Rant: That coworking desk in Lisbon broke my back after 2 weeks

I paid $180 for a month at this trendy spot near Cais do Sodre, thinking the vibe would boost my flow. Turns out their 'ergonomic' chairs were basically plastic buckets, and I ended up with a knot that hurt worse than any hostel bunk. I finally moved to a quiet cafe with a normal table for $3 coffees and got more done in 3 days. Has anyone else found that paying more for 'community' actually means worse seating and noise? What's your go-to setup when the fancy space fails you?

2 comments

2 Comments

spencer_owens581mo ago

Is it really that serious though? I've worked out of worse spots for less money in my life, and a sore back for two weeks sounds more like a you problem than a chair problem. People act like coworking spaces are supposed to fix their posture and their focus at the same time, but you're just paying for wifi and a door that locks. I've sat on crates in a garage in Medellin for a month and wrote fine, so maybe the real issue is you expected a magic desk. The cafe move sounds smart, honestly, because $3 coffee and a normal chair beats $180 for a plastic bucket any day. My go-to is always a library, quiet, free, and nobody judges you for stretching every hour.

henryp401mo agoMost Upvoted

Crates in Medellin sounds pretty rough but you're right that people oversell coworking. The one thing I'd push back on is the library tip, cause most libraries I've been to have those hard wooden chairs that wreck me worse than anything. Maybe yours is different, but the ones near me are either freezing or have someone doing a loud zoom call in the corner. I get the appeal of free and quiet, but good luck finding an outlet that isn't taken by 9am. The cafe move is probably the sweet spot, $3 coffee and you can just leave when the chair gets bad.