Equinox Hotels Launches The Sleep Lab with Dr. Matthew Walker: A Scientific Approach to Transforming Sleep

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Equinox Hotels, the leader in luxury hospitality and high-performance living, continues to redefine sleep tourism with the launch of The Sleep Lab at Equinox Hotel New York. Designed in collaboration with renowned sleep scientist and bestselling author Dr. Matthew Walker, The Sleep Lab is a groundbreaking, data-driven experience that transforms sleep into a precision science.

The Equinox Hotels Sleep Lab is a first-of-its-kind, research-backed sleep optimization experience. Designed to enhance rest and recovery, it blends personalized sensory environments, cutting-edge sleep technology, and curated AM + PM Rituals to align with your body’s circadian rhythm. Every element—from lighting and temperature to sound—is engineered for deep, restorative sleep, helping guests wake up recharged, rebalanced, and primed for peak performance.

From its inception, Equinox Hotels has embedded sleep at the core of its hospitality philosophy. Every room is engineered as a sleep chamber, developed in consultation with sleep psychologists to create an optimal rest environment. Now, with The Sleep Lab launching on July 8th, Equinox Hotels deepens this commitment by offering a pioneering program that empowers guests to understand and enhance their sleep with cutting-edge technology and scientifically validated methodologies.

“The Sleep Lab is not just an evolution of our commitment to sleep—it is the future of high-performance regeneration,” said Chris Norton, CEO of Equinox Hotels. “We have designed a first-of-its-kind experience that merges science and luxury, enabling our guests to achieve peak recovery and performance through optimized sleep.”

The Sleep Lab, bookable on the Equinox Hotels website, offers a research-backed experience to help guests refine their sleep quality and optimize their circadian rhythm. Open to the public for booking, it provides a science-driven framework for better rest and recovery, redefining high-performance sleep. Four Premier King rooms with river views are outfitted with advanced sleep-enhancing technology, including:

• Adaptive Mattress Technology: Personalized temperature control enables precise sleep-stage monitoring to optimize for comfort and quality sleep. Dual-zone settings accommodate individualized preferences for couples.
• Personalized Sleep & Wake Automation: The Intelligent + Personalized AM + PM room features automatically adjust the temperature, lighting, sound, and ambiance based on the guest’s selected sleep and wake-up times. 30-minutes before sleep, the room gradually transitions to the optimal sleep environment. Similarly, 30-minutes before the wake-up time, the room gently eases the guest into wakefulness, utilizing carefully curated soundscapes grounded in music psychology, promoting a smooth and natural transition from rest to wakefulness.
• Contrast Therapy Shower:
  • Steam Room: With the touch of a button, the shower transforms into a Steam Shower that utilizes the therapeutic effects of heat to enhance blood circulation, promote detoxification, lower cortisol levels, and reduce muscle tension to prepare the body for restorative sleep.
  • Ice Shower: While water typically hovers between 50-55°F, Equinox Hotels’ Ice Shower drops to a refreshing 46-50°F year-round. The Ice Shower reduces inflammation, enhances circulation, flushes out metabolic waste by constricting blood vessels, and promotes deeper, restorative sleep.
• Circadian Color Meditation: This visually guided breathwork experience gently slows the heart rate and breath rate through passive rhythmic entrainment through a pulsing red glow on the screen to help unwind before sleep
• AM + PM Soundscapes: A sensory ritual grounded in neuroscience and music psychology that supports natural wakefulness in the morning and down-regulation and preparation for sleep in the evening.
• Sleep Lab AM & PM Rituals: The PM Ritual is designed to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress and guiding the body into a restorative sleep state. The AM Ritual optimizes natural wakefulness through precise movement, breathwork, light, sound, and temperature adjustments, gradually energizing the body for a refreshed, energized start to the day.
• Travel Sleep Kit: Featuring research-backed tools for sleep enhancement while traveling: High-Performance Eye Mask, Magnesium Sleep Patch, proprietary Equinox Hotels Sleep Tea
• Sleep Assessment: Allows guests to view their sleep stages and quality each morning from their bedside device, and participate in the Dr. Walker-led sleep studies.

Additional sleep-enhancing add-ons guests can experience include the sleep circuit and techno therapies at The Spa by Equinox Hotels and Sleep-Well Menu from in-room dining, offering nightly sleep-inducing food and beverage turn-down items.

Dr. Matthew Walker emphasized the significance of the partnership, stating, “Our objective is to bring the rigor of sleep science into the hospitality space, offering an experience that is not only luxurious but also scientifically validated. Sleep is the foundation of human performance, and The Sleep Lab offers guests an unparalleled opportunity to enhance their health, cognition, and overall well-being.”

To quantify the impact of The Sleep Lab, Equinox Hotels is conducting two research methodologies. The Within-Participant Study evaluates sleep improvements by comparing individual guest data under two different conditions, while the Between-Participant Study analyzes sleep performance across a diverse guest population between two conditions to refine and enhance program efficacy. All data is securely stored within the Equinox Hotels Data Vault, ensuring privacy while enabling guests to track and optimize their personal sleep metrics.

“Our mission is to empower guests with scientifically-backed insights into their sleep,” added Dr. Walker. “This is not just about better sleep during your stay—it’s about equipping you with the tools to improve your long-term health and performance.”

Pricing starts at $1,700 + taxes per night for a minimum of 2 nights.

The Sleep Lab at Equinox Hotel New York is available for bookings starting July 8, 2025. For more information or to reserve your experience, visit https://equinox-hotels.com/nyc/offers/equinoxhotels-sleep-lab/.

ABOUT EQUINOX HOTELS

Equinox Hotels is a rapidly expanding, global luxury hospitality brand and management company built off the evolution of Equinox. With a design-forward approach, our portfolio spans urban, resort, and destination locations worldwide, offering high-performance living in architecturally stunning spaces.

We redefine luxury hospitality by integrating the brand’s core pillars of movement, nutrition, regeneration, and community. Tailored for the next generation of travelers, our hotels empower guests to reach their fullest potential, combining holistic health into every aspect of the experience.

Our philosophy of "All. And Nothing." balances indulgence with simplicity, ensuring each guest thrives by amplifying performance and pushing limits, ultimately helping them achieve new heights in life.

For more information on Equinox Hotels please visit: www.equinox-hotels.com

ABOUT DR. MATTHEW WALKER

Matthew Walker, Ph.D., is a professor of neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley. Walker is the author of The New York Times and international bestseller Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, which was recently listed by Bill Gates as one of his top five books of the year. Matt Walker’s TED Talk, “Sleep is Your Superpower,” has garnered more than 20 million views. He has received numerous funding awards from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. In 2020, Walker was awarded the Carl Sagan Prize for Science Achievements. Walker’s research examines the impact of sleep on human health and disease. He has been featured on numerous podcasts (e.g., Andrew Huberman, Joe Rogan, Peter Attia), television and radio outlets, including CBS’ “60 Minutes,” National Geographic Channel, NOVA Science, NPR, and the BBC. He is also the host of the 5-star-rated podcast, The Matt Walker Podcast.