How a wellness lab fixed my insomnia in NYC, the city that never sleeps

Listening to quantum harmonics is going to make you feel really relaxed,” says Kevina, my therapist. I’m not sure what she means, but I go with it. I’m lying face up on an illuminated treatment bed partially filled with water, cocooned under a curved ceiling in a darkened room that feels like a luxurious bunker.

Kevina places a pair of padded noise-cancelling headphones over my ears and covers me with a weighted blanket. “I’ll be back in 30 minutes,” she says in a hushed voice, and she dims tiny spotlights and leaves the room.Seconds later, tinkly psychedelic sounds start playing as the bed begins to gently vibrate.

The combination feels odd at first, and strangely blissful, and I don’t remember much after five minutes. When Kevina wakes me with a whisper, I feel as though I’ve been in a deep sleep for a good few hours, which, for someone who struggles to sleep, is nothing short of a miracle.Recommended10 best spa hotels in New York City for tranquil pools and treatments with a viewThe ultimate New York City guide: Where to stay, eat, drink and shop in the Big AppleI stayed at the iconic Waldorf Astoria New York after its eight-year restorationI’m at the five-star Equinox Hotel New York to experience a luxurious, intensive two-night sleep-focused stay in a room known as a “sleep lab”, and to test the sleep-inducing treatments on offer.

Such as this dreamy session on the Sleep Wave Table, which I discover pairs perfectly with a 60-minute NutriSLEEP IV drip – a blend of relaxation-inducing nutrients like magnesium – that leaves me pleasantly drowsy.open image in galleryWriter Ellie Seymour tests the IV drip therapy menu at Equinox hotel, overlooking Hudson River (The Independent)As a light sleeper who has suffered from insomnia, I am always keen to find ways to sleep better. I’m also an NYC obsessive – I visit twice a year – so sleep issues, combined with excitement and jetlag, mean I usually spend my time in the city in an overtired and wired haze.

On my second night at the hotel, however, I managed to sleep for seven hours solid, knocking jetlag into the nearby Hudson River just two days into my week-long stateside trip. It’s a miracle, although at $1,700 (£1,260) per night, not including treatments, it’s an eye-wateringly expensive one.Dubbed the city that never sleeps, noisy NYC is the least likely place to find rest.

Each time I visit, I resign myself to the fact that I’ll likely spend my time feeling sleep-deprived. Yet several New York hotels are leaning into the popular sleep wellness travel trend, four of which I was here to try, each with a different level of luxury and intensity.Sleep tourism emerged from the wider wellness travel movement of the late 2010s.

It became a recognisable travel trend in the early 2020s as hotels began packaging sleep as a luxury experience, with brands such as Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas helping to pioneer high-end wellness hospitality through sleep-focused treatments, circadian lighting and facilities designed to promote recovery from stress and fatigue. Sleep wellness may not be unique to New York, but the city’s high energy certainly makes it a compelling testing ground. Read more: The best New York hotels for 2025My cream-toned state-of-the-art “sleep lab” sanctuary is geared up for the perfect night’s sleep, with double-glazed floor-to-ceiling windows, blackout curtains, a temperature-controlled bed and adjustable room features, such as what time, temperature, sound and lighting you fall asleep and wake up to.

Using a tablet and iPhone next to my bed, I set my preferences as soon as I arrive and settle in with a herbal tea from my “RoomBar”, a mini pharmacy of health-boosting potions including vitamins, electrolytes, energy shots, and magnesium patches, to name a few tinctures. It’s early evening by the time I’m settled, so I begin powering down – as suggested in a book left by my bedside – with a yoga session accessed via my TV, followed by a glorious steam shower I infuse with lavender and frankincense oil. Spruced and relaxed, I curl up on my low-slung velour sofa and sip a bowl of bone broth – full of glycine that promotes relaxation, apparently – from the in-room Sleep Well dining menu as the sun sets over Hudson Yards and the river below.

open image in galleryLand of nod: everything in NYC’s Equinox hotel is dedicated to improving your restfulness (Vanessa Tierney)My room and I prepare for sleep simultaneously; I slap on a magnesium patch and get into bed as the lights start to automatically dim and the drapes close. It’s a relaxing end to my first night, and although I wake up once in the early hours, I fall back to sleep easily. I feel glad about this, as I get to experience waking up to the gentle sound of chimes from my bedside tablet as the lights slowly brighten.

After a Nespresso, I hit the hotel’s huge gym with epic views, return to my room for a steam shower, and, for breakfast, drink a brain-fuel smoothie laced with ashwagandha to lower cortisol