By Jeremy Murphy
Photography by John Filo
On CBS' Criminal Minds, actor Matthew Gray Gubler portrays Dr. Spencer Reid, a genius FBI profiler who has been plagued by violent nightmares. "He's haunted by the faces of victims and young children, people that he wasn't able to save. ... He sees terrible things on a daily basis," says the actor, whose character's harrowing journey grew even more sadistic two seasons ago after he was kidnapped and tortured by a serial killer, played by a former Dawson's Creek cast member, no less! It's enough to send anyone off the deep end, and Gubler's alter ego is no exception. He's struggled to overcome his issues through varying means, from the conventional (therapy, introspection) to the, well, not (drug addiction, sulking). And while it's a long road back, Dr. Reid has attempted to put his personal demons to rest so he can continue slaying the real ones.
Still, it's taking him long enough, right? Isn't there an easier (read: quicker) way to do this, even on a government salary? 
Enter Sleeping Beauty. Or, rather, the Sleeping Beauty package, a new promotion from The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin and the sleep laboratory at Berlin's Charité University, which aims to help guests achieve the perfect night's rest. From luxurious bedding and gourmet dining to soothing spa therapies and a performance of the Staatsballet Berlin, the package is designed to craft the perfect environment for slumber. It even includes consultation from doctors at the Charité laboratory who monitor your nocturnal habits and offer suggestions on how to catch deeper Zzzzzzs.
Introduced in 2007, the promotion was inspired by the Charité's work with the Staats ballet Berlin, whose dancers' late performances and physical exertion led to injuries and difficulties sleeping. Doctors at the clinic studied their habits, and helped them identify key areas that would help them get more—and better quality of—rest, which would, in turn, enhance their performance. The outcome of the study led to the creation of the ideal sleep environment and inspired The Ritz-Carlton's package. 
Imagine how much Sturm und Drang Dr. Reid could have saved with just a few nights of rest in a luxurious suite, sleeping atop a plush, custom made Sealy bed with a sumptuous Sculpture Foam layer, and linens with a thread count that even Streisand would approve of. Or if he were to undergo brain light therapy at La Prairie Boutique Spa, which induces relaxation in 10 minutes flat (or your first dreams are free?). Or if he were to indulge in a gourmet, five-course dinner at the hotel's award-winning Vitrum restaurant, headed by new chef Hendrik Otto, a Michelin-star recipient at the age of 29.
Well, imagine no more. For while it might be too late for the troubled profiler to find his inner sleeping beauty, his portrayer, Matthew Gray Gubler, was more than willing to play guinea sheep for this experiment. 
After a rigorous Wednesday morning shoot on his show's Glendale, Calif., set, Gubler boarded an American Airlines flight to London, during which he got a warm-up to his Rip Van Winkle experience— a full night's sleep in the airline's new Next Generation Business Class, which features angled, lie-flat seats that recline to a 9-degree slope and extend out 77 inches, quilted cotton duvets anda "SpAA in Flight" amenity kit, including shoe bag, socks, eyeshades and personal products from the exclusive Temple Spa line.
After the 12-hour journey, Gubler switched planes in London to Berlin and headed off to his temporary new home: the 302-room Ritz-Carlton, Berlin. The property, located on the city's Potsdamer Platz, has hosted everyone from Will Smith to Mick Jagger to Leonardo DiCaprio. And though its sandstone art-deco exterior might say otherwise, inside it is grandiose and opulent, with a dramatic, free-form marble staircase at the foot of the lobby and rich woods, bronze accents and imported marble spread throughout the interior. 
After settling into his suite, Gubler's official quest began on a Friday evening in the hotel's Tea Lounge, where he met Thomas Penzel, M.D., a renowned scientist from the German Society for Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research, The Charité University Hospital. There, Penzel presented Gubler with specially designed actimeters, wristwatch-like devices that would record his sleeping and waking patterns throughout the entire trip, as well as his arm movements, body temperature and surrounding light ambience.
"It's surprisingly small and it's so light—it's like a rubber band with a piece of grip tape on it," jokes the actor, who was advised to wear one on each arm throughout the entire weekend, removing them only to shower. "I expected it to be more of a giant machine!" "No, no, we wouldn't do that to you," the doctor says, laughing. 
