Until recently, the trials and tempo of Manhattan spared no time for sleep. A sign of the weak and frail, sleep was avoided with mild and major measures. Fortunately, 2018 is now here and sleep is starting to be considered an essential part of a long and vibrant life. New York’s pioneering edge is scooping up hypersomniacs in various sized pods in Manhattan, boosting the city’s productivity and maintaining its mental sanity.

Two companies have taken the first steps towards providing dedicated spaces for somnambulant city-goers, YeloSpa and Nap York, venues for lifehackers and jet setters alike. Aside from their separate locations between Midtown Manhattan and Fifth Avenue / 57th Street, YeloSpa and Nap York are slightly differentiated in the service they offer.

True to their name, YeloSpa (featured image) present a refined set of treatments to their guests, including massage, facial and Reiki. Offering napping differentiates them from the swathe of decent spas on Manhattan, a service which makes the most of same “YeloBed” zero gravity chairs used by beauticians (header photo above).

There is only one tier of napping service and it is priced per minute – guests have the usage of a private YeloCab room and can select their time allocation from 20 to 40 minutes, priced at $1 per minute. Set your aromatherapy and sound settings, recline in your YeloBed to find a point of zero gravity and you’re off, woken by the gentle lightening of the room in sync with your time allocation (this didn’t wake me, so request audio if you’re a deep sleeper).

By comparison, Nap York is more simple, clearly designed around a nighttime emphasis with dark furnishings and an entirely blacked-out venue above the street level reception. Nevertheless, Nap York do offer an array of sleeping setups, with stacked Business pods starting at $10 for 30 minutes (photo below), First Class standalone units and the dearest option, Suites.

Move up the pricing and your privacy and comfort at Nap York scales somewhat. For a first-timer, the $10 Business booths are perfectly adequate, complete with Airweave mattress, pillow, soundproofed walls and a curtain, drawable for privacy. Suites might work for longer stays, and the minimum time allocation is one hour, priced at $40. Booked nap time ends with the vibrating off a portable tab which you are handed at check-in, much like those used in restaurants to signal customers to come collect their dish.

Whereas YeloSpa is located within the more restrictive twelfth floor of 57th Street, Nap York has a more spacious venue. The ground floor itself has a rejuvenating cafe serving food throughout the day, and they also have hammocks, moon chairs and desks for rent, with yoga and stretching areas in pockets surrounding the sleeping booths. Shuttles to and from New York’s airport are also bookable 24 hours in advance – echoing the broad open-all-hours aspect of Nap York. While Nap York is hardly policed, any guests abusing the privilege of secure inner city napping by exceeding the single occupancy rule shall be confronted by security, removed from the premise and shunned by the global napping community.

Find out more about YeloSpa (5 E 57th Street) and Nap York (480 Seventh Avenue) and book your visits in advance.