Unlike stays at ashrams in India or even silent retreats at rural compounds within the US, the more I learned about sleep retreats, the more I gathered they are less a masochistic wellness endeavor and more a way to pay for time and space that will bring you peace. Which was perfect, really, for me.
I opted to try the Sleep Lab at the Equinox Hotel in New York City, which opened to much fanfare in 2019. It seemed like a good option for someone like me—at least if you live in or near Manhattan: It was easy to get to (just 20 minutes from my apartment—I could get home easily in case of emergency, and arranging childcare felt more manageable), customizable (you didn’t have to commit to any programming or itinerary), and I could even bring my family. (Though, arguably, that would defeat the whole point.)
So I booked it for the night before Christmas Eve, when I knew I could really go dark for 12 to 24 hours. And that was that: I dropped my daughter off at my parents’ in the suburbs and wished the best of luck to them.
The room
Upon checking in, the hotel manager whisked me away for a tour of my room, one of four Premier King Sleep Lab rooms in the hotel. The Sleep Lab experience was developed with input from Matthew Walker, PhD, a professor of neuroscience and psychology and founder of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley. Each is outfitted with an Eight Sleep bed (evangelized by Andrew Huberman), intelligent room features like lighting and temperature control that you can automate based on your preferred sleep and wake times, a contrast therapy shower, soundscape and meditation programming on the television, and then, of course, the swag: a cabinet full of sleep supplements and other goodies that could boost my wellbeing. Some, like a high-performance eye mask and bedtime tea, were free of charge. Others, like a $129 Dame vibrator, were not.
