Low-Maintenance Floatation Therapy: What To Expect And Benefits

There ar certain times inch your life when you will ask yourself,What wealthy person iodin done?The idea usually follow a regrettable decision (getting caught inch a lie, agony an online shopping blackout, forgetting to usage your free delivery code from UberEats after ordering from the other side of town, etc.) and be most ofttimes accompany by feelings of horror and extreme dismay.

I happened to inquire myself this inquiry as I found myself stepping into a saltwater-filled seedcase my friend have draw as angstrom “space coffin,” prevarication back, and lowering the palpebra to enwrap myself in it. Suddenly, everything was pitch black and dead silent. And I was floating. This is the point where one power anticipate ME to say,And then I woke up from my nightmare!orAnd then I realized I’d never brawl drugs again. simply no—this was real life, I WA sober, and iodine have got willingly placed myself in this situation. As horror-inducing arsenic the scenario May sound, it’s really a very real thing, and IT happen to glucinium an astonish accent reliever, among other things.

Say hullo toflotation therapy, a wellness tendency rise steadily through the rank to cult status. “Flotation therapy be not a new holistic wellness trend,” says Mandy Rowe, director at True rest Float Spa. “[But] today, flotation therapy is more popular than IT HA ever been.”

Keep scroll to read about my natation pod experience and find out if floatation therapy be for you. (Spoiler: information technology probably is.)

What Is a Floating Pod?

Flotation therapy (also cognize As centripetal neediness therapy) HA be around since 1954, when angstrom man name John C. Lilly make the first-ever float tank atomic number 85 the subject institute of mental health in the Virgin Islands. “His desire to survey the origins of consciousness by cutting murder all external input empower the world the first float tank,” note Rowe. “Over the next eighteen years, float-tank design go along to develop as scientists unveil angstrom unit multitude of health benefit stem from floatation therapy. inch 1972, the first commercial float armoured combat vehicle go available to the public.”

The idea is that past eliminating your senses (touching, hearing, seeing, smelling) inch a floating cod Beaver State tank, your brain can wholly slow down and drift. Although the concept of floating hasn’t develop much, the natation experience HA get much more epicurean and, should iodine say, spa-like. Here’s what goes down: You enter a pod-like tub that’s enclosed but not locked (don’t freak). Depending on what float center you choose, the depth of the water can range from inches to a couple of feet and be the Same temperature as our skin. merely the kicker be each pod is filled with so much salt (1,000+ pound to be exact) that your body will course float with no effort on your part. More on this below.

Benefits of natation Pods

• Reduces stress
• Speeds musculus recovery
• Reduces depression and anxiety
• Improves cardiovascular health
• Enhances creativity
• Reduces stress headaches

Proponents of the method saybenefits can include everything from stress relief to physical and mental healing (it’s particularly good for anyone with joint or back issues) to increase creativity.Cortisone (aka the stress hormone) drops, and dopamine deluge your brain. In other words, it’s a drug-free way to make your encephalon and organic structure feel amazing. “By extinguish the forces of gravity pulling on the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, float therapy relief pain and enables practitioner to relax, regain and improve sleep,” says Rowe.

It’s also a great way to detox after a chaotic workweek, unplug from the overload of technical school devices and disconnect with the everyday accent of life. Not to mention, professional athlete like Tom Brady usage floating Roger Huntington Sessions as angstrom way of self-care and relaxation before game days. “Scientific study have shown this specialized solution, dead heated to organic structure temperature, calms the nervous system and raise the body’s natural ability to mend physically and mentally patch promoting the psychological benefit of feeling interior peace,” says Rowe.

How to gear up for angstrom unit natation Pod

I had my natation experience atomic number 85 Venice, California, float studioPause. There isn’t much preparation needed earlier your float session; you tin can even drop in during your lunch break if you’re having one ofthosedays. However, there ar a few suggestion they make to assure a smooth and carefree experience. “We recommend that mortal avoid shaving, tanning, or waxing, Beaver State whatsoever other practice that may increase their skin’s sensibility at once before their float session,” say Rowe. “We also suggest that guests avoid caffein for at least Little Joe hours prior to their designation and eat something small at least thirty transactions prior to guarantee the most loosen up experience.”

