Equinox Spa Services for Better Sleep: Do They Actually Work?

You probably know Equinox for its luxury gyms – some people pay up to $300 a month to access them – but the fitness brand is looking for new ways to improve the health and wellbeing of its members and guests. .

This month, Equinox launched a program called The Art + Science of Sleep by Equinox Hotelswhich they describe as a “science-backed” approach to helping clients achieve deep, restful sleep.

The package costs $1,850 and includes a two-night stay at their Hudson Yards location as well as two wave table and cryotherapy experiences. The program will last from March 13 to April 1.

The hotel room includes:

• Bedside panel to control room temperature, light and general ambience
• Free access to a yoga mat and other stretching materials
• Sleep-related products to buy, including tart cherry juice and CBD oil
• Morning and evening body washes to wake you up or get you ready for bed

The Equinox hotel also offers a range of spa treatments dedicated to better sleep. All year round, they offer services such as intravenous drips, cryotherapy, a wave table and access to an infrared sauna.

In honor of National Sleep Awareness Month, I went to the Equinox Hotel’s Hudson Yards location here in New York, to try out two of the spa services and see how effective they are at inducing sleep. sleep.

I started with the infrared sauna which aims to reduce inflammation and eliminate toxins from the body. Hot and cold dips, like saunas and cryotherapy, “help improve circulation, soothe sore muscles and release the hormone cortisol, which can improve sleep quality,” according to Equinox.

The hotel sauna typically reaches between 120 and 130 degrees Fahrenheit and has infrared lights on the ceiling.

I chose to sit down at first, but after about 15 minutes the heat was so relaxing that I grabbed a towel to lay on. My time in the sauna was actually quite effective in getting me to sleep, although that’s not its main benefit.

I had to take a quick shower afterwards, not only because I was sweaty, but also because I needed to wake up a bit.

One of the spa staff told me that most people only experience sleepiness after receiving an aftercare service like the wave table.

But the sauna alone managed to tire me out, so I’d rate its ability to induce sleep at 8/10.

30 minutes in the infrared sauna will cost you $45.

The next step ? 30 minutes on a wave table, which can be described as an immersive waterbed. Equinox claims that just 30 minutes on their wavetable can replace three hours of sleep.

And although the bed doesn’t move, you are given headphones that play frequencies to match your brain waves, which gave me a bit of a headache at first.

I quickly realized that the frequencies matched the intensity of my own thoughts. I tested this by switching between thoughts that made me anxious and those that calmed me down.

When I thought about stressful things, my head felt like it was racing. But my mind was clear and peaceful when I focused on relaxing. It was only then that the wavetable put me to sleep, but not a very deep sleep.

Interestingly enough, when the 30 minutes passed, I actually felt more tired. Maybe it was because I was starting to go into a deep sleep phase just as the session was ending.

I would say that given the headache during, and the drowsiness that followed, I would give the wave table a 5/10. This experience is $60 for a 30 minute session.

I received a bag of goodies for sleeping at the spa which included a bottle of tart cherry juice. I drank the juice, went to bed and fell asleep within 30 minutes.