Salt Water Float Spa Experience

I’m a huge fan of regularly taking epsom salt baths to alleviate any workout soreness, pain in my right hip or for self care after a long day.

Recently, I heard about float spas and float therapy and decided to give it a try. Below is an overview of my experience, in case it’s new to you too.

What is Floating?

Essentially it’s when you float face-up and horizontally in a big, not-very-deep tub full of 1,000+ pounds of epsom-salted water for 60 to 120 minutes. You’re alone. You’re naked. It’s very quiet and peaceful. Plus, floating has many health benefits such as stress relief, pain relief and more.

There are many more educated explanations online; I refer you to your local float spa’s website for better information on what it is and its benefits. I’m clearly not an expert.

This is a photo I took of inside of the float tank. Note the pretty stars on top.

What to Know Before You Float

I was really nervous before floating, but the Float Spa I went to recommends that clients watch a YouTube tutorial video ahead of time so you know what to expect. Their video was extremely helpful and provided some of these tips to me.

• Read about floating on your spa’s website and ask questions ahead of time to make sure you know what to do and expect.
• I had a private room with a shower and float tank. The door had a lock.
• In the shower room (outside of the tank) were towels, body wash, shampoo and conditioner.
• They provided free ear plugs.
• Before you go into the float tub, you take a shower to wash off any oils or dirt.
• When you get into the tub, you press a button to turn off the big lights. This let’s the staff know you’re in there so they can start the clock.
• For the first ~10 minutes, there is music. Then it’s silent.
• You have the option of keeping the lit stars on the ceiling or turning off all the lights and floating in complete darkness. They recommend going for darkness to get the full relaxation experience.
• When it’s time to get out, they’ll play music. In case you fall asleep while floating, they’ll gradually increase the music volume until you press the button. This tells them you’re awake and are getting out of the tub.
• You float naked. They say any clothes will be restrictive or a nuisance and impact the experience.
• The float tub is not that deep. I remember being surprised at how shallow it was. This is not a deep soak tub and you are laying down not sitting, so it makes sense.
• After I got out of the tub, I was able to shower again and get dressed in my private shower room.
• My Float Spa had a separate bathroom and area with a variety of toiletries, hair dryers, mirrors, etc. so you could fully get ready afterward.
• The Float Spa also had a relaxation room that I could use after, but it was toward the end of the day so I felt like I needed to get home to the family.
• Since you need to shower before and probably after, make sure you allow for extra time onto both ends of your visit.

While some of this might be specific to the Float Spa that I went to, it will hopefully give you an idea of how it works. I imagine Float Spas have a lot of similarities.

This was what my shower room looked like. The door to the Float Tank is on the left.

My Float Experience

I chose to do only an hour for my first float since I didn’t really know what to expect or if I would like it. Below are some additional thoughts I had during the experience or information in case you decide to try floating too:

• Despite the reminders, I forgot to put the ear plugs in before showering. So during my float, I had water in my ears as the ear plugs kept sliding out. Not a huge deal, but it certainly made the float more quiet with my ears full of water.
• I anticipated that I would sink, but didn’t at all. You really do float. In my head, it’s like floating in the Dead Sea, which I’ve never been to so I’m not sure if that’s an accurate comparison.
• I used the “halo” they provided; it’s a little ring that goes under your head while floating to help your head stay further above water than it might normally be. Most of my face was out of the water, but my ears were fully under water.
• I started off with just the starred ceiling, but thought I’d give full darkness a chance and actually liked it more.
• The Float tank isn’t crazy large but it’s also not too small. I didn’t feel closed in or claustrophobic at all (although I don’t tend to feel that way either). Especially in the darkness, I felt like I could’ve been outside under the darkness of the sky.
• I don’t think I fell asleep, but I definitely wasn’t wide awake. My mind was in a very peaceful, resting state for a lot of my float.
• A few times during my float, I splashed water on my body because I found my skin out of the water was dry and would get slightly chilly.
• Also as I laid there, my body would drift around the tub so sometimes, my toe would gently tap the wall and then some time later, my head would tap the wall. It actually made me chuckle each time as it brought me back to reality.
• I thought I would get bored, but was surprised when the hour was up.
• Afterward, I was glad I didn’t have anywhere to go so I didn’t have to rush off, but also because of my wet hair.

Overall, floating felt similar to meditation and its stress relief but also had the added health benefits of epsom salt, being weightless, etc. Afterward, I felt so calm, relaxed, stress free and ready to take on the chaos of my family of 5.

I had a really great float experience.

Would I recommend float therapy to someone else?

Yes, absolutely. If it’s something you think you might benefit from, I say give it a shot. Other than the potential of salt in your eyes or some wasted time or money, I don’t see a downside.

The Float Spa that I went to recommends trying it at least 3 times before deciding whether or not you like it since the first experience undoubtedly will have its discomforts. But honestly, I loved it. If I had free time and the money to be able to regularly do float therapy, I would.

And, if I had known about Float Spas back when I was pregnant, this would’ve been a game changer for my sciatica and other body aches.

And what a fun gift idea – a gift certificate for your local Float Spa. The holidays are coming up in case you know someone who might need some float therapy.

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Have you ever tried a Float Spa before? Or have you ever heard of one? If you haven’t heard of one before or tried it, I hope this review above helped you learn more about it.

Thanks for reading!