Financial Times: Japan’s sleep cafés: try napping on the job

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Sleep can be hard to come by. As Japanese companies look for new ways to improve productivity, and groggy workers aim for a better quality of life, they have hit upon a common-sense solution: midday catnaps. 

According to one survey, people in Japan slept least in June and July last year. A variety of services are springing up to help alleviate the sleep deficit.

For people who cannot fall asleep just by closing their eyes, Body Work, a Tokyo company that runs the Raffine chain of massage rooms, has begun a service where customers can lie down and go to sleep while receiving massage on a sleep-enhancing, breathable mattress.

The Summer Deep Sleep Plan, offered in a tie-up with Tokyo bedding maker Airweave, is priced at ¥2,160 for 20 minutes. Customers can buy more nap time for ¥1,080 per 10 minutes. “The plan alleviates the unpleasantness of the heat, and you can receive treatment in comfort,” said Body Work’s Miyuki Oikawa.