My First Float

Before going for my first float, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had read about it and heard about the experiences that others had, but still wasn’t quite sure if I would share those same feelings. I heard a lot of good things and, truthfully, I was a little skeptical. Regardless, I decided to give it a try and am glad I did.

After arriving for my appointment and filling out the usual forms, I was briefed on the process and assigned a private room. After getting acquainted with the room, I got into the tank for the first time. I could easily open and close the door so I was able to keep the door open while I found my bearings, and then close it once I was ready.

At first, I spent a lot of time trying to find a comfortable position — this prevented me from relaxing and I started to wonder how I would survive 90 minutes in the tank without getting bored. Eventually, I was able to rest my head comfortably and relax my body and mind — it was at that point that I started to realize how peaceful and calming the tank was.

I quickly started to feel like I was floating in mid-air. I even challenged myself to identify which part of my arm was submerged versus above water, and I couldn’t tell — the water and air temperature was my body temperature, which made it difficult to differentiate between the two, giving this true sensation of floating in mid-air.

As I felt more and more relaxed, I was convinced I would likely fall asleep in the tank. At times I felt like I was dozing off but I never quite made it to sleep. It was a strange yet calming feeling of being awake while my mind was relaxed enough to fall asleep.

Suddenly, I heard music fading in and realized the 90 minutes had flown by. After exiting the tank and washing off all the salt, I found that I was still very relaxed. For the rest of the day, I just felt this tranquility and peacefulness that I can only attribute to the float. I’m excited to go back for a second visit to see what effects I can feel with a longer float given that I won’t need as much time to get used to the tank. I would highly recommend trying this at least once — especially for those that are skeptical of the intangible benefits that it offers.