Today's Washington Post reported the death last Wednesday of John Houghtaling, 92, who invented Magic Fingers, the coin-operated gadget that would vibrate a motel bed at the cost of 25¢ for one quarter hour. When one of those motels remodeled in the mid-1970s, they sold their Magic Fingers units and some came my way. The photos show the inner workings of my last one.

The red motor hidden under a bed provides the gentle vibrations. The slotted, black, rubber washers clip onto to a bed's box spring. As the washers age and harden, the vibrations become very loud. To install the Magic Fingers motor, I had to cut a slit in the cloth dust cover underneath my box spring and then stretch four coils to reach the washers. My installation attempts caused many knuckle scrapes and pinched fingers.

The timer and coin box presents the public face of Magic Fingers. The printed cover displays a sales pitch, operating instructions, and technical specifications. The motor's power cord plugs into a power outlet inside under the switch at the lower left.

To operate, a customer inserts a quarter into the slot on top and presses the plunger. Each quarter advances the indicator on the timer inside to power the motor for 15 minutes. The timer can register as many as 23 quarters—nearly six hours of tingling relaxation. The quarters drop into the coin box at the lower right. According to American Heritage Magazine, the average weekly take was eight quarters.

I gave a few Magic Fingers units as wedding presents. Their reception was mixed. One bride told me, many years later, that she did not discover the roll of quarters inside for over a year.