procession of tired adults for a sound bath led by Alice Moon, a cannabis industry publicist turned wellness practitioner. This form of guided group meditation, often aided by ambient sounds like chimes, is popular among the wellness-conscious throughout Southern California. There’s been such a critical mass of candle-lit events in this vein that the LA Times dubbed the sound bath scene “magical” last year. 

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Recently, sound baths have been moving beyond the usual yoga studios, churches and parks, becoming more creative endeavors that feed the cultural desire for experiential activities, and with an added benefit: to breathe new life into struggling businesses. Over the summer, a Santa Rosa pool held a sound bath on floating mattresses bobbing throughout the water. And over in Landers, the Integratron, a dome-shaped structure, is a favorite for sound baths.

The exterior of a Mattress Central store in Los Angeles on Dec. 17, 2025.

The exterior of a Mattress Central store in Los Angeles on Dec. 17, 2025.

Mattresses inside a Mattress Central store in Los Angeles on Dec. 17, 2025.

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