Floatation Suite

What is floating?

Floating is simply lying still in warm, body temperature water, with your head on a pillow or the water. A high concentration of Epsom salts means you float effortlessly, about a third of your body above the water line. The room is bathed in candlelight or soft, coloured lighting and most people listen to tranquil music or meditations.

It’s as near as you can get to experiencing zero gravity on Earth in a state of deep relaxation.

Floating provides peace and tranquillity. It shields you from the normal sensory demands on your vision, hearing and touch, and from the usual constant pull of gravity on your organs, muscles and joints, with wonderful physical and mental health benefits. An hour of floatation can be magic. A series of regular floats can have a much deeper effect that lasts long after the end of the programme.

What happens in a float session?

After undressing and showering, you step into a fibreglass pool containing 26cm deep, skin temperature water (heated constantly) and 300 kgs of Epsom salts which nourish and soften your skin without wrinkling it like sea salt does. The high concentration of salts allows your body to float effortlessly. You simply sit down and slowly lie back until your head is either touching the pillow (if you choose to use one) or the water. As you lie back, your body gradually lifts to the water’s surface.

How do I float?

You don’t actually ‘do’ anything in the pool. The Epsom salt ensures your buoyancy, with no effort from you. For a wonderful, tranquil hour, you just let your mind wander as your body enjoys the experience and the benefits.

Sharing

Unlike flotation tanks, our pool is open, airy and wide. It is a double-width pool which you may enjoy alone or with plenty of room for two to share, whether your companion is a partner, friend, relative or carer.

Accessibility

The pool is on the ground floor, close to our wide, wheelchair-friendly, step-free entrance leading from our disabled parking space. As it’s a double-width pool, there’s ample room for a carer if you need a little extra support in the pool. We also have a hoist and adult changing bed, should you require these. Please just call us and let us know how we can tailor your visit to your specific needs. And do please tell us if you need us to reserve the disabled parking space, as we cannot otherwise ensure its availability.

Benefits of floating

Floating in a pool of warm water into which the Epsom salts have been dissolved, allows your body to totally relax. As every muscle in your body is 100% relieved from all tension, you can quickly go into a state of deep relaxation.

Floating has many benefits: it relieves stress, nervousness, anxiety, jet lag, insomnia and muscular aches and pains.

There are many medical conditions which have been shown to benefit from floatation therapy such as anxiety, depression, complete physical & mental de-stressing, relieves aches & pains, deep muscular relaxation and arthritis, back pain, pre-menstrual tension, post natal depression, asthma, migraine headaches, multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular conditions, osteoporosis and synovitis to name a few.

You will feel the benefits for a few days after your float session. However, most people can only fully appreciate all the benefits of floating after having experienced 3 float sessions and so encourage all first time floaters to try floating at least 3 times.

A float session is a deeply meditative experience particularly before a massage or after a yoga class.

The science behind floatation

We recently conducted a thorough study (science researchers call it a literature review) of the scientific evidence for the health benefits of floatation, centred on mainstream, published, peer-reviewed research studies. The work conclusively demonstrates the significant benefits offered by floatation therapy in managing or alleviating conditions including anxiety and depression, stress, pain (particularly stress-related muscular pain), hypertension and chronic tension headaches. It reduces blood pressure and levels of stress-related hormones and offers improved sleep (and improved ease in falling asleep) and heightened feelings of optimism, serenity, relaxation and wellbeing, with increased energy and performance.

Floatation can also play a significant part in the care, symptom management and rehabilitation of Long Covid patients.

If you’d like to read it, our study is here, as a PDF.