The Zen of Air Travel: San Francisco Airport Opens Yoga Room

Flight delayed for another three hours? Just breathe deeply.

  • Share
  • Read Later
Henrik Sorensen/Getty

The San Francisco International Airport continues its quest to make itself its own destination. The airport has just opened a yoga room for harried travelers seeking a moment of peace following airport security.

In Terminal 2, serving Virgin America and American Airlines passengers, SFO’s “Zen Room” is reportedly the first of its kind. The space features dimmed lights meant to soothe weary spirits, a glass wall and door to act as a sound barrier from the busy noises of the terminal, and felt-covered rocks to add to the Zen garden atmosphere. The room will have plenty of yoga mats for travelers to use, and will be open from 4:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. each day.

Melissa Mizell, design director for Gensler, the architecture firm behind Terminal 2, said in a statement that the room “gives modern travelers a space that fosters and supports quiet and reflection,” MSNBC reports.

While the thought of a yoga room may seem excessive, it’s not surprising considering SFO’s other lavish features. Here are a few others:

Plenty of hometown spirit: The airport was bathed in red and gold light last week in support of the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.

The SFO Museum. Established in 1980 by the Airport commission for the “purposes of humanizing the Airport environment, providing visibility for the unique cultural life of San Francisco, and providing educational services for the traveling public,” it’s the only accredited museum in an airport. The museum consists of 20 galleries set up throughout the airport, “displaying rotating schedule of art, history, science and cultural exhibitions,” and includes the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum.

The Berman Reflection Room, a center for “quiet reflection and meditation”

An aquarium, in conjunction with the California Academy of Sciences

A spa for on-the-go massages, mani-pedis, facials, and waxing. Just coming back from an epic backpacking trip and in need of a hot shower? The airport’s got those, too.

DVD and DVD player rentals

And, of course, free WiFi all over the airport. (Welcome to Silicon Valley.)

MORE: California Woman, Unable to Pay Bag Fees, Stuck in Airport for Eight Days