I always heard of 'floating' and heard it was such an amazing -zen- experience, so I knew I had to try it. I wanted to give you my honest thoughts and my experiences so you can know what to expect if you decide to float.
Floating has become increasingly popular - and if you don't know what it is, you are basically lying in a small tub/pool/pod of salt water. According to Floating Lotus:
Floating Lotus Floatation is a sensory deprivation healing treatment for your physical body, mental and emotional health and spiritual growth. Studies performed in the United States and Sweden indicate that flotation therapy delivers wide-ranging benefits including significant reductions in not only stress, but also chronic pain, swelling, headaches, depression and insomnia, all while lowering blood pressure and improving skin.Doctors, athletes, and float enthusiasts are using Floatation Therapy for neurological, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, muscular, skeletal, and hormonal balance. Floatation brings the body back into homeostasis.
When I first arrived, it was just the front desk with a lady that had you fill out some forms on her ipad. The waiting area was small, but filled with crystals and their line of products. It was very reminiscent of some small yoga studios (well, they DO have yoga here! lol).
The same lady showed us to our rooms (of course I went with a friend lol) to show us the rundown of everything. You get your own private space, so you can really relax.
When you first walk in, theres a ledge with all the things you'd need: towels, hair ties, cotton pads, blow dryer, creams, etc. You then get completely undressed and take a shower to rid yourselves of any oils. Floating Lotus provided all the shampoo, conditioner and body wash. After you are done, you turn off the lights, and from the shower, it leads to a small pod of your salt water.
The water is only 1ish feet, so don't worry, you cant drown. Its slightly larger than a regular tub - if I spread both arms out, I can just barely touch both sides of the wall and my head and feet do not reach the ends. Luckily for me, there was a floaty noodle in my pod, but my friend didnt have one, so if youre a first time floater, it helped my head stay afloat without having to worry that I was going to drink salt water.
Also, if you have a cut... cover it with vaseline. I didnt, so my elbow which has a cut from scratching my eczema was burning so badly! ouch!
There are glowing lights that change colors (white green and red were the prominent ones I remember). They recommend turning it off, but I'm not that kinda girl LOL! They also have an intercom where you can speak to someone should you have questions or issues.
I, personally had trouble relaxing. Maybe it was due to my nature, or the fact that there were lights, or a noodle, but when i finally closed my eyes and felt like I was relaxing, I felt like I was floating inside of a waterslide and felt like I was spinning when I wasnt. (LOL guess I'm really not a relaxed person)
I also, accidentally got a bit of salt in my eyes. They recommend using the spray bottle they leave on the side to spray your eye clean. I was not so smart and rubbed my eye because thats naturally what I would do. (lol)... which of course you can imagine got my eye even worse. So I actually had to get out of the pod to wipe my eye.
After about 50 minutes of restlessness (i think I was 'tranquil' for maybe 5 of those minutes), a brighter white light from behind your head goes on. (not where the glowing light is) I was anticipating where the light would come from and every time the glow light turned white I thought it may be the white light.
When the white light is on, that means its time to get out and you have yourself a little time to shower all the salt off of you and get ready to go about your day.
When I left, I felt lukewarm. Glad to have had the experience, but unsure of if I would do it again... perhaps next time I'd have the zen experience everyone had since I know what to expect, or maybe I'd have the same experience. I think that it is probably just me since I can hardly sit in a sauna or steam room without begging to get out in a hot 2 minutes lol!
Floating is not for everyone, however I do think everyone should try it because you won't know if its for you until you try it!
I had my experience at:
Floating Lotus
Floating Lotus
39 W 56th Street, Penthouse
New York, NY 10019
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