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Seen At 11: Move Over Man Caves, Women Are Setting Up 'She Sheds' Of Their Own

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- For years, men have had man caves. Their very own hideaways to get away from it all.

Now, women are getting into the act with places of their own.

As CBS2's Alice Gainer explained, they're called 'she sheds.'

Up a mountain road, deep in the Catskills, Sandy Foster has her own personal paradise, a tiny refuge that's all her own.

"The feeling is kind of. I just want to do this -- woo hoo! That's the feeling," she said.

The she shed is only 120 square feet, but it's all the space she needs to relax and recharge.

"This gives me sanity. This is my peace," she said.

Foster single handily transformed an old hunting cabin with her own personal touches.

She said the time she spends alone has even helped her marriage.

"We can be left to our own devices, and come together with a lot more peace," Foster said.

The trend is popping up all over. Quaint, quiet spaces for women to get away from the demands of everyday life.

The sheds are as individual as the women who inhabit them.

In Wisconsin, Barbara Techler's shed is a place to write and let her mind run free.

"It's about continuing to be myself to follow my heart and to follow my dreams just to be what I want to be," she said.

Psychologist Dr. Jane Greer said for women the sheds serve an important purpose.

"When you're depleted by giving to your partner, to your family, to everything, and everyone around you, you need to be able to give to yourself, and this is a great way to do it," she said.

New Yorkers gave the sheds a big thumbs up.

"I think the trend is acknowledging that men and women, couples, need space, and I think it's good to honor that," one man said.

The women who spend time in their shed are not the only ones whose lives improve.

"If women can find a spot of their own to collect themselves and to have some peace and quiet, everyone is going to benefit from that," Techler said.

 

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