In busy Chile, siesta sees new awakening

SANTIAGO, Chile - Cars honk, people yell, and radios blare outside, yet Carmen Castillo is getting a rejuvenating midday nap in downtown Santiago, snoozing away her stress in a dreamland of scented candles, plush pillows, and calming massages.

She's taking a siesta at the Espacio Siestario, which rents its seven Zen-like rooms to bank employees, lawyers, and other professionals for 30 to 45 minutes. The rooms cost about $10, but customers say being able to return to the office fully rested is priceless.

"This is an oasis in the jungle of Santiago," Castillo, 32, a lawyer, said with a smile as she rubbed her eyes after a nap. "What can be better than sleeping? You rest, you burn calories, and you recover neurons."

The afternoon siesta was once a treasured Latin American institution, with businesses of all kinds shutting down in the middle of the day. But nearly every aspect of modern life conspires against it. In a globalized, digital economy, bosses and clients can't be kept waiting during prime napping hours. Urbanization means long commutes that leave workers far from their beds.

And in a sped-up world, Chile is on overdrive, with one of the region's fastest growing economies and a committed, productive workforce that is an investor's dream. Chileans work 2,068 hours a year, second only to South Koreans, among the 34 developed countries that make up the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The number far surpasses the 1,695 hours U.S. workers average each year.

All that work and the stress that comes with it, mean sleep suffers. But on-the-job napping is frowned on.

"I think when someone says: 'I'm going to take a siesta,' the rest brands them as lazy people who can't adjust to work hours," said Karin Schirmer, the owner of Espacio Siestario, which roughly means Siesta Place.

"People assume that a siesta will be a waste of time but it's priceless," Schirmer said. "It's a bigger value than all the money you have at the bank."

Recent research has shown the benefits of a daytime snooze. In its November 2009 issue of Harvard Health Letter, the university's medical school found that since 2000, researchers there and elsewhere have discovered "sleep improves learning, memory, and creative thinking."

"In many cases, the edifying sleep has come in the form of a nap," the article said.

Research has found that nighttime air traffic controllers improve their reaction time and vigilance when given 40 minutes for 40 winks. A NASA-financed study by a team from the University of Pennsylvania found that letting people doze for 24 minutes increases cognitive performance.

Espacio Siestario is the first business of its kind in Chile. It opened five months ago, and is already getting more than 400 customers a month.

Clients enter windowless rooms lighted by a scented candle and lie down on a massage table cushioned by fresh towels and sheets. With travel pillows hugging their necks, they get a five-minute massage on their arms, shoulders, and head. Then the lights are dimmed and nearly imperceptible music helps them nod off as the world hurries along outside.

On a recent afternoon, Javier Swett, a lawyer, woke up to green, ginger, and cinnamon tea served on a wooden plate after a 30-minute nap. "This is clearly worth it," he said. "I was fast asleep, and now I'm back full of strength."