What is float therapy?
Floating is the ideal antidote to the relentless sensory bombardment of our wired culture. Reduce stress, ease tension and manage chronic pain with floating.
Floatation therapy, also known as floating, sensory deprivation, or R.E.S.T (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy) involves lying in a floatation tank with 10 inches of water, containing 1000lbs of epsom salts. The density of the salt solution allows anyone to float on the surface, virtually free of gravity. It is one of the most effective means of stress relief and relaxation available. Floatation is also used to treat a wide range of ailments and conditions and has been proven to lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone).
When you enter the tank and lie back, you are suspended in water 3 times more buoyant as the dead sea. Your entire body is suspended as one unit with no pressure points. When you close the lid and turn the tank lights off, there is absolutely no light or sound (unless you prefer to leave the light on), and the water is temperature controlled to 34.1 degrees, or skin receptor neutral. As you float, there is very little sensory stimulation for your mind to process. The skin quickly becomes accustomed to the sensation of being in water and soon you can’t tell where you end and the water begins. This unique environment allows the body to reach a profound level of relaxation. As you float, the heart rate slows, blood pressure lowers and muscles begin to relax completely. As you settle into the float, blood flow to muscles and joints increases, easing pain and accelerating the recovery of muscle tissues.
The buoyancy of the water essentially eliminates the effects of gravity on the body. We spend our whole lives resisting gravity. As we stand or sit, our muscles work to hold us upright and often tighten in certain areas causing chronic tension and pain. The brain receives a relentless flow of muscular signals every millisecond and makes constant adjustments as we propel our bodies through the world against the pull of gravity. This background hum of muscular noise makes up the majority of the input reaching our central nervous system.
In the float tank however, the effects of gravity on the body are almost completely removed. Muscles no longer resisting gravity are able to relax completely and the river of ‘muscular noise’ reaching the brain slows to a trickle. Suddenly the body has a surplus of resources to do what it does naturally: heal, rebuild tissue, and rest. In this deep relaxed state, the brain releases endorphins and dopamine, creating a positive mental state.
This 90 minute vacation allows us to “reset” and reenter the world with a renewed clarity and perspective. The high magnesium content of the water leaves the muscles feeling loose and relaxed. The benefits of floating are cumulative and as you become more familiar with this deep relaxed state, it becomes easier to achieve and more profound
Floating tips for 1st timers!
We provide the essentials for the float. People with long hair may want to bring a hair brush for after, and those with contacts should bring their contact case and solution.
1. Arrive and check in (you don’t need to bring anything but yourself)
2. We will cover the basics when you arrive and answer your questions
3. Get NAKED – It truly is the best way to float
4. Put in ear plugs – Shower. Step into the tank. Close the lid. Turn off the music and light
5. When your time is up, music fades in, and the light comes on easing you out of the float
6. Shower again, get dressed and bask in your post-float GLOW
PRE-FLOAT OPTIMIZATION:
SHAVING – Avoid shaving before your float. Any cuts will be distracting due to the epsom salt sting. If you do have any small cuts or areas of sensitive skin, we’ll provide you the Vaseline to apply beforehand.
EATING – Avoid eating large meals before you float. It will be easier for your body to fully relax when its not digesting food. If possible, eat a light, meal 1.5-2 hours before your float.
HYDRATION – Being dehydrated before the float may not be the best state, particularly for your brain. A healthy daily hydration practice is just good for optimal biology.
WASHROOM – Be sure to use the bathroom before your float – an easy distraction to avoid!
CAFFEINE: Avoid caffeine and other stimulants before floating. The float tank is trying to reduce stimulation and elicit the ‘relaxation response’; stimulants like caffeine and nicotine will have the opposite effect.
TECHNIQUES WHILE IN THE TANK
Breathing – Your breath can be an amazing tool for calming the mind and relaxing the body. Try to slow everything down with some deep, long breathes; once you settle into your experience try less to manipulate the breath and more just observing it.
Movement – Avoid excessive movement in the tank; it will prevent full relaxation and therefore many benefits of floating. Also, the more you move, the more likely you are to get salt water in your eyes and/or mouth. The tank’s strong Epsom salt solution has an unpleasant taste and will sting the eyes. If this happens, there is a facecloth and fresh water available in the pod.
FLOATING ETIQUETTE
Remember there may be someone waiting to float after you. After your shower and are dressed please exit the room so we can clean it for the next person. We have a space located outside the room with hairdryers and mirrors. You can take your time outside the room, and relax.
We are a scent free facility, so please refrain from spraying any perfumes, colognes, or scented products anywhere in our establishment. Let’s keep it neutral for everyone to enjoy.
Benefits of Floating
PAIN
MANAGEMENT
Your ears (with earplugs in) stay just below the water; the tanks are insulated against sound leaving you in peaceful silence.
Increased Blood Circulation
The weightless environment of the floatation tank allows for the muscles and joints of the body to relax, increasing blood flow and helping to accelerate repair of muscle tissues. This is especially beneficial for those with injuries or chronic pain.
Relaxation Response
Floating weightless in the tank suppresses the functioning of the sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for the ‘fight or flight’ response.
Increased Immune Function
Immune function is enhanced by suppressing stress hormones which not only weaken the immune system but also suppress the digestion and reproductive systems, affect regeneration processes, and decrease insulin sensitivity.
Use in Athletic Training
Water in the tank has the added benefit of being saturated with Epsom salts, which have well-established healing effects, helping to draw out toxins and lactic acid build-up, and speeding up recovery time.
Heightened Senses
Research indicates that regular floating leads to increased visual acuity, improved tangible perception, increased taste sensitivities and improved auditory sensitivity.
Stress Reduction
Modern life is full of deadlines, frustrations, and demands. For many people, stress is so commonplace that it has become a way of life. Floatation therapy is the most powerful stress relief technique known. Floating has been shown many times, (in controlled studies compared to bed rest), to be the most relaxing experience on earth. (Relaxation measured by perceived stress, by hormone measurement and by brain waves all confirms the truth of this claim.)
Improved Creativity
A small study of five university professors found that six float sessions allowed them to generate more “creative” ideas, which coincided with a self-reported increase in free imagery and remote associations. Similarly, in a study with 40 university students, a single flotation increased their scores on a standardized test used to measure creativity.
Left Brain/Right Brain
The two sides of the brain operate in very different ways. The left side is the essential yet boring side of the brain that deals with detail, processing information, maths, order, logic it operates analytically and systematically. The right side of the brain is the hub for creativity, problem solving, music, art, pleasure and emotion. It operates visually, intuitively, rapidly absorbing large scale information. Floating massively boosts right-brain function by reducing input of the left brain, allowing the right side of the brain to run un-interrupted at full tilt.
Why floating makes sense?
During your float, the outside world is gone and amazing things happen. It turns out that when you’re not fighting gravity or receiving sensory input, your body has a lot of extra resources at its disposal.
Sound
Your ears (with earplugs in) stay just below the water; the tanks are insulated against sound leaving you in peaceful silence.
Sight
After you shut the door and turn off the light, you float in total darkness - you won't notice a difference between keeping your eyes open or closed. (You're free to keep the door open and the light on until you grow accustomed to this unique environment.)
Touch
Inside the tank you will find 10 inches of water and 900 lbs. of dissolved Epsom salts - a solution that allows you to float effortlessly. The water and air are both kept at 34 C - this is skin receptor neutral, which means that when you fully relax, you lose track of where your body ends and the water or air begins.
Pricing & Packages
Floating is the ideal antidote to the relentless sensory bombardment of our wired culture. Reduce stress, ease tension and manage chronic pain with floating.