British Airways launches ‘sleep pods’ in the Galleries First lounge

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‘Sleep pods’ will launch today in the British Airways Galleries First lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5.

Seven pods will take the space that was previously occupied by the business centre, which has been chronically underused for a number of years.

This picture of a pod was posted on LinkedIn by a BA employee:

Restworks sleep pods British Airways lounge

Business Traveller reports than an additional five pods will be installed in the Concorde Room – potentially in the space currently occupied by the Elemis Spa – with a further three pods appearing in the lounge at New York JFK.

Here is a picture from the pod manufacturer, Restworks, of one in use:

Pre-booking will not be possible. Signage in the main lounge area will apparently indicate if a pod becomes free.

The pods will be overseen by a dedicated staff member who will offer hot towels and a wake-up drink after your session, which the manufacturers suggest will be 20-30 minutes.

I have never tried one of these pods so I can’t give you any sense of what it is like ‘inside’. A common complaint seems to be that you can only sleep in one position, with no space to turn, which can get frustrating. If you are in Galleries First today and decide to give it a try, please let us know.

Getting airport lounge access for free from a credit card

How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, here are the three options to get FREE airport lounge access via a credit or charge card:

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,300 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Plaza Premium, Delta and Eurostar lounges. Our American Express Platinum review is here. You can apply here.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with two free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.

Additional lounge visits are charged at £20. You get two more free visits for every year you keep the card.

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus. Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard

A huge bonus, but only available to HSBC Premier clients Read our full review

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free LoungeKey card, allowing you access to the LoungeKey network. Guests are charged at £20 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £195 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer. Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.

Category

British Airways and Avios

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

Catman99 says:

17 May17 May 04:26

Don’t wear a dress!!!!
- Chris Heyes says:
  
  17 May17 May 08:12
  
  catman99 I never have
Scott says:

17 May17 May 05:15

Claustrophic?
- Scott says:
  
  17 May17 May 05:16
  
  Or even claustrophobic 😉
BS says:

17 May17 May 05:44

You just look at them and think – they won’t be around in 3 years – long ‘enhanced’ away by then. Gimmick.
Andrew says:

17 May17 May 06:14

Interesting that hot towels are Covid safe in the lounge but not onboard.
mr_jetlag says:

17 May17 May 06:43

Good, that business centre was a waste of space, I always thought it was odd to have it next to the champagne bar too…
- Andrew says:
  
  17 May17 May 07:09
  
  And the champagne bar has such harsh lighting it’s an odd atmosphere that no one ever really goes there (although I do quite like to get away from the buffet crowds there and be annoying by ordering a burger to be brought over)
Andrew says:

17 May17 May 07:51

TLFL have real world pictures of them on their Insta. Look quite smart.
chabuddy geezy says:

17 May17 May 08:01

I think they already had the sleep pods in Galleries Club last summer.
Chris Heyes says:

17 May17 May 08:03

Wake up after 20/30 minutes, what a waste
I Wonder has anyone ever tried waking up refreshed after 20 minutes ?
- Chrisasaurus says:
  
  17 May17 May 08:11
  
  There’s strong science behind it actually – especially beneficial for when you’re fatigued driving
  - Scott says:
    
    17 May17 May 08:22
    
    I’ve always felt 100x worse after a “nana nap”, but as with everything, someone will benefit from it.
    Having looked at pictures elsewhere, they look uncomfortable. Probably easier to lay out on the terrace to be honest.
  - Lady London says:
    
    17 May17 May 11:18
    
    Yup. sugared coffee first then 20min nap. By the time you wake up the coffee and sugar’s working.
  - Chris Heyes says:
    
    17 May17 May 11:29
    
    Chrisasaurus remind me never to travel along the motorway behind or in front of you, when you have your 20 minutes power sleep
    - Chrisasaurus says:
      
      17 May17 May 20:21
      
      Well the trick is to have the power nap at the services and I can tell you it really does work – as LL says, coffee, Mars bar and snooze. And these days a quick squirt of electrons into the car too
- Tom says:
  
  17 May17 May 09:20
  
  20 minute naps are scientifically proven to work well because you avoid the deeper levels of sleep, and therefore avoid sleep inertia.
  Long haul pilots operating on a 2-pilot crew use this technique to rest in seat during the cruise.
- Rhys says:
  
  17 May17 May 09:24
  
  I regularly take 24 minute naps. It’s ideal – works for me!
  
  Although I’m not sure I could sleep in a pod like that.
  - Chris Heyes says:
    
    17 May17 May 12:36
    
    Rhys, Rob told me the same lol, said Rhys takes 24 minute naps 6 minutes work
    24 minute nap 6 minute work lol lol
    - Tariq says:
      
      17 May17 May 17:06
      
      This, for post of the week LOL
  - Lord Doncaster says:
    
    17 May17 May 16:44
    
    I thought only old blokes had naps
- @thirdpassport says:
  
  17 May17 May 10:54
  
  Me! I used to have lunch time power naps when I was working on a full-time basis and studying (usually into the night) for my MSc half-time. I always set my alarm to 20 mins but I usually woke up before it went off.