where do i begin. my bf heard about this on a joe rogan podcast and told me about it. i thought it was interesting so we looked into it. found out this place was only $40 for a 2 hour session, so i called right away to make an appointment for the both of us. called and spoke to "Crash" and i wanted to do a saturday session but the earliest one they had available was 1 month out, which actually happened to be valentines weekend so i went ahead and booked it, figured we could just make it a valentines weekend adventure.
our appointment was at 11am saturday morning. we arrived in Venice around 10:30AM, and because the location is right by the beach, street parking was hard to find by that time. but luckily we were able to find free street parking about 2 blocks away. the place isnt really hard to find since it is right on the beach. it's an office suite inside a two story building. we were a little early, when we arrived Crash was still setting everything up. when you walk in, you can immediately smell the salt n the air. there are three rooms; the lobby and two tank rooms. each room has its own shower and tank. one has soft padding on the floor the other one does not. Crash gives the soft padding room to the girls :) there are community bathrooms (for the patrons of the entire office building). you just get the keys from Crash. USE the bathroom prior to your session....2 hours is a long time. before going into the tank, Crash will explain what you need to know about the epsom salt he uses and the whole experience. he's a fast talker....so pay attention!!!
so basically you go in, shower and rinse off. put the provided ear plugs in and get in the tank (he will tell you which way to get in), close the tank door and just float in body temperature water. now, for me, i had a hard time getting into a comfortable floating position. my upper back was REALLY hurting because i think i was too tense. you really have to just relax when you lay there. because of the amount of salt in the water...you WILL NOT go under water. i tilted by head back a little more which lessened the tension on my back. my BF said he put his arms above his head which helped him, but i didnt even think of that. i just let me arms float beside me. the first 20-30 minutes, i just laid there waiting.....waiting for something to happen. about 30 minutes in, my ears completely clogged up (because your ears are under water) and i could no longer hear anything. no sight, no sound. and honestly that was when i kind of freaked out a little bit. but i tried not to...i just floated and tried to relax. i tried not to think but your mind is filled with so many things in your life that you will think about it. i probably thought about 50 different things happening in my life just laying there in the dark. but after awhile, i felt like i might have dosed off a bit. what kept waking me up and realizing i was floating in a tank of water was my body kept making that jerk movement that it does when you are just about to fall into deep sleep.
you really have no sense of time while you are in there. the tank is so dark that i couldnt distinguish whether my eyes were open or not. at one point, my mind was picturing my body swaying side to side and in a delayed reaction, my body was actually swaying side to side.....or was it? i dont know, but it sure felt like it was. i had an itch on my face and i reluctantly raised my arm to scratch it but even lifting the arm felt like i was in space or something.
towards the end, i must have dozed off because i was woken up by the sound of 3 thumps....and then silence. then i freaked out and got up. when i opened the tank door, i heard my bf's shower was on next door and i called out to see if he was done already, he had just finished up right before me. apparently, Crash is suppose to come back to the suite to let us know when time was up but we both got out just a little bit earlier. so i jumped in the showered and made sure to rinse out my ears completely and got dressed. ladies, remember to bring your hair gadgets (straightener, blow dryer) so you dont walk around with wet hair afterwards. there are outlets in the bathroom.
the whole experience was really different. i think being my first time, i was a little timid because of the fear of the unknown. but both my bf and i talked about it a lot after our session and came to the conclusion that we're going back for more! everything i've read says that to get the full experience, you have to do it at least 2-3 times....so we're definitely ready for more! this place isnt a spa, it is what it is, a place where you go and float in a tank of pure darkness and silence and learn to meditate.
quick tips:
1. call and book ahead of time (especially for weekends)
2. do some research on what this is and what to expect
3. bring cash
4. dont wear your contacts when you float (he does provide contact case and solution if you forget your own)
5. relax! read more