Welcome to National Sleep Month and a world of unique possibilities for celebrating it fully. To really do it up right, we thought it might be nice to share a few different ways you may want to dive into this month with some panache and aplomb.
As you know, getting a GOOD — i.e. restful — seven to nine hours of sleep per night is recommended for successful repose. With that in mind, we’re splitting it in the middle and presenting eight suggestions for enjoying National Sleep Month in ways that honor and embrace its wonders.
Welcome to sleep tourism
Before we dive in, we have to say how excited we are that “sleep tourism” is taking off. Understand, this isn’t the same as taking a vacation. Too often, all the planning, experience, and travel of these getaways are so exhausting that we frequently feel like we need to take even more time off when we return. Sleep tourism is all about focusing on your rest, your sleep, and anything that can support that. I’ve actually been doing this for years and whenever I do, it’s with the sole purpose of recharging my battery, no pressure on doing anything other than what strikes me that day, and having an absolutely amazing room and bed to cozy up in once I’m ready to snooze.
Sleep’s finally getting its due and these eight ideas ensure you’ll get the best slumber has to offer.
Hästens Sleep Spa, Coimbra, Portugal
Let’s start at the top of our personal bucket list with one of the most high-end experiences we can imagine. If you aren’t familiar, Hästens bedding is made by master craftspeople — the family that started it began making saddles in the 1800s then switched to beds when they saw transportation moving to automobiles in the 1900s — and has luxe mattresses that range from $22,000.00 to almost $600,000.00 each. Their commitment to the wonder of sleep led them to create Hästens Sleep SPA in one of the oldest cities in Portugal — Coimbra.
This location is completely different from the Hästens Sleep Spas throughout the US, which are brick and mortar stores selling these extraordinary beds and accessories. The Portuguese SPA is an actual hotel created to make every moment of a guest’s stay as relaxing and immersive as possible. From helping you indulge in everything the city has to offer by encouraging you to share your interests with their staff in order to customize your experience to having the entire hotel geared toward the best sleep of your life (in some of the most expensive, all natural beds ever made), Hästens Sleep SPA in Coimbra lives up to its name.
Six Senses personalized sleep
"Of course hospitality is never just about a place to stay. We want our places and spaces to help you reconnect and explore what it means to be mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally happy." These are the words of Neil Jacobs, the Chief Executive Officer of Six Senses Hotels Resorts and Spa, a hospitality conglomerate committed to one thing: the health and well-being of its guests.
Each of the 22 locations around the world — none in the US as yet (but one can dream) — is designed to bring you optimum physical and mental fulfillment and rejuvenation. In addition to a broad range of spa treatments, 17 of the Six Senses Resorts offer a Personalized Wellness Program focused on sleep. Utilizing tools provided by their sleep doctor, Six Senses prepares a program that includes nutritional tips to support the best slumber, yoga, meditation, relaxing treatments, and more. Regardless of which resort you choose to lay your head, providing you a place that only has your well-being in mind will most likely help you rest easier.
“Forte Winks” at Brown’s Hotel, London, England
Pop on over to the heart of Mayfair in London where the iconic Brown’s Hotel not only serves up a quintessentially English high-tea but has set itself up as the spot to get a lovely night’s rest.
Through its “Forte Winks” offering, you’ll enjoy a spa treatment or two then be pampered by luxurious sleepwear and relaxing accessories provided by British brands such as YOLKE and Masters of Mayfair before slipping under the sheets in one of their spacious, snooze-worthy rooms.
StarStruck Glamping, Big Bend National Park, Texas
Feeling outdoorsy? Welcome to glamping done Texas-style. Near Big Bend National Park, you’ll discover all the communing with nature you like wrapped in sleep-friendly luxury thanks to StarStruck Glamping and its beautiful site.
Located in the Terlingua Ranch, StarStruck Glamping presents a camping experience with its transparent geodesic domes. Its lack of light pollution means you’ll fall asleep with an unfettered view of the stars overhead and wake up to the Big Bend National Park Mountains in the distance. Each dome has top of the line amenities to ensure your days are as enjoyable as your night’s rest, and are spaced far enough away from each other for your privacy and relaxation.
Carillon Hotel & Spa, Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach epitomizes great music, fantastic Cuban food, and fabulous nightlife. It’s also home to one of the best snooze-cation places around. The South Florida-based wellness destination, Carillon Hotel & Spa, is notorious for its indulgent treatments and rejuvenating well-being programs, so it’s no surprise they also provide an entire coterie of options promoting the best rest you can imagine.
