The Citizen (Gauteng)

Pay-for-sleep a growing fad

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– New York is the city that never sleeps, but arduous commutes, hellish hours and ultra-competitiv­e jobs mean even the most wired of party animals or dedicated employees have to recharge their batteries.

But instead of knocking back a coffee or quaffing an energy drink, a growing number of New Yorkers are opting for a quick nap during office hours.

With affluent Americans increasing­ly health conscious – indulging in fads such as green juice, hot-house yoga and matcha tea – a few pay-for-sleep businesses are now offering customers a little shut-eye on the quiet.

Nap York is one. Opening three months ago in a three-storey building near Penn Station, $12 (R150) buys patrons 30 minutes in a wooden cabin, day or night.

“We wanted to accommodat­e all the exhausted New Yorkers,” says Stacy Veloric, the company’s marketing director. “It’s really hard to find peace and quiet within New York City.”

The business opened with seven cabins, but demand quickly exceeded supply and they added 22 more.

Soon there will also be hammocks on the roof, where 30 min kick-back will cost $15.

The US sleep deficit is real. According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, a third of Americans sleep less than they should.

Only 24% of New Yorkers get eight or more hours of sleep – nearly half get six or less, according to a state-wide survey for Siena College.

Lack of sleep causes moodiness, low productivi­ty and poor concentrat­ion.

It also costs the US economy up to $411 billion and the equivalent of 1.23 million working days a year, according to a Rand Corporatio­n study in 2016.

Laura Li, a 28-year-old copy editor for a travel company, is someone who prefers a 35 min nap to a coffee. Each week she pops along to YeloSpa, a luxurious, spa-style Fifth Avenue fixture opposite Trump Tower.

Li steps into a hexagonal cockpit and lies on a bed suspended in a position of zero gravity, knees bent and feet elevated to lower the heart rate and induce sleep.

Thirty-five minutes later, she’ll be woken by “a simulated sunrise”, explains Maya Daskalova, YeloSpa manager.

The price? A dollar a minute, with a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 40.

Daskalova has seen her clientele grow and believes cultural attitudes in America are changing. “Resetting you for the rest of the day is much better than crashing in your desk in the middle of work,” she says.

Who escapes to take a nap? Those who work long hours or live miles away and want time out before a night out. Pregnant women who are exhausted. Parents of babies suffering sleepless nights and party-goers who need a breather. –

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