Shut The Front Door, Nap Bars Exist

At last, the time-honored tradition of the pre-fiesta siesta is getting the recognition it deserves. Taking a cue from similar sleep centers in cities like Dubai and New York, Spain's first "nap bar" recently opened in Madrid. Appropriately named Siesta and Go, the business is the stuff of any exhausted college student's daydreams. For an hourly fee, you can rent one of the center's 19 beds to catch some Z's (or just rest your eyes) before heading back to face the day. At long last, the days of squashing yourself into the fetal position underneath your desk in a futile effort to take a power nap during your lunch break appear to be drawing to an end.

Siesta and Go is located in Azca, near the center of the city's financial district. The business's founder, Maria Estrella Jorro de Inza, noted to the Independent that many customers so far are businessmen and women looking for a place to relax during a hectic workday. Private and shared bedrooms are available, along with comforts like slippers, nightshirts, and an on-site bar. If you're put off by the idea of sharing beds with strangers, you should be happy to know that Siesta and Go is professionally cleaned every day, and the bedding and clothing is tossed after each use. Employees will also wake you up at a specific time, so you don't have to worry about setting an alarm.

Not much of a napper? The center also rents out quiet work spaces, or you can chill out and read in one of the armchairs scattered about. According to its website, Siesta and Go offers free WiFi and luggage storage for travelers. If you know you have a hard day ahead (or you just have a habit of falling asleep in public spaces like yours truly), you can reserve a spot in advance.

The siesta — essentially, a citywide disco nap observed in the middle of the workday — has a long history in Spanish culture, but recently, corporate culture has been working tirelessly to put it to sleep. Last year, the acting Prime Minister announced his intentions to establish a shorter work day, which would hopefully give the exhausted Spanish workforce more time to sleep, but by extension, that would entail the elimination (or at least curtailing) of the siesta.

In the meantime, worn out Madrileños and tourists can stop in Siesta and Go for a quick snooze and a glass of wine before moving on to more conscious endeavors. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a flight to book — if I leave now, maybe I'll make it to Madrid in time for the next siesta.