Doing something new every week in 2017 #9: Sensory deprivation/float tank
#9 of 52 new ways to challenge yourself in 2017 | Last week: Barre
Last month, I was inspired by a Vsauce video on isolation and its impact on the human body and psyche.
Basically the gist of the video is that, our modern society is full of external stimulation and that a bit of isolation is great for you (it helps your mind to run loose and be free) but too much isolation can wreck havoc on your body and your mind.
Studies have shown that prolonged isolation is perceived as being so painful that physical pain is preferably to being bored (from a lack of stimulants).
In the video (6:34), the presenter went into a sensory deprivation/float tank for a hour and emerged feeling perplexed about his experience.
Intrigued by the idea, I decided to try out a float tank and see its effects for myself.
Salt Pod Spa
There are a few places that offer the float tank experience in Wellington: Float well, Tory Urban Retreat and Salt Pod. I settled on Salt Pod in Thorndon because they had a sale on floats. JD also tagged along “for science”.
How it works
The sensory isolation tank is quite large and is filled with 500kg of Epsom salt to 800 litres of water, the water is so dense that you float, rather than sink. The water is kept at body temperature and the lid of the tank can be shut off completely.
There is a 10 minute shower before and after your float, which means for a “60 minute float”, you are actually only getting a 40 minute float with 20 minutes worth of shower time in total. The music tells you when to get in and out of the pod.
My float experience
I showered and settled into the pod in record time, so the music was still playing by the time I was fully emerged in the salty water. The first 10 minutes of music felt more like 1 hour!
After the music had ceased, that’s when things got interesting.
Usually when there is a bit of down time, my mind starts to make checklists, rather than relaxing. Surprisingly, I found this was not the case when I was floating in the tank. Instead I was teetering on the edge of consciousness the entire time, not quite dreaming or awake, but rather in a lucid-dream like state.
I can understand why some people have reported seeing hallucinations while they were in the tank — due to the lack of stimulants, your mind will resort to entertain itself in strange ways!
The sensory isolation did strange things to my perception of time. 60 minutes went by in the blink of an eye and all too soon, the music started again and it was time to get out of the pod.
My verdict
It was certainly a very interesting experience and one that I would gladly experience again.
There are a few things to keep in mind before your first float though:
- Don’t shave or wax yourself the day of the float because salt on small wounds will sting like hell. They do give you Vaseline to cover the wounds, but they don’t work that well.
- Choose a float centre that’s not next to a main road, Salt Pod was next to a busy street in Thorndon, which meant you could hear the vibration from the road while you were submerged.
- It does take a few floats to get used to the feeling, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t feel completely relaxed after your first float.
- It works great when combined with meditation, so it pays to learn some meditation techniques before getting into the pod. I recommend starting with the Headspace app.
Have you ever been inside a float tank? What was your experience like?
Coming up next: High tea at Louis Sergeant Sweet Couture