INSIDE A FLOATATION TANK
Imagine there was a cure to all these ailments: Anxiety, insomnia, depression, arthritis, MS, fibromyalgia, and it involved no drugs, no alcohol? Just lying naked in darkness, suspended in 10 inches of magnesium rich warm water...for an hour or so?
You might like to give it a go?
There’s no hard and fast evidence to prove that flotation can completely cure these ailments – but mounting medical research shows that the lasting effects of floating can be extremely beneficial.
New Year is always a good time to experiment with a new you – dry January, vegan January – why not a flotation January? – I had heard from various sources that this was one of the best digital detoxes, the best way to lose your senses and switch off.
One-hour floating is equal to 4 hours REM sleep – they say - and floating is loved by many stars from Elle McPherson, Zac Ephron, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Downey Junior – even Wayne Rooney, who all have their own private flotation tank.
It sounded intriguing, so when I heard of Scotland's only float room – being just a few miles from where I live in Aberdeen – and beloved by Olympic stars like gold medalist Hannah Miley (she goes there straight after swimming apparently) my appetite was whetted. The float room is at the Urban Wellness Hub, housed in a former nursery in the leafy suburbs of Bridge of Don, run by the warm and friendly Ross family.
Nigel Ross took on the running of the Wellness Hub some three years ago after taking redundancy from the oil industry. He is joined by his wife Linda, a retired medical nurse specialising in the Bowen therapy, and their three daughters , talented as health practitioners and yoga teachers all of whom help keep the venture afloat.
I step into the reception room awash with crystals, tarot cards, incense sticks, yoga mats and massive infra-red heaters on the ceiling (there for the use of heating the room for Hot Yoga – the practice of doing yoga at 38 degrees warm.) This is not the Aberdeen I have become accustomed to.
It feels more like an outpost of California, or relaxed hang out space in Northern Spain.
I'm met by Nigel and Julie who also helps at the spa, and go and sit in the float room
“ chill out chair” there is a guest book on the table beside me – bursting with glowing testimonials of the people who have been here to float, Nigel says they have had over 600 floaters since they opened last Summer.
Julie hands me a glass of water, and Nigel runs through a few do's and don’ts to ensure I get the best out of the floating experience.
Do wear ear plugs, as the salt water can get right through to your ears, cover any cuts with vaseline as they will sting, due to the saltiness of the water (there is around 520 kilos of magnesium in the water) and it is emptied,
Recycled and filtered through five different filtration units many times a day. The water is so thick with magnesium is it impossible to do anything other than float when in it.I’m advised not to wear anything other than earplugs, but I'm shy enough and keep my swim suit on. As I step into the room – there is a shower on one side, a heated floor and the flotation tank is in a kind of raised separate room. Julie opens the door and blue twinkling lights like little stars dazzle above the swirling water. It's a lot smaller than I imagined –but not in a claustrophobic way - with 10 inches of water between you and the floor and perhaps a few metres wide and high. Julie lets me into the room –and says see you later.
As the wind chime music fades out after about 10 minutes and the lights go off, I’m plunged to darkness and, I start to slightly panic. In the enclosed space, I am completely alone with myself and my own thoughts.
I'm having three separate sessions here and for the first one I am so completely confused by the whole experience that I end up staying in the float room for nearly two hours instead of just one! No one tells me when the time is up and I start wondering on the whole concept of time, had I been there 15 minutes or 45 minutes, or was it really two hours? As time goes by in the flotation tank, I feel like I am nearly sleeping, it's a wonderful feeling of freedom, sensory deprivation, allows you to fully let go. When I do step out of the luxury of the protected float room – I must shower off the excess magnesium – my hair is thick with the salts and as I drive home it feels like I have been basted in salt, every inch of my body soaked and submerged in an eclectic soup of personal introspection. I get home and try and describe it to my daughter – who says, why not just put a chair in the bath? Wouldn't it be the same? Not quite.
The next session I arrive a lot more prepared and am ready to enjoy my floating time, sensibly,
This time I choose to keep some lights on in the room and I feel a kind of more controlled sense of freedom. People and thoughts come into my mind that I had not thought about in ages. I feel like it is a kind of regression lying in the flotation tank. I don't want it to end but I don't want to overstay my time like I did the first time,
On my ultimate visit I'm sad that it will be the last time I am coming to this magical pocket of health and wellbeing that always makes me leave with a warm glow of renewed optimism and hope.
Water has a great way of cleansing,
One of the reasons when you cry you feel so cleansed and refreshed, is because the tears that we make are salted tears.
The whole process of water has always had a refreshing, rejuvenating feeling for me, but finding yourself above the water and able to float is a truly mind bending and liberating experience.
I might not have left the float room as a movie star like those who swear by it but I know I will come back here for the feeling of balance and an incredible feeling of relaxation.
THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE PRESS AND JOURNAL February 1, 2020.