Wellness

Is Floatation Therapy worth its salt?

Humans have been using Epsom salts for their medicinal properties for over 500 years, since they were first discovered in Southern England in the late 1600s. Made from magnesium sulfate, these healing salts can promote better sleep, exfoliate your skin and even add volume to hair.

Floatation tanks are a modern method of combining the health benefits of these salts in a sensory deprivation or isolation tank. The water and salts are heated to body temperature (94°) and with little to feel, hear, touch, taste or smell, the brain is queued to enter a dream-like, pre-sleep or theta state, where deep relaxation and even learning can take place.

Floaters enter a pod for between 60 – 90 minutes where they will float in complete darkness and silence. The practice can offer a range of physical and cognitive benefits including strengthened synchronicity between two halves of your brain, decreased blood pressure, muscle tension and pain relief, improved sleep and stronger immunity. Research also shows increased levels of dopamine and endorphins post float, working to improve mood and reduce anxiety.

Olympians such as Carl Lewis, athletes like Steph Curry and Tom Brady along with celebrities such as Elle MacPherson and Susan Sarandon are dedicated to including floatation therapy into their wellness regimes. – By Mirella Cameran

Is Floating Hygienic?

The interior of a float tank is exceptionally sanitary. Each tank has up to 1,500 pounds of Epsom salt dissolved in the water, which raises the salinity to levels that are inhospitable to bacteria, including microbes and other pathogens.

Do you wear clothes when floating?

Floating is a private and personal experience. It is recommended that you float without anything to press or irritate the skin to assist in complete relaxation.

Can all body shapes float?

Yes, bodies with more fatty tissue are more buoyant, but there are weight limitations for the tanks. All shapes and sizes can benefit.

Float Nola

Located in the Central Business District in downtown New Orleans, Float Nola offers large 9-foot float pods to create a dense 10 inches of saline solution, which is continuously warmed through each session. Calming lights and relaxing music may also be added, as well as an open or closed top. Floating on your back, your body is able to achieve weightlessness effortlessly, enabling your whole body to relax. Float Nola, 504-439-7855, floatneworleans.com.