Floating is a bit like going to the gym, you don’t go once and then wake up with a massive six pack. People float for many different reasons so the key objective is finding out what a customer’s reason is. It could be to do with a chronic illness such as Fibromialgia, or for mental health challenges. I floated initially in 2014 to overcome PTSD, anxiety and depression. Obviously one float isn’t going to help anyone overcome the problem, so it takes time and practice.
Learning how to relax your mind is a big part of it. We are super stimulated nowadays, people will watch TV while being on their phones, so unravelling that stimulation is difficult for many people, which is why we recommend a course of at least three sessions. We also talk about feelings here too, how someone feels before and after a float. Learning how to cope with silence is a lot for certain people. The main thing is about letting go of tension and not holding it in the body. Learning that being in a floatation tank is a safe space where it’s ok to let go is the main objective.
What is a floatation tank?
We have very large pods here, they’re about the size of a car if you took out all of the interior. Ours are designed by guys who are 6ft 7, so they’re huge! A pod is filled with 10 inches of water at skin temperature (35.5 degrees). It can’t be too hot otherwise your body will stress itself to cool itself down and equally the opposite if the water is too cold. It is then filled with 500g of Epsom Salts, as this dissolves there is effectively more dissolved material than there is water meaning a person will float on the surface. It’s a bit like floating in the dead sea but in central Hove. We do have lights inside and it’s your choice whether to have them left on or turned off, or to have the lid shit. It’s manually operated so you can open or close it whenever you wish, meaning it’s very easy to get out. Optimum floating conditions are lid down, light off, but we don’t enforce that on anyone. This is another reason we recommend the course, because the first time someone might want the light on and then gradually build up. Floating is similar to a meditation practice, it takes time and effort, especially in today’s climate. It’s unravelling human behaviour by going back and learning to switch off and do nothing.
