ORDAirport Guide

Quiet places at O'Hare without a lounge: what the airport lists

O'Hare lists no quiet zone open to everyone. Find its Interfaith Room, Yoga Room, chapel and sensory-map Calm Spots, with hours and house rules.

The white ceiling and flared columns of the new concourse hall at O'Hare's Terminal 5.
Concourse hall, Terminal 5

O’Hare doesn’t list a quiet zone, nap room or sleep pod that any passenger can walk into. It lists three rooms with a purpose: an Interfaith Room in Terminal 5, a Yoga Room in Terminal 3 and a chapel in Terminal 2. The airport’s sensory maps add Calm Spot icons in Terminals 1, 2 and 3 for a break from the noise.

Two of the three rooms are past security, so pick by where you’re standing.

Room Where Security Hours
Interfaith Room Terminal 5, Concourse M, Gate M25 After Open 24 hours
Yoga Room Terminal 3, mezzanine of the Rotunda After 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Chapel Terminal 2, mezzanine above the Alaska and JetBlue ticket counters Before Not listed

The only room called a quiet room is the USO’s

The airport calls just one room a quiet room. It belongs to the USO on the Terminal 2 mezzanine before security, and it serves active military personnel and their dependents. The Terminal 2 center is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and its number is (773) 686-7396. The airport says center hours are subject to change based on volunteer availability. None of the three rooms above is listed as a place to sleep.

So the choice comes down to those rooms, the sensory maps and a few paid options. Our chapel and prayer page lists the Chapel and the Interfaith Room.

The three rooms and what each one asks of you

Open all hours: the Interfaith Room

It’s the only room here that’s both past security and open around the clock. The airport calls it a dedicated space for prayer, meditation or silent contemplation. Inside you’ll find open floor space, a Qibla compass, shoe storage and wooden benches.

Terminal 5’s sensory map shows no Calm Spot, so this is the one place the airport points to for silent contemplation there. Treat it as a prayer room first and keep calls outside. Terminal 5 has no secure-side walkway to the other terminals, and our terminals page shows the airport layout for anyone setting out from Terminal 1, 2 or 3.

The Yoga Room has house rules and a soundtrack

The room measures 15 by 16 feet, with a bamboo floor, floor-to-ceiling mirrors on one wall and exercise mats. Frosted windows let in daylight and keep the public space outside from seeing in. It isn’t silent. A wall monitor shows yoga techniques and nature imagery while the audio plays soothing sounds.

The airport asks guests to follow five rules:

  • Remove your shoes on entering.
  • Dispose of food and drinks.
  • Silence phones and all electronic devices.
  • Keep the doorway clear.
  • Clean the mat with the complimentary disinfecting wipes when you’re done.

There’s an area inside for bags and coats, and a public restroom nearby on the mezzanine works for changing clothes. A second monitor outside the room shows arrivals and departures for the domestic terminals, so you can check your flight on the way out. The airport’s page mentions no fee, booking or time limit. Our spa and yoga page also lists the Terminal Getaway Spa.

Chapel, before security

The airport calls it a peaceful oasis in a busy airport, for prayer, worship and liturgies. It keeps prayer books, rugs, rosaries and worship materials, and it has Juma’ ablution (wudu) facilities. Because it’s before security, a connecting passenger who walks out to it has to clear a checkpoint again to reach the gates.

The page gives no opening hours. Call the Chapel Office at (773) 686-2636 before you go if your layover is tight.

Where the sensory maps mark a Calm Spot

The airport publishes a sensory map for each terminal. It draws each stretch of a concourse in orange for high sensory input, pink for medium and blue for low, then adds icons for seating, natural light, low noise, dense crowds and Calm Spots. Download the PDF from the airport’s sensory page and check your own gate against it. Our sensory resources page lists the bags, videos and social stories that go with it.

Terminal Calmer on the map Busier on the map
1 Calm Spot icons at the B8 end and the C19 end of the walkway between Concourses B and C. The south end of Concourse B, B18 to B24, is low sensory with seating and natural light. The long middle of Concourse B near the departures hall, with crowd and checkpoint icons.
2 A Calm Spot icon near Gate F1, beside Sensory Zone, Resources/Support and Open Space icons. The junction of Concourses E and F has a low-sensory edge with natural light and low noise icons. The arms of Concourses E and F, marked for beeping sounds and dense crowds.
3 Calm Spot icons on Concourse L near Gate L1 and on the Rotunda mezzanine, which also carries a Yoga icon. Concourse L from L27 toward L1 is low sensory. Concourses H and K near their junctions, marked for crowds and strong smells.
5 No Calm Spot icon. Both ends of Concourse M are low sensory, near M1 and at the M40 rotunda, with seating, natural light and open space icons. The stretch around the departures hall, between about M10 and M19, with crowd, smell and checkpoint icons.

The maps don’t describe what a Calm Spot is, so treat it as a calmer corner and not a closed room.

If noise is a medical or sensory need rather than a preference, ask at an information desk. The desks hand out sensory bags with fidgets, headphones and visual aids, and Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyards that signal a non-visible disability. Terminal desks sit at Gate C18 in Terminal 1, Gate F4 in Terminal 2 and Gate K2 in Terminal 3. Terminal 5’s desk is near Gate M15. They close by 8 p.m., and our information desks page lists each one’s hours.

Rooms that look quiet but have another job

  • The Family Lounge in Terminal 2 is a play space for children, past security near Gate F1 and open 24 hours. It has live entertainment at times through the year.
  • Mother’s Rooms and lactation pods are for nursing, pumping and caring for young children. Our nursing rooms page lists where they are.
  • The Companion Plus Restroom in Terminal 2 is a private room for travelers with disabilities who need a caregiver’s help.

If you’ll pay or leave the gates

The airport describes its airline lounges as quiet places to work or relax, and says travelers without a membership can buy day passes for most clubs. Our lounges page lists each lounge, who gets in and its published hours.

The airport’s map also lists Jabbrrbox, private workspaces it describes as a quiet, productive environment. It marks three, after security near Gate B6 in Terminal 1, Gate E1 in Terminal 2 and Gate K12 in Terminal 3, open around the clock. The map gives no price or booking rule, so ask at the booth before you plan around one.

The Terminal Getaway Spa, near Gate B12 in Terminal 1 and Gate H1 in Terminal 3, is open daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. At both spas the airport’s map describes nail services, chair massage, hand, leg and foot massage, and full body Swedish and deep tissue massage.

For a real door and a bed, the Hilton Chicago O’Hare Airport is joined by an underground walkway to Terminals 1, 2 and 3. From Terminal 5, ride the Airport Transit System to reach the same walkway. Walking over leaves the gate area, so leave time to clear a checkpoint again. Our hotels page lists the other hotels near the airport.

Before you leave your gate, open the sensory map and find the nearest blue stretch. Then ask your airline or a Travelers Aid volunteer at an information desk how long boarding takes from there.

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