Maybe you work at home alone. Maybe you're on the road a lot and you have no headquarters or co-workers. You like your independence, but you're beginning to forget what it's like to grab a coffee with another human being who also likes The Office and who enjoys engaging in witty banter. But you don't want to hear an espresso machine wheezing in the background or a constant stream of strangers ordering venti mint mochas.

Be isolated no more: "Co-working," the gathering of people who are working independently but who are interested in feeling the buzz of working near others, is catching on in Washington. Co-working spaces have cropped up in Seattle, Tacoma and, more recently, Lacey. For monthly payments or daily drop-in rates, tenants can rent space at work tables or conference rooms and share common areas and coffee. The benefits are shorter commutes, someone to talk to about the latest Britney Spears debacle, and still no boss watching over you.

In Seattle, for example, Office Nomads, which opened in November 2007 and offers "individuality without isolation," provides high-speed Internet, printing, copying and fax capabilities, fresh coffee and tea, dedicated desk space, unlimited access to office space and use of three meeting rooms -- all for $475 per month. In Tacoma, Suite 133 -- 1,800 square feet of office space in a two-story building downtown -- will, for $250 per month, provide you with space at a work table, a private conference room for sensitive phone calls and access to wireless Internet. Secure storage and a refrigerator also are available. Meanwhile, the Lacey Business Center's co-working area, which opened in March, offers comprehensive services, including private offices and lounges that cost up to $600 per month.

Marketing consultant Chris Haddad heads to Office Nomads every weekday because he likes having an office to go to and people to chat with. "I've been self-employed for four years now," he told Fortune Small Business Magazine. "It's a lot of fun, I like doing it, but the walls close in really fast. There were several times where I realized I hadn't put on pants or left the house in 30 hours."

Puget Sound joins other metro areas in the U.S. that are embracing the co-working trend, including Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia and San Francisco. So, if you like to work alone -- but you also like to occasionally talk to someone at work -- put on your pants and try it.