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At noon on the 16th, office workers streamed into a cafe in Gangnam. The spot, popular among employees around Gangnam Station, has become a go-to for quick naps.
Partitions and curtains carve the space into private nooks stocked with beanbags, massage chairs and even beds. Workers slip in during lunch to rest.
Most visitors are in their 20s to 40s. One man in a suit said he’d slept only four to five hours after a late company dinner and came in to shake off some fatigue, even if only briefly.
Another worker said his child was born recently and he’s been short on sleep. “If I can close my eyes for 30 minutes, I can at least get through the afternoon,” he said.
The cafe charges about 6,000–8,000 KRW per hour (approximately $4.50–$6.00), and that price includes a drink. Although that could buy a meal, many workers choose rest instead. Outside Gangnam, sleep cafes in office districts such as Yeouido and Gwanghwamun also fill up at weekday lunch.
What makes a good nap spot for office workers: “Somewhere to stretch out and a private space.”
I visited another popular nap spot in Yeoksam-dong the same day: an unmanned massage-chair cafe. The space measures just over 10 pyeong (about 360 sq ft) and is divided into small rooms, each with a single massage chair. Visitors reserve rooms online in 10-minute blocks.
At first glance it looks like a place to test massage chairs, but in practice it serves as a hideout for people who need to lie down or catch some sleep. The private rooms let users relax without worrying about being watched, so workers flock here at lunchtime.
Similar massage-chair cafes are easy to find across Seoul’s office districts, including Gwanghwamun, Magok and City Hall.
Why do these sleep spaces appeal to workers? One visitor said that while no one might complain if they nodded off at their desk, it still feels awkward. Employees don’t want their exhaustion to read as a poor attitude toward work. Others agreed: “It feels weird to rest at the office,” and “You’re always worried about what people think.”
Demand for sleep cafes, then, reflects a desire to recharge without signaling slackness. For many office workers, lunch has shifted from a meal to a critical window for survival.
※ Relieving Workers is a series that examines the frustrations and concerns of office workers. As an editor and an office worker myself, I’ll report their highs and lows from an insider’s perspective.
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