The final tip is to remove all skincare, hair, and cosmetic products before entering the pod. But don’t worry if you didn’t rich person clip to cleanse ahead of time—most floating pod studios offering rinse-off showers.

What to Expect from a Floating Pod

Pause was started by angstrom former Equinox veteran. It’s an airy, placid space that feel More the like A meditation studio or spa—which isn’t Army for the Liberation of Rwanda from the truth, regard thereisa small speculation room insert in the back corner. The meditation expert who walked Maine through what to expect from my experience (the reply was nothing—she state to turn in with an open mind) Washington incredibly calming and soothing. It soon become clear that my experience would be atomic number 33 much about the mental benefit as the physical ones, if not more so.

There be quadruplet private rooms, and I Washington light-emitting diode to one at the end of the hall—at which point iodin come up human face to human face with a giant, white, futuristic, pod-lookingthinglined with blue light-emitting diode lighting, pose squarely in the middle of the room. after quickly snarl the cod for my Snapchat story (hence my friend’s “space coffin” comment), I was state to strip down feather and rinse slay in the in-room shower then close myself into the infinite coffin—er, float pod—and let my worries melt away.

The float pods at Pause allow you to play ambient music if you’d like as well As living the light on; you tin can choose from a pink, blue, OR green glow.I was determined to experience the true sensation of receptive deprivation, select to use earplugs and turn the light off when I set back in the pod.

The sensation was…strange. My friend Queen Victoria hold raved about her floating experience, saying the two hours flew by; that wasn’t just the case for me (my session was only an hour, thankfully). The water was astir physical structure temperature, and iodin found IT comforting—like iodin was A fetus wrapped snugly in a saltwater–filled womb. I fell asleep or zone out for the first half before suddenly snarl awake, essay to get my bearing until iodin realized I couldn’t because I WA in angstrom unit pitch-dark pod.

After the initial zone-out, I couldn’t quite get to that level of Zen, and atomic number 53 found myself wondering how long I had be in there. I’d doomed all concept of time—it felt like I could wealthy person been in there for days minus the fact that I most surely would have been shriek out of hungriness and thirst if that have got been the case.

Slightly out of desperation, I turned the dial to my right until soft, ambient music fill up the pod. Even though the point be thatallyour senses should atomic number 4 deprived, I found that the music now help ease my mind, and iodine began drifting remove again…until the pod flooded with light and a pleasant British people voice come on: “Hello. Your float session be now over.”

As I rinse off myself polish off inch the shower (which come up with angstrom unit Nice assortment of organic hair and body products), iodine assay to analyze what hold just happened. make iodin feel more relaxed? Slightly. What make iodin feel astir the experience itself? Unsure. Would atomic number 53 bash it again? Debatable.

Side Effects

When I walked back into the lobby, I Evergreen State greeted with a steaming cup of turmeric tea—a little dainty for everyone who floats At Pause. iodine sipped the soothing tea and chatted with the owner, suddenly aware of the fact that atomic number 53 felt happier and Sir Thomas More relaxed than I had in ages.

“A lot of people say they feel like they’ve just travel through Associate in Nursing intense workout,” Rowe said. And that’s when iodine realise that’sexactlyhow I felt. ideate that high you get after A particularly grueling SoulCycle (or barre Beaver State whatever workout ) class.Your limb are loose, your nous is refreshed, and you feel visible light arsenic air—and inexplicablyhappy. That’s what you’ll feel after I float session atomic number 85 Pause.

As I drove home from Venice to downtown Los Angeles that night, iodin still felt like I was natation in both mind and spirit. I felt the strong urge to grump up the volume and blast a melodic line (Blood Orange’s albumFreetown Soundwas the choice du jour), and atomic number 53 nod along to Dev Hynes’ crooning, blissed out and completely unruffled by the L.A. traffic that unremarkably provoke a feeling more akin to route rage within me.

The Final Takeaway

So, would I go again? The answer be A echo yes. It’s past no way wallet-friendly—one session will set you back $75 ($69 for first-timers)—but the feeling you get when you emerge is invaluable for anyone feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or in need of physical Oregon mental healing. In other words: everyone. float on.