I know what you are thinking… what do you mean “been” floating, hasn’t everyone floated at some point in their life. Yes, I am sure that is true but I am talking about floating in a tank of salt water! Yes, this is a thing! It’s called flotation therapy or sensory deprivation. This year for my husband’s birthday we went floating! You float in a tank/tub of 1000 pounds of Epsom salt, which makes floating effortless. The water temperature is the same as your body so you are not hot nor cold, just comfortable. So why would anyone do this? Well of course I am going to share with you the benefits!
Benefits of flotation therapy:
Overall Relaxation- Floating is a great ways to get into a meditative state, it clears your mind and relaxes your body
Reduces body pain and soreness- the buoyancy of the Epsom salt allows your body to float without doing anything, your body is completely relaxed.
Stress relief and eases anxiety- Floating allows not only your body to relax but your brain as well. Floating is a unique way of getting to a state of mindfulness.
Detoxification – Due to the fact that Epsom salt is high in magnesium which removes harmful substances from your body.
Help improve your sleep- Floating for 60 minutes is the equivalent of sleeping for 6 hours, it can help you deal with sleeping disorders.
Reduces inflammation- The magnesium sulfate in the Epsom salt reduces your bodies inflammation.
Helps with Migraines- Because floating provide stress relief and the magnesium helps detoxify your body floating also relieves migraines.
Reduce high blood pressure- When your body is floating with no gravity, it allows your blood vessels to dilate fully, immediately lower your blood pressure and maximizes how much oxygen, red blood cells, and blood your body is receiving. The Epsom salt that you absorb during a floating session will also help in reducing high blood pressure.
Improves your skin and hair- The Epsom salt helps remove the dead skin cells, if you have a skin condition like eczema or rosacea, going floating regularly can really help, with the antibacterial aspect as well due to the magnesium.
How it works!
When you arrive at the facility for the first time usually they have you watch a video or read the directions. I will share with you my experience (I have been multiple times so I have already watched the video).
The place we go has 3 individual floating rooms, yes you float alone because you are naked like a normal bath, they have a dressing area, a shower, and then what I would a bath tub for floating.
The facility lets you pick the color light you want to illuminate your room with, I usually pick pink or purple.
First thing you do when you get into the room after undressing, is take a shower and wash your hair and body with their soap, this takes all the chemicals (or dirt) off your body and hair from the products you use, soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotions, etc.
I put my phone on “do not disturb” and plug my phone to their speakers and put on a 75 min guided meditation, this allows me to fully be present in moment. They also have meditation music you can listen too. I have also listened to music and audio books while floating.
Next, they give you earplugs to wear so I put those in and then step into the tub, this can be slippery because it is salt water so hold on to the sides.
Once I get in, there is a “donut” like pillow that floats, for your head to rest on, and then you literally just float, we floated for 70 mins.
They will flash the lights when your time is up…. Believe me they may have to do it a few times you will be so relaxed.
Then you shower again to get the salt off, get dressed and that’s it, you did it, you floated!
How you feel after!
I am an avid massage person, I get a massage every month and I LOVE them, but floating is like getting a 3 hour massage. It is unbelievable how relaxed your feel when you are done. I know, I know I wouldn’t have thought this was true until I did it.
This past week I slept on my neck wrong so I was in a lot of pain in my traps, I couldn’t move my head around without pain, but the 70 mins of floating help my body relax and reduce the inflammation and now it is back to normal!
I don’t have any trouble sleeping but my husband does and after he floats he has the best night sleep.
If you are interested in trying floating, a simple Google search will help you find a location near you. You can Google “floating near me” or “sensory deprivation near me.”
I am in Southern Indiana and we go to Sukhino Floating Center sukhinofloatcenter.com I don’t know about other areas of the country, but at Sukhino it costs $75 for one float, they also have packages and memberships, so it is similar to the price of a massage.
If you decide to try floating I would love to hear about it! infor@live-joy.com
*You should not float if you are intoxicated (alcohol or drugs), have an open wound, have uncontrolled epilepsy, any contagious disease, or are claustrophobic.