In the bustle of midtown, a new business may be the only firm banking on putting its customers to sleep.
Nap York, which opened in February, is importing the Silicon Valley trend of using mindfulness techniques to improve professional productivity. The wellness club seeks to capitalize on research showing an isolated break from daily stress can help the brain function by offering nap pods, yoga and meditation classes as well as a co-working space and a cafe serving nutritional dishes.
“If you’re not well rested you can’t focus,” Stacy Veloric, Nap York’s director of marketing, whispered, while giving amNewYork a tour of the business, located at 480 Seventh Ave.
Nap York’s trademark glossy, black pods are about the size of a single mattress and contain adjustable LED lights arranged to look like a night sky on the ceiling. Each half-hour session in the pods costs $10. Staff clean the cubicles and change the bedding between users.
Even the co-working space offers an easy respite, with ergonomic chairs that fold into a supine position for napping. (The adjustable desks can be used while sitting or standing, should workers need assistance staying alert.) Desks in the co-working space go for $9 per half-hour, and a moon chair runs $8 for the same amount of time.
The four-story club includes several green, environmentally conscious features and more than 250 plants. Mattresses are covered in so-called vegan leather, and the pods are built in Queens from formaldehyde-free wood.
“People feel better because their breathing is being purified by the plants,” Veloric said.
Meggie Wolcott, who recently explored Nap York for the first time, said her work as a fitting model required her to stand for extended periods of time, so she was always looking for places to rest between gigs.
“It’s a perfect place for me to hide,” said Wolcott, 32.
At the cafe, orders are placed on an iPad and can be paid for only with credit cards and Apple Pay. Drinks and dishes are delivered on a 30-foot conveyor belt below a wall covered with LCD TVs and hanging plants.
Nap York’s vibe — part botanical garden, part Space-Age lounge — intrigued Erin Chow, 34, a Macy’s employee, who recently opted to try out the cafe.
“I first noticed the black exterior of the building and got curious,” Chow said. “As soon as you get inside you can smell the essential oils and hear soothing music. It’s very relaxing.”
Beyond catering to workers in need of a break, Nap York targets tourists who may need a place to rest before their hotel rooms are available and business travelers looking for a home base between meetings and conferences. The wellness club, which is open 24-hours every day of the week, operates a Tesla shuttle to and from local airports as well as luggage storage.
