Published: Wednesday, 11 Dec 2013 | 3:27 PM ET

By: Harriet Baskas, Special to CNBC

Source: Chicago Dept. of Aviation

Yoga room at Chicago O'Hare International Airport

Chicago O'Hare International, one of the country's busiest and most stressful airports, took a decidedly Zen turn today with the opening of a yoga room in Terminal 3, adjacent to the airport's indoor urban garden.

"The yoga room provides a space for yoga practice as well as a place to relax or meditate," said Rosemarie Andolini, Chicago Department of Aviation commissioner. "This is yet another amenity to help make the travel experience at O'Hare 'best-in-class.' "

(Read more: Middle class priced out of skiing)

O'Hare's yoga room has a sustainable bamboo wood floor, floor-to-ceiling mirrors along one wall, exercise mats and an area to store personal articles and garments. A wall-mounted video monitor plays soothing sounds and displays yoga exercise techniques and images of nature. Frosted windows along one side of the room provide privacy and natural light.

"The importance of exercise and the opportunity in clearing the mind and body during long travel days cannot be overstated as it relates to one's health," said Brad Jersey, CEO and founder of nLIVEn Health, a company that places sponsored interactive health-care campaigns in airports. "We know from our studies that 75 percent of frequent fliers participate in some workout regimen, so this is a perfect complement at ORD."

Wellness tourism is a $438.6 billion global market "and a rapidly growing niche within the $3.2 trillion global tourism economy," according to the a study presented in October at the Global Wellness Tourism Congress in New Delhi, India.

The rest is here:
Yoga lounge opens at Chicago O'Hare