8 places you can sneak a quick nap during lunch hour

Did you know that Singaporeans have one of the longest working hours globally? 45.9 hours per week, to be exact, which means an average of more than nine hours per day. It’s no wonder that most of us are trudging to and from work every day, drained.

The concept of siestas may be unusual and even frowned upon in Singapore, where we are expected to be productive all the time during working hours.

But a midday power nap can actually make us more productive at work, even more than your go-to cup of caffeine. Just a twenty to thirty minute nap in the middle of the day can provide our bodies with some much-needed rest. 

Instead of forcing ourselves to sit at our desks and churn out work on a sleep-addled brain, a nap can give us an energy boost, improving our mental alertness, concentration and mood.

It’s a far healthier way of fighting exhaustion and burnout than chugging down energy drinks and coffee.

So if you need some shut-eye after working overtime the previous night or experiencing post-lunch food coma, check out these places where you can squeeze in an uninterrupted midday nap.

1. GOLDEN VILLAGE THEATRE, SUNTEC CITY

Don’t worry, you don’t have to sleep through a movie.

At the Zen Zone and Executive Zen Zone at Golden Village’s Gold Class Suntec City, you can simply pay $10 or $12 nett respectively, from Mondays to Fridays, 12pm to 1.30pm. No movie will be played so you can nap in peace. You’ll even get complimentary free-flow water and an eye mask to boot.

At the Zen Zone, you get an $8 add-on lunch option, where you get to choose from 28 dishes including smoked salmon poached egg, chicken Bolognese pasta and Thai green curry chicken rice. At the Executive Zen Zone, a meal and drink are included.

At 3 Temasek Blvd #01-641/642 Suntec City Mall, Singapore 038983, website.

2. ATLANTIS PODS @BUGIS

This cosy and modern hotel near Bugis Cube offers some respite for travellers on a budget, but you can also make use of their private rooms to catch a quick wink.

Enjoy some downtime at $35 for a bed, and you get access to their amenities such as Wi-Fi, work desk, and an en suite bathroom with free toiletries and dressing gowns.

Guests are also welcome to unwind and grab a drink at the onsite lounge bar — but maybe reserve that for after hours. 

At 2 Tan Quee Lan Street, #02-00 Singapore 188091, tel: 6254 0378, website

3. CHOP! CHOP! MASSAGE EXPRESS

Sure, Chop! Chop! Massage Express offers regular massage and foot reflexology services. But they also believe in taking time out to restore harmony and well-being, and helping you get back in touch with yourself so that you feel ready to take on the world again.

Thanks to their power nap service, you can rent a massage bed for $20 from 2.30pm to 5.30pm, and $28 at other times for a thirty-minute nap. 

At Marina Bay Link Mall, #B2-73/74, Marina Boulevard, Singapore 018984, tel:. 6834-3108, website 

4. VIRGIN ACTIVE

You’ve probably heard of the famous Google beds, the sleep stations dubbed EnergyPods that employ NASA science to provide the ultimate power nap. The pods, which come with piped in music, are designed to shut out external noise and they recline at the optimum angle to boost blood circulation.

At Virgin Active, you can find similar sleep pods that promote blood flow and reduce pressure on the lower back. Built with zero-gravity technology and piped in with soothing ambient sounds to help you to drift off to sleep, these pods are free for all Virgin Active members.

You can sign up for a weekly fee of $67 before GST. Now the gym is not just a place to slog it out on the treadmill, it’s also a place of rest and restoration.

Sleeping pods are available at two branches: 1 Raffles Place, #06-00, Tower 2, Singapore 048616, tel. 6908 7878; and Tanjong Pagar Centre, #06-01, 7 Wallich Street, Singapore 078884, website.

5. 7 WONDERS

If you’re simply searching for a place to rest your head, 7 Wonders is an unpretentious minimalist hostel that offers guestrooms with a communal bathroom, complete with towels and soap.

The single capsule rooms cater to an individual traveller’s needs, with a desk, power sockets, and lights and curtains installed in each pod.

There is also complimentary laundry service and breakfast, where you can gulp down a cup of Death Wish, the world’s strongest coffee, for an instant perk-me-up before heading back to the office.

Prices begin from $28.50 per night.

At 257 Jalan Besar, Singapore 208930, tel: 6291 3774, website

6. THE POD

For a genuine pod experience to steal a quick afternoon nap, try The Pod at Beach Road. It’s a proper hotel, so you can expect to find regular facilities such as a mini fridge, cable TV, laptop power points, Wi-Fi, complimentary breakfast and dry-cleaning service — plus, personal lockers to store your belongings while you nap. 

You can also choose the type of pods you would like, such as a single pod suite that comes with its own personal working space or gender-segregated sections where you have to share with other users.

It’s good for a siesta, but know that you have to pay for a minimum of a day because it’s a hotel. Prices begin at $40.

At 289 Beach Road Level 3, Singapore 199552, tel: 6298 8505, website

7. CAPSULE POD BOUTIQUE HOTEL

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Tucked away in the heart of Chinatown is a boutique hotel that is basically an upgraded hostel for fuss-free travellers and overworked CBD office-workers. The pods are all in shared rooms of four, 10 or 12, and are female-only or mixed. Since it’s a capsule hotel, you have to book for a day and can stay the night if you wish.

Amenities include housekeeping, free lockers, Wi-Fi, a music room and TV/movie lounge. Bathrooms are communal and towels are provided. Prices begin at $40 and you also get a welcome drink.

At 38 Upper Cross St, Singapore 058341, tel: 6532 0911, website

8. PALM AVENUE FLOAT CLUB

At this spa and health club, you get to float in a private tank filled with temperature-adjusted Epsom salt water (with a salt density that supposedly mimics that of the Dead Sea). The idea is to make you enter a deep meditative state, without sound, light or gravity, so as to rid your mind of stress. 

First, you take a shower, then switch off all lights and step into the tank.

Music will play in the first 10 minutes to lull you to sleep, and in the last five minutes to ease you out of it. Finish off with another shower and chill out at the in-house lounge.

A 60-minute session costs $90 and a 90-minute session costs $110.

At #05-01, 66 Kampong Bugis, Singapore 338987, tel: 9151 6004, website

This article was first published in Her World Online .