Nap cafes flourish in sleep-deprived South Korea
Workers and parents are spending their lunch hours in an increasing number of business offering a place for a quick snooze
By Park Jin-hai
Kim Min-chul, an office worker with three years at his job, frequently skips his lunch and goes to a nearby “nap cafe.”
With continued days of working overtime and drinking, he says a nap cafe is the place to recover quickly from his stress and fatigue.
“I visited the place out of curiosity then I’ve become a regular since,” he said. “Having a half-hour sleep in the cosiness of a dark and aroma-filled cafe refreshes me to spend the rest of the day at work.”
Another frequent nap cafe user, a female office worker with a baby, agrees.
“Because of my baby, I cannot have a good night’s sleep and during the day I need more sleep,” she said. “I used to take a nap at my desk during lunch hour, but it was inconvenient.”