New
York is called the city that never sleeps, but one small company wants
that to change.

High above the bustling streets, honking taxicabs and crowded
sidewalks, on the 24th floor of the landmark Empire State Building, is
MetroNaps, a month-old company offering New York's version of the
Spanish siesta: a 20-minute nap.

Stressed-out customers arrive in a quiet, darkened room filled with
futuristic chairs, or "napping pods," where they can pay for
their snooze.

"MetroNaps is a place where busy New Yorkers get
power nap in New York City," says co-founder Arshad
Chowdhury.

White noise machines block out whispered
conversation at the front desk. Sleepers stretch out in the reclining
seats, which resemble plush dentists' chairs, with blankets covering
their legs and music piped into headphones.

After 20 minutes, the sleeping pod wakes up the customer with a
combination of vibrations and light.

Chowdhury said nappers are encouraged to sleep just 20 minutes
because a longer session tends to leave them more
groggy than refreshed.

Abdul Latif, a Broadway singer and dancer who likes to rest between
an audition and a performance, said it was better to pay for a nap than
to sit at a coffee shop.

"It's the closest thing to your bed," he said. "It's
either this, or the top of a table with your head down."

Another MetroNaps customer, writer and researcher Ben Stiller, said
he needs that daily nap.

"This is what energizes me, this is what keeps me going,"
he said.