Through its Touchless Wellness Experiences, Carillon uses innovative technology to soothe your senses and enhance your health. From their VibroAcoustic ElectroMagnetic and Infrared therapy (V.E.M.I), which is a full-body wellness treatment utilizing sound and light, to the simplicity of a salt float bath, every part of the touchless menu is built for the sole purpose of helping you refresh, relax, and re-energize to make closing your eyes for that night’s rest easier and more fulfilling.
Rosewood Hotels “The Alchemy of Sleep”, Paris, France
Ah, Paris! The Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, and sleep. In the City of Light sits the Hôtel de Crillon, known for its exquisite dining, brilliant wine selection, immersive spa, and a sanctuary to help you make the most out of a good night’s rest.
The Alchemy of Sleep is a two-day retreat that helps recalibrate your rest in luxury accommodations. When you choose this option during your stay, you not only get sleep accessories to make your slumber more enjoyable, but a spa treatment and five private sessions with their experts, all geared toward moving you into optimal rest and relaxation.
JOALI Wellbeing, Maldives
Nestled in the northern-most part of the Maldives, JOALI BEING pays homage to its natural surroundings by becoming one with it. Built specifically to enhance and incorporate into the world around it, JOALI BEING prides itself not only on its “earth-to-table” dining options, but utilizing the beach, the water, and the jungle around to bring a full-service wellness adventure to every guest.
The entire island is devoted to wellness. To call it a spa would be the ultimate understatement. The buildings themselves give a sense of comfort and calm, as do the accommodations and the services provided. As we are seeing with all of these snooze-cations — new word! — customization and gearing your specific experience to what you are seeking for the best rest of your life is vital. JOALI BEING takes this to a whole new level, bringing you into its fold to embrace the world around you and learn to live, love, and luxuriate in its glory for your own well-being. It is the ultimate “circle of life” lesson.
Home is where the rest starts
We would be remiss if we didn’t point out that our favorite snooze-cation is right in our own backyard. Home truly is where the heart is. It’s also where you can create your most wonderful slumber spot to cozy up and drift away as well as it being exactly what you need whenever you need it without any fuss or muss.
Before the world went on lockdown, we shared some ideas for creating your personal, private, executive sleep retreat in your own room, and we still hold true to the belief that having the ability to shut everything down and disappear for awhile right at your fingertips not only brings you the best bang for your slumber buck, but is a necessity. Having a space that comforts and gives you solace in the home you’ve made offers you a peace of mind you can’t find anywhere else. Our homes need to be our haven and taking the time to bring that to life takes away a lot of stress.
We can’t all afford to jet off to the Maldives, indulge in luxury glamping, or escape to Portugal for a Hästens mattress fix — hell, most of us can’t even afford to buy a Hästens let alone travel to experience one. What we can do — what we can control — is bring a sense of relaxation and comfort into our personal space. An oasis, if you will.
And it doesn’t have to be a big deal, right? A hammock from Etsy, a hanging chair from Target, or splurge a little on a Moonpod bean bag chair with some great plants in the corner, mood lighting, and a touch of aromatherapy to make things smell soothing and nice will all do the trick just fine. Whatever works for you is all that matters. Turn your home into your haven and your snooze-cation is right there whenever you need it.
Your best sleep advocate: You
This whole “sleep tourism” thing is hot and getting hotter. Just browse the internet — go ahead, we’ll wait — and you’ll see the trend blowing up all over the place. The big question, of course, is WHY? What the hell is going on in our lives that we feel the need to create opportunities that force us to stop everything and focus on getting better rest?
The pandemic kicked our collective asses, sure, but it also revealed a gigantic problem that has been breathing down our necks for years: We are worn out, folks. Overscheduled, overworked, stressed to the gills. It is why the wellness industry has become so huge. That is a good and sad thing, honestly. To know we have to schedule time to take a breather is a bummer but perhaps if we do that — if we set aside actual self-care periods — we’ll get into the habit of giving ourselves the gift of wellness and that includes rest.
Do yourself the favor of indulging in blissful, delicious, rejuvenating slumber. Whether you pack up and go on a high-end snooze-cation or you create a restful haven and escape in your own home, a true, good night’s sleep is not only a luxury you can afford. It is an essential you deserve.
Rest well.
