Floatation FAQs
What are some other names for floating?
There are several names for float tanks that you may have heard of previously.
Float tank
Floatation tank
Sensory deprivation tank
Isolation tank
Float pod
Float cabin
Sensory attenuation tank
Floatation - REST (restricted environmental stimulation therapy)
Salt Float
How can floating help me?
Floating has a range of physical, mental and spiritual benefits.
Physical benefits generally occur during floatation caused by the magnesium-rich solution.
Floating lessens the pressure of gravity on the body, and allows it to completely relax and begin recovering. It relaxes muscles and tendons, coupled with the magnesium in the solution, increases blood flow to affected areas.
Physical benefits you may experience are:
A decrease or relief from acute and/or chronic pain
Accelerated physical performance
As well as the physical benefits of recovery, floatation also provides the opportunity to visualize the ideal performance which is a powerful tool to help with actual physical performance. In fact, the sensory deprivation experienced while floating provides an ideal environment to learn and visualize as well as repair and recover.
Improved cardio-vascular health
The deep relaxation caused by floatation can improve sleep and decrease blood pressure. Poor or deprived sleep and chronic stress are often linked to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Relaxation techniques, such as floatation, can help to improve the physical effects of cardio-vascular health caused by stress and deprived sleep.
Mental benefits of floatation occur due to the deeply relaxing states that sensory deprivation tanks can induce. Floating in a sensory deprivation tank encourages the release of endorphins (happy hormones) and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, returning your mind and body to ‘rest and digest’ state (opposite of fight or flight state). This and the effects of the magnesium-rich solution decreases stress hormone production, regulates mood and stabilizes sleep-wake cycles. In fact one study suggests that floatation could be a promising treatment in reducing the effects of anxiety and depression.
Mental benefits you may experience include:
Reduced stress and anxiety
Improved mood
Improved concentration and focus
Improved sleep
Due to the absorption of magnesium which is essential for nerves and muscles, it improves sleep-wake cycles and stabilizes mood. A lack of magnesium can affect sleep-wake cycles, cause disruptions in the ability to fall and stay asleep and increase anxiety and stress. Floatation tanks allow for increased magnesium absorption as well decreasing stress and anxiety, potentially leading to improved sleep.
When used regularly, floatation tanks can offer a sense of increased purpose, wellbeing and inner peace. This is often caused by the lack of external stimulation which allows the floater to internalise and connect to their mind and body.
Sensory deprivation floatation can allow the brain to produce ‘theta brain waves’ which are responsible for creativity, dreaming, learning, and deep meditation. Due to this, some floaters report a range of spiritual benefits including increased creativity, intuition and inner peace.
What should I wear and bring to my floatation therapy?
You do not need to bring anything other than yourself to your float session.
Each of our float tanks are situated in their own private space and are set up with everything you need for your float, including a set of towels, ear plugs, a shower with shampoo, conditioner and body wash and neck pillows.
We suggest floating without anything on. This allows for true sensory deprivation as any clothing or bathers will create a sensation on the skin. Of course, if you are uncomfortable floating fully undressed, then you may float in swimwear. Just be aware this may take away from your sensory deprivation experience, though you will still receive the physical benefits from the magnesium-rich solution.
How often should I float?
You will likely notice the benefits of floatation after your very first session. As a minimum however, we suggest trying around three floats initially, spaced weekly or every couple of days as it can take several sessions before you are able to completely relax and enjoy the floatation experience fully.
Though physical recovery, improved mood, relaxation, improved sleep and decreased stress are all benefits that occur after a single float the effectiveness wears off after time. The reasons you are floating and what you wish to get out of it may dictate how often you should float.
Floating once a month will help your physical body relax and recover. It will also help to decrease stress for the following couple of days. This is beneficial to those wishing to relieve physical signs of stress, want an instant calming experience, recover physically and become more familiar with floatation.
Increasing to a couple of times a month will also help to keep a calmer mind, create more opportunities to unwind from an active lifestyle or recover from long hours of work, and help to treat chronic and acute pain, headaches and inflammation.
Once a week or more will help to improve all the above with the added benefits of improved sleep, decreased anxiety and the increased overall mood, physical and mental performance and the increased likelihood of entering a meditative state during floatation sessions.
What does sensory deprivation mean and what does it do?
Sensory deprivation is the term used to describe a state or environment that deprives someone of one or more of the senses. This basically means blocking or preventing touch, taste, sight, smell or hearing.
Sensory deprivation tanks are designed to block sound, sight, and touch. Though they are not designed to block smell and taste, unless the solution enters your mouth or nose, it is likely that you won’t experience much in the way of these senses. This allows for a unique experience where the mind can begin to rest and relax without external stimulation.
With less external stimulation coming in, your brain is better able to enter a meditative state and relax. This state can be difficult to reach during your day to day due to all the external stimulation, blocking as many of the senses as possible in a magnesium-rich solution allows for you to truly rest your mind as well as relax your physical body.
Can I float while pregnant?
Yes! Women up to 36 weeks pregnant can float. In fact, floatation is particularly beneficial to expectant mothers and offers a range of physical, mental and spiritual benefits.
Not only does floatation help with aches and pains, relaxation and mood but it can also help to connect to the unborn child.
