The Philadelphia Airport Now Has a “Quiet Room”

The room is designed to serve as a peaceful place for solitude or prayer.


quiet room philadelphia international airport phl

Photo via PHL/Instagram

Good news for people who get way too stressed traveling by plane: The Philadelphia International Airport now has a “Quiet Room” to calm you down.

How does it work? It’s a simple concept that might transport you back to your preschool or elementary days: When you’re feeling like everything in the airport is a bit too much too handle (nightmare security lines? hours-long flight delay?), you can retreat to the Quiet Room to chill out in solitude.

The 315-square foot space, which is open 24-hours a day, includes two open areas separated by frosted glass doors for semi-privacy. The rooms are meant to serve as welcoming, peaceful places for solitude or prayer. Each area features two wooden benches, and the entire room is accented with designs of “Floating Prayer Seeds,” or dandelion seeds.

The pattern was chosen because “the dandelion flower can thrive in difficult conditions,” according a press release from PHL, and because “some say it symbolizes healing from emotional and physical injury alike and the ability to rise above life’s challenges.”

The rooms also offers a foot bath for passengers who require cleansing before prayer.

“We encourage our passengers to use this room with respect while enjoying a moment of tranquility before continuing their travels,” PHL airport CEO Chellie Cameron said in a statement.

To spread the word about the Quiet Room, which is located in the D-E Connector, Cameron and American Airline’s vice president of hub operations in Philadelphia, Olympia Colasante, handed out 100 white carnations to airport passengers on Thursday.