Office Waiting Rooms and Ice Cream Cravings

I absolutely hate the dentist. Like would-rather-scrape-my-eyes out hate. Like would-choose-to-stick-my-hand-in-a-tank-of-scorpions hate. But after avoiding the dentist for five years, it came to a point where it was too painful to eat ice cream, so I finally decided I had to go. Because really, who can live a happy life without ice cream?

So with a referral from a friend, I had an appointment. From outside the office, I peeked through the windows to search for torture devices (the windows were tinted, so I was unsuccessful and I’m sure my face, cupped in my hands and pressed against the glass was a treat for everyone inside). The receptionist had asked me to arrive early to fill out some forms, so with twenty minutes until my date with the devil, I anxiously entered the office.

I walked into bliss. I kid you not. This waiting room was incredible. I checked again to see if I had the right address, but was soon greeted by name and asked to take a seat. And what a seat! A wrap around black leather sectional sofa opened up the whole room; it gleamed at me and invited me to fall back into it. With plenty of room to spread out, relax, and convince myself that only a successful (and therefore good) dentist could have a couch like this in his waiting room, I felt better already. In front of me, a modern styled table that would emphasize any room made me feel as comfortable as I would be in my own home. After filling out my papers, I picked up a Time Magazine from a very chic contemporary magazine rack. And then my mantra started: This isn’t so bad. This isn’t so bad. This isn’t so bad.

Although a nice enough guy, with his mask on, the dentist bore an uncanny resemblance to the infamous cannibal, Hannibal Lecter. But as he came at me with drills and picks and all things horrible, I didn’t care. I didn’t care because I had a pair of headphones on, watching the comedy network on a TV, fixed above me on the ceiling by a TV mount. Escapism by means of Seinfeld… a perfect way to transform a dental-phobic into one of the easiest patients in the world. This isn’t so bad. This isn’t so bad. This isn’t so bad.

I left with a follow-up appointment to fill my (seven) cavities and a new appreciation for office waiting rooms. It got me thinking about other waiting rooms or lobbies that I’ve spent some time in: Doctors offices, real estate offices, my friends’ offices where I wait for them to get off work for coffee or dinner dates. Office waiting rooms should be inviting, comfortable, and relaxing; after all, people spend a lot of time in waiting rooms over the course of their life.

Deck out your office waiting room in furniture that makes your customers, clients, potential future employees, and anyone else who makes a visit feel at ease. At Cymax, shop online for chairs and sofas, tables and magazine racks, lighting, coat racks, and accessories that will make any office guest feel as serene as they would in their own living room. If they are comfortable in the waiting room, they will be easier to please once they pass through your office door. A happy guest equals happy business.

So is it the prospect of being able to eat ice cream again or the TV and couch combo that is making me return to have my cavities filled? I think it is a combination of both. My only suggestion to improve the dentist’s office: Free ice cream on the way out. That isn’t so bad. That isn’t so bad. That isn’t so bad at all.