Benefits that expectant mothers can experience are;
Increased magnesium absorption
Decreased stress and improved mood
Reduced swelling
Lowered blood pressure
Improved sleep
The Mirror Effect: The ability to connect with the unborn baby through simulation of the womb-like state and lack of external stimulation, increasing the ability to feel the baby’s movement and heartbeat.
There are some extra pillows, positions and pointers that we recommend to our expecting floaters, so make sure to ask about these or make a note of your pregnancy when booking so we can help you get the most out of your floatation experience.
What if I am claustrophobic?
During your float you are completely in control of your floatation tank, which is large and spacious. If small or dark spaces make you nervous or uncomfortable, you are welcome to leave the tank door open and light on.
Each of our tanks has an easily accessible internal handle and light switch meaning you have full control over the tank lid and lighting.
Our tanks are all located in their own private room meaning that you are able to float in complete privacy, even if you choose to leave the lid open.
How are the tanks and water kept clean?
The water in the tank is roughly 30cm deep and contains around 360kg of Epsom salts, meaning the water is more of a magnesium rich solution than straight water. As a result of this, the water does not get replaced every day.
The magnesium-rich solution makes it incredibly difficult for anything pathogenic to grow, meaning there is very little chance of bacteria surviving. A well-maintained float tank is cleaner than most public pools.
On top of the salty solution preventing bacteria, we also run a small amount of bromine, a low odour water treatment, through the pump to filter the water between each client. This sanitizes the solution and filters the solution.
At the end of every day more bromine is added to the solution, and we run the pumps for an extended period of time. This ensures that any small microorganism that has somehow survived is killed, and adds an extra level of sanitization to our float tanks.
The float tanks themselves, and the spaces they are in are cleaned between every client making sure that each person can enjoy their own sanitary and tidy experience.
What if I can’t relax?
Floatation can be a great way to help manage anxiety and stress. Unfortunately, sometimes anxiety and stress can make it difficult to settle in a float tank, particularly if you are new to the experience.
Similarly, to other relaxation techniques like meditation, mindfulness and breathing exercises, it does get easier with persistence and practice. Unlike those practices though, there are no external stimulations outside of our control, which makes it easier for our brains to switch off and out of fight or flight reflexes.
If you do struggle relaxing, we suggest building up to the hour-long session. There is no pressure to maintain a completely relaxed state for the full hour, particularly if you are new to floating. Just like you wouldn’t be expected to meditate for a full hour on your first try.
Instead, we suggest spending time making yourself familiar with the tank, deciding whether you want the door open or closed, the lights on or off, and try a few different positions before settling in. This helps wind the mind down and helps to transition away from any distractions you were experiencing before your session.
To help you relax and to minimize distractions we also recommend:
Arriving early so you aren’t rushing to your appointment
Switching phones off, to airplane mode or to silent mode
Planning ahead. Avoid scheduling anything directly after (or before) your float that may cause you to become stressed or distracted towards the end of your session
Go to the toilet beforehand
Stay hydrated (but not too hydrated… see above)
Cover all scratches and cuts with the provided petroleum jelly
Take off jewellery and loosely tie up your hair
Ask any questions while booking, being shown to your float tank or even after. If you are nervous about anything, or curious about anything, it may distract from your ability to relax. Our friendly staff will happily answer any concerns and give you as much or little detail as you need or want.
Can I drown?
No. Float tanks are completely safe, in fact many people are able to fall asleep, or close to sleep, while still floating effortlessly.
Float tanks are filled with a magnesium rich solution which means that, unlike the ocean or swimming pools, it is incredibly dense, buoyant and impossible to fully submerge. This means you will float without any effort.
Because of the buoyancy of the solution, float tanks only need to be about 30cm deep (shallower than most people have their baths) meaning that they are completely safe, even for those who don’t swim.
How will I know when to get out?
Knowing when your session is over can cause anxiety and stress for some people so we have made sure to implement and explain clear signals so you can fully relax without worrying about staying in too long.
We have two gentle signals that we use to let you know when your float session is finished.
Each float tank is equipped with two lights (one controlled by the floater and the other controlled by us) and speakers.
When your hour is up we will gradually turn on the music and turn on the light.
In most cases this is enough to signal that the floatation is over, even for those who have fallen asleep. Only in very rare cases will someone sleep through these signals. In that case we do have secondary signals that we can use. See below.
What happens if I fall asleep?
In short, not much.
You will receive all the benefits from sleep you normally would as well as the extra benefits from the float itself, but you will remain completely safe floating on top of the solution.
The solution makes it difficult to flip over so, if you do fall asleep, you will likely stay in the exact same position and remain asleep until you twitch yourself awake or we wake you with your end of float signals.
If you are worried or concerned about sleeping through the signals, let one of our friendly staff know when booking or being shown through so we can reassure you and explain our secondary signals, so you can fully enjoy your floating experience without concern.
Why don’t you offer couples floatation therapy?
We believe that floating is an individual experience, and studies actually show that benefits are maximised when floating alone.
Our float tanks are designed specifically for sensory deprivation. Everything from the water temperature, the air temperature in the room, the size of the tank, the ability to blackout all light and sound, is there to create the unique experience that is sensory deprivation. We believe that adding another person to this experience takes away from sensory deprivation.
Of course, experiencing a floatation with a significant other, friend or family member can be a wonderful thing. We have two floatation tanks which can be booked by you and someone else for the same time. In doing so, each of you will be able to have your own unique floating experience, in separate tanks, at the same time.