October 21, 2018 - Flotation Therapy
I'm not a huge fan of enclosed spaces. I never really thought I was claustrophobic until I spent the weekend at the City Museum with one of my nieces a few years ago. In her innocence, she plead for me to follow her into the tiny tunnels and wall passages that make the St. Louis City Museum so unique. Of course, in her adorable 11-year-old self, she could fit in nearly every space, twisting and turning and sliding through all the fun tunnels. This 30-something year old body didn't fit the same way, and in a moment fraught with panic one day, I nearly got stuck shimmying through a hole after her. It was then that I realized maybe I wasn't cut out for small spaces. Or at least anything enclosed with a tight fit.
While I'm certain the idea of small spaces wasn't the issue, but rather the threat of getting stuck, I decided to test the theory today with a flotation therapy pod. Me, encased in a sealed tub of water for an hour. What could possibly go wrong?
I've heard good things about flotation therapy: floating - weightless - in magnesium-rich water to alleviate stress, muscle cramps, fatigue and a whole host of other things. Why not give it a shot?
Groupon to the rescue again. Oh how, I love me a good Groupon deal. When I called to make my appointment, they informed me that I had the option of doing the sealed pod or an open "walk-in" style room. While the concept of just walking in to the room intrigued me, I decided I need to do the pod to get the full experience. And conquer any lingering fears of enclosed spaces I might have.
When I checked in today, the spa was mostly empty (I picked late afternoon on a Sunday for this reason). The receptionist showed me to my room, gave me a quick tutorial on what to do/expect, then left me to prep. I had about 8 minutes before she turned it on.
Step 1: Shower. She informed me that I needed to take a shower and wash my hair before I got into the pod. She also recommended that I put my ear plugs in before my shower (so they wouldn't be wet when trying to put them in afterward). The ear plugs were obviously so I didn't get salt water in my ears during the float. I hadn't really thought much about ear protection, but I'm so glad they had those. I HATE getting water in my ear.
Since the room was just one big square, I showered in the corner, then waited for the cue that the pod was ready. So, you know, just me hanging out wet and nekkid in the corner, with ear plugs in blocking out most of the sound.
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| Corner shower. |
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| One of the worst shampoos I've ever used. |
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| Looks like a clamshell! |
Step 2: Get in the pod! I heard a soft woman's voice, which I assumed was the track telling me my float would begin. It was so quiet, I couldn't really discern any of what she was saying through my ear plugs. I turned off the light to the room and everything turned dark except for the blue light shining inside the pod. Once I stepped in, I sat down (which is slightly difficult when you're so buoyant), and attempted to shut the pod door without knocking myself unconscious. I was successful, albeit ungraceful as hell. Thank goodness I was in that room alone!
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| Let's set the mood, shall we? |
The pod was surprisingly spacious (8' long x 5' wide), and although it shut tight on all sides, I didn't feel suffocated or closed in. There were two buttons that allowed me to adjust the lighting inside and the volume of the music. Turns out the light just goes on or off, with no in between settings. I found the complete darkness to be one big NOPE, so I left it on. It was fairly dim though, so it didn't intrude on my solitude. I liked the music that was pumping through and it was too eerily quiet when I tried turning it off. It was just low enough, that it didn't distract me.
Step 3: Float. For the first 15 minutes or so, I found this to be harder than I thought. Not physically harder, but mentally harder. I struggled to relax and empty my mind. Thoughts of my to do list for the week ran though my head, along with a myriad of other things, so I was just restless. I kept moving around in the tank, finding it tough to let everything go. I was worried about my ears getting water in them (they were cheap ear plugs after all), so I couldn't fully relax my head.
About 10-15 minutes in and I calmed down. I realized the water wasn't getting through the ear plugs, and I truly felt myself relax. The Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) is what gives true buoyancy, but this isn't like a regular Epsom salt bath. These pods use 900 POUNDS of Epsom salts in about 10-11" of water. Once I relaxed, I realized I was floating with ease and I felt the pressure release from my muscles. I also couldn't feel where the water ended and the air around me began. The pods keep the air and water at the same temperature as my body, so I couldn't really tell where the water line was hitting my body. It was super weird.
When I started, I thought that 60 minutes would go by so slowly and I would agonize over being in there for so long. But, a true mindfulness came over me. Tension and stress left my body, and I felt almost like I was in a deep sleep, though I was completely conscious. With the high concentration of magnesium, it also soaked in to my skin. Epsom salts help with a number of issues that most people experience because of a magnesium deficiency.
When I did touch my skin, it felt a bit slimy and slick (but, not in a gross way if that's possible to imagine). I guess that's what happens when there's 900lbs of salt in your bathwater. I wonder if this is what the Dead Sea feels like. Hopefully, I can experience it some day!
Eventually, I noticed that the light inside changed and the music faded. Another garbled voice came on, presumably telling me my float was complete. I took my ear plugs out, and awkwardly made my way out of the pod. Not only was it difficult trying to stand up while also opening the hatch, but I also felt a bit groggy and weak, like I'd just woken from a nap.
Step 4: Shower. Again. The water dried quickly as I headed over to the shower, and I noticed how dry and scaly my skin was. The salt was sitting on the surface of my skin and hair, and I quickly worked to wash all remnants of it off. I kept the main light off in the room, but the glow of the pod was enough to see what I was doing. Shortly after I exited the pod, the whirlpools started in order to clean and sanitize.
The video above is during the cleaning cycle. It did not do this during the float. The water was completely calm while I was in there. This agitation was just to sanitize. Here's what the website had to say about the cleaning process: "The water in the float pod is completely filtered through our high-tech filtration in between each float session. Every individual is required to rinse off in the attached shower immediately prior to entering the float pod as well as after floating. Although the high salinity of Epsom salt kills 99.9% of bacteria in the water, our sophisticated engine system filters all the water in the tank three times between floaters. The water in our float pod is hundreds of times more sanitary than the normal swimming pool or hot tub."
Once I finished showering, I attempted to put my clothes back on (easier said than done when your skin is damp) and left the room. I suppose I could have worn the supplied robe across the hall to put on lotion, but I felt weird doing that. I had no idea who else was hanging out back in the float rooms. The receptionist checked in on me and started cleaning the rest of the room once I left.
We talked briefly about my experience, and she showed me the open air step-down room in case I wanted to use that next time.
It was definitely a unique experience. Knowing how beneficial Epsom salt baths are (I take them at home to relieve muscle tension or as a detox bath when I'm sick), I can see the benefits of doing these more frequently. I'm definitely going to look into doing this again. Next time should be easier than the first, allowing me to immediately relax.
I highly recommend trying one of these!
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