What is a float room?
Our Ocean Float rooms are luxurious pools of water super-saturated with epsom salt and kept at skin temperature, so that you effortlessly float and relax into the stillness of a light and sound reduced environment. The combination of the magnesium therapy and REST (reduced environmental stimuli therapy) has many profound, proven benefits for physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. Unlike self-contained pods and tanks, Ocean Float Rooms are completely open - our indoor float has a high starlight ceiling, and we have the very first outdoor, open-air float! - with private changing and shower space, and user-controlled light, sound, and intercom.
Health & Safety
Floating has been around commercially for over 40 years, and as of 2016 there were over 1,000,000 floats run every year in North America. Even with such a large sample size, there has never been a reported case of illness linked to float tank use.
This is due to a combination of factors. A powerful, quiet magnetic-drive pump with high capacity filtration system drains, filters, and refills the salt solution a minimum of 4 times between users. Sterilization is automatic. The salt itself also makes the solution a hostile environment for most micro-organisms. In addition, users don’t interact with the solution as they would with the water in a pool or hot tub - floating above and never taking in water.
As a result, floating itself is a very low-risk activity. Combining the safety and cleanliness of the float itself with the privacy and solitude of the experience, it is one of the most covid-safe therapies available, inside or outdoors.
Benefits of Float Therapy - Why Float?
Floating has an amazing array of benefits, due to the combination of the magnesium-infused water and the low-sensory environment (Floatation-REST: restricted environmental stimulation therapy).
Here are many of them, followed by links to clinical research.
Alleviate:
Anxiety / Depression
Pain
Insomnia
Support for Addiction Recovery
PTSD
Burnout / chronic fatigue
Pregnancy & Nursing
Concussion support
Benefits:
Stress relief
Pain relief
Improved sleep
Magnesium
Sensory reset
Athletic (Muscle & HRV) recovery
Mindfulness, Meditative State, & Alternate State of Consciousness
Experiencing deep stillness, peace and quiet
Boost creativity
Doing nothing
Gary Ferguson is the founder of Pathways for Veterans, an organization focused on helping veterans after returning from service. Pathways has started to incorporate float tanks into the tools his organization uses, and he speaks movingly about his own experiences with recovery.
Two Navy Seals interviewed about their experiences using float therapy to treat concussion and chronic pain in their community:
Two general studies on float therapy: Stress, anxiety, depression, and worst pain decreased and sleep quality and optimism increased
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4219027/
https://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2021-04/floatation-therapy-specific-health-concerns
On float therapy for pregnant and nursing moms:
On float therapy for insomnia:
https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/831/items/1.0098140
On float therapy for addiction recovery:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2131327/
On athletes and recovery (video interview):
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=733162523474286
On the benefits of doing nothing:
http://tedxreading.com/talks-2017/
Database of studies:
Clinical research investigating Floatation-REST, although limited, has reported largely beneficial effects across a range of different stress- and pain-related conditions, including: hypertension, chronic tension headaches, chronic muscle tension pain in the back and neck, and stress-related pain with burnout depression. There have also been several studies focused on individuals with clinical anxiety, including generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anorexia nervosa, panic disorder, agoraphobia, and social anxiety disorder, with many of these patients also presenting with comorbid major depressive disorder. The evidence published thus far suggests that Floatation-REST is a safe technique for rapidly reducing levels of stress, pain, and anxiety. Clinical trials are currently underway in America, Germany, and Sweden investigating the long-term impact of floating in patients with anxiety disorders, anorexia nervosa, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, and insomnia. As the evidence base continues to grow, we will continue to update this repository of peer-reviewed publications studying the clinical effects of Floatation-REST.