Making Points With Spiky Mats

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Who would want a buy bed of nails?

Well, that might be its name, but it’s not really a board with nails sticking up from it. It’s a mat covered with plastic spiky discs. And it’s what Carina Tannenberg makes. She launched her company, Bed of Nails, in 2010 and sells them online and in some stores.

She said the mats help people treat their stress, insomnia and circulatory ailments. “Not everybody has enough time or money to go to an acupuncturist or masseuse every day,” Tannenberg said.

Customers include hospitals and sleep clinics, among many other health care facilities in the United States, United Kingdom, and across Europe.

“This is not just for hippies who opt for alternative care,” she said.

The company runs out of her Westwood home and hires freelancers for accounting, marketing and product design as well as Web design. The mats are manufactured in China. Tannenberg recently added aromatherapy products such as oils and candles.

Her products compete with brands such as Himalaya, Zensufu and HemingWeigh.

After appearing on “The Dr. Oz Show” in 2012, the company sold out of its products entirely, and had to restock its inventory. The company’s sales grew 685 percent from 2011 to 2012, with revenue of $522,000 last year. To date, Bed of Nails has sold close to 65,000 mats and accompanying pillows. She recently bought out her investor and lowered the prices of her products.

Tannenberg contacted the corporate office of Bed, Bath & Beyond Inc. and the chain now stocks them in some locations for $50. The Bed of Nails pillow sells for $30.

“People are scared of it at first, but it’s not painful,” she said.

– Nicole Behnam

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