While Gubler himself doesn't have any sleep problems (that he knows of), the two discussed "sleep hygiene," things you should and shouldn't do before bedtime to get a better night's rest. Among Penzel's no-nos are caffeine, big meals, rigorous activity and alcohol, which may help you doze o_but will awaken you after a few hours (see "Get Your Zzzzs" for more tips)
And while warm milk and tea are good, Kenny G is not among the recommended sleep inducers. "We have never advised that as physicians," says a deadpan Penzel.
Later that evening, Gubler joined his traveling companions for a special tasting menu prepared by Chef Otto in the hotel's signature restaurant, Vitrum. There, Gubler enjoyed entrées including lukewarm lobster with butter lettuce, supreme halibut with lemon pepper and wild herbs, chickpea purée, eel braised in red wine sauce, dove étouffée on cream parsley, and mango-crusted venison loin with spices. 
With his actimeters on, the actor started his first full day of Sleeping Beauty boot camp with a breakfast of baguettes, Danish pastries, croissants, muffins and brioches in the hotel's 10th-floor Club Lounge, which offers guests complimentary food presentations throughout the day.
Afterward, he headed up to the hotel's 2,200-square-foot Ritz-Carlton suite, where its in-house "Bath Butler" had drawn him the "Gentleman's Bath," a masculine version of the traditional bubble bath made with the green fir-scented rose bath gel, a brand of Sauvage cosmetics. The "Gentleman's Bath," which retails for 60 euros ($95 USD), also includes a glass of cognac, canapés and even a cigar upon request. 
Gubler then joined his group for a lunch on the gourmet floor of the department store Galeries Lafayette, where he enjoyed cold tomato cream soup, scallops with wild rice, salad with grilled goat cheese and chicken breast, and champagne sorbet.
The next step on the actor's itinerary was the hotel's La Prairie Boutique Spa, where Barack Obama recently visited for a 30-minute workout. Gubler, instead, took part in the spa's brain light therapy, a mental relaxation exercise that includes a vibration leather armchair with massage modules on the back, visualization glasses in red or green lights, and headphones with music for every taste. Participants reach total relaxation mode in 10 to 20 minutes flat; Gubler was out in 12.7 minutes, which in TV time is like 10 seconds (minus commercials). 
After a free afternoon, the actor channeled his former occupation as a runway model for Hugo Boss, donning a tuxedo and slicking back his hair for a black-tie performance of the Staatsballet Berlin's Swan Lake, held at the State Opera House Unterden Linden. The near three-hour presentation included a champagne reception during intermission, as well as a backstage tour of the opera house. 
The last day of Gubler's Sleeping Beauty experience included a champagne brunch on the patio of the hotel's Brasserie Desbrosses, then an afternoon of sightseeing in authentic East German "Trabi" cars—small, no-frills automobiles the former communist government provided to its citizens. The cars, which had a 12-year waiting list in East Germany, included four seats and no roof, and on this day Gubler joined his group in a four-Trabi motorcade, which went past historic sites like Checkpoint Charlie, Karl-Marx-Allee, Museum Island, Brandenburg Gate, German Parliament and the site of the Berlin Wall. The group listened to the guides speak about all the monuments and sites through walkie-talkies. 
Finally, the actor was taken to the laboratory of the Charité University Hospital, where Penzel and his colleagues removed the actimeters from his wrists and began reading the results. Within an hour they had a five-page report that detailed his entire weekend, even pinpointing the applause he gave during Swan Lake, as well as a five-minute nap he took during the performance.
"You can see that?" Gubler responds, embarrassed but incredulous. "That's fantastic!"
"Yes, it was a smaller nap during the latter part of the performance," says Penzel.
"It was so pleasing to the senses that I just, you know ... I made it more of a subconscious experience," Gubler jokes, to which Penzel shoots back, "I think it's the proper way to enjoy ballet, in sort of a half daze." 
His report also indicated five to six hours of sleep both nights, which is under the recommended eight hours the average person should have, but the quality of his rest—called "sleep efficacy"—caught Penzel's eye.
"It is how we evaluate how much time you were awake during the night," the doctor explained. "If it's 100 percent, it would mean you have not been awake at all." 
Gubler rated an 86.1 on his first night and an 87 on his second, indicating minimal interruption during the hours he was asleep. According to Penzel, anything over 85 is good, 70-85 is intermediate, and anything under is cause for alarm.
"It's incredible to see it all in a graph," Gubler says. "And the accuracy is unbelievable." 
And so ended Matthew Gray Gubler's Sleeping Beauty experience—three days of utter relaxation and gastronomic delight that would have solved a lot of problems for his on-screen counterpart.  | 