Photo courtesy Halsa
“I am going to go floating.”
More often than not when I say this, family, friends, colleagues and students have no idea of what I am talking about.
Floating is done in a sensory deprivation pod, now available at several metro Richmond businesses. The experience has helped me immensely with my writing, my teaching and my life.
Made popular by John Lilly in the 1950s, flotation has slowly evolved since those clunky sensory deprivation tanks and took a leap forward with the publication of “The Book of Floating” by Michael Hutchison in 2003. Hutchison has researched and developed explanations for the effects of floating in a sensory deprivation tank, including access to the theta brain state by closing off the alpha brain state, in which the brain focuses on the external world (the “wake” state) that concentrates on concrete, specific problems. His work has led to further research into floating to relieve pain, improve athletic performance, synchronize the brain for insight and creativity, disconnect from habits and addictions, and as a tool to combat depression, anxiety and fear.
Since those early sensory deprivation tanks, float technology has improved immensely, allowing for a more effective and affordable means to purchase and maintain float tanks. Today, these tanks have taken the form of pods, located in private rooms with showers (floaters shower before and after floating). In the pod, 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt are dissolved into 10 inches of water that’s heated to 94 degrees, skin temperature. This salty water is so dense that floating is automatic. The content of each tank or pod is filtered three times between each float, so the water is pristine.
Richmond’s first float center, The Oasis Float Center, opened in October 2015 in Glen Allen. George Robinson, the operations manager, knew little about floating until he came across a link posted on his sister-in-law’s Facebook page with the caption “I Gotta Try This.”
“Kim [his wife] and I saw that and got intrigued. What was floating? How do you float? WHY do you float?” They found that to float, they would need to travel to Charlottesville or Chesapeake. After a superb experience floating for the first time, Robinson decided Richmond needed a float center, so he decided to open his own business. This led him to Superior Float Tanks in Norfolk, where he and his wife purchased both of their units, one a traditional float tank with a walk-in door and the other a float pod, which looks like a small version of an alien spaceship.
Robinson offers 90-minute floats for $75, while David Berv, who opened The Float Zone on Dabney Road earlier this year, offers 60-minute floats for $65, noting, “From my own research and experience, most people have to empty their bladder after 60 minutes.” Berv has designed a comfortable and inviting lounge at The Float Zone, including a coffee table filled with adult coloring books and colored pencils, books of flotation art, and a tea cart.
Berv, who is a chiropractor, became interested in floating as a treatment for his back pain (brought on, ironically, from helping others with their back pain), and first bought a float pod for his home. For two years, he floated regularly. “I had time to filter this concept and experience it through the lens of a seasoned musculoskeletal specialist,” he explains. He says floating helped him to avoid back surgery. “I include floating as a part of a wellness lifestyle, which includes stress and pain management,” he says. “Opening up a float center has been a natural fit.”
Richmond anesthesiologist Brent Fauss says floating relieves stress and produces profound relaxation. “It also gives me mental clarity,” he says. “Once you let go of the mental chatter, solutions to daily problems become sharply focused after one hour of following your breath and heartbeat.”
Jason Struck, an owner and head coach at Crossfit Full Circle in Scott’s Addition, says he has set personal records in key lifts, and he attributes that to better recovery, less stress and more focus through floating. He notes that Epsom salt baths have a long tradition of use in athletics to reduce soreness and enhance recovery. The sensory deprivation part of the experience is another part of the appeal to Struck. “What I also love is the time I get to spend alone,” he says. “The quiet, the dark, the contemplation. Those are truly precious commodities in today's world, but I know they are essential to my well-being, too.”
Berv notes that many military veterans float as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. “Floating presents a whole new canvas for a society plagued and troubled by mental health illness,” he explains. “The military has been using float pods for Navy SEALS for years. It is showing promise with concussion and traumatic brain injury, as well as PTSD.”
Logan Conti, an Army veteran suffering from severe PTSD, agrees. He has been using flotation therapy for several years. “It is a great alternative to some of the medicines they offer,” he says. “It is a great way to get a good grip on yourself when you feel like life is out of control, and honestly, who doesn't enjoy just silence sometimes?”
Berv’s focus and specialty is for pain relief and athletic performance. He has worked with professional and high-level athletes throughout his career. Clients at The Float Zone include players with the Flying Squirrels and the Richmond Kickers. Tyler Beede, a starting pitcher for the Squirrels, floats regularly and says he has seen a dramatic increase in his performance this year. “For me,” Beede says, “[floating] has multiple benefits, including helping me feel more rested and relaxed after a session and also helping my body recover quickly between starts on the baseball field.”
Richmond’s newest float business, Vitality Float Spa, opened in July in the Fan. “Float therapy and massage both help stimulate your body’s natural cleansing mechanisms and decrease the production of stress hormones,” says owner Kenzie Korman, a massage therapist. “Having a massage before the float session creates an optimal stress-fighting experience.”
