I should try out a float spa. I remember where this idea came from. I was doom scrolling on Facebook like one does, and I saw a post from a local woman asking about salt baths. She was inquiring about where she could do a salt bath for her husband for his inflammation. As a mom with immense inflammation due to arthritis, I was intrigued by how combining salt and water could help.
I stopped scrolling for a moment and read through the comments. Many people suggested that she check out a float spa, sometimes called a float tank center. These locations will have an actual tank with a lid where you can float in silence, suspended by the salt in the water, giving your body some natural buoyancy. Other locations have a mini pool-sized tub where you can float. This helps people who might have issues with feeling constrained or contained in the float tank. The water you’re floating in has been treated with hundreds of pounds of Epsom salt. The room, which is traditionally heated, is silenced with the lights completely shutting off as you float in stillness and darkness.
Due to the treated water and the heated room, you’ll soon not know where your skin starts and where the water ends. You can float in suspended silence, generally for an hour at a time, until the center notifies you, usually through soft music and gentle lights flickering back on, that your time is up. Again depending on the center you’re visiting, you can shower or rinse to get the salt water off your body, and you’ll dress and return to your day.
I’m sure you’re at the point of this where you’re asking: Why in the world would someone want to step into a warmed room, strip, and get into salty water with the lights completely off and in total silence?
I’m happy to answer! There are several reasons. First, doesn’t the thought of being in an absolutely silent room sound amazing as a mom? Seriously though, the true reason for the quiet is so that you can reduce your stress or anxiety. Many repeat customers find that the silence and darkness can stimulate their creativity and help them solve problems or deepen their mediation. The immense amount of salt in the pool or tank helps your body deal with inflammation and can ease muscle tension. Studies have also shown that floating in salt water can reduce high blood pressure and chronic fatigue. I think the biggest positive for me was that it would give me a chance to recharge and step away from technology while simultaneously doing something that could lessen my inflammation and anxiety.
Once I had gone down the rabbit hole of figuring out what a float center was, I was determined to find one nearby for my husband and me to try. We had been in a dating lull, and this sounded like a fun thing we could try together. Thankfully there is a fantastic float center in Indy called “A Place to Float.” This upscale center has float tanks, generally for a single floater, and open float pools where you can do a single float if you’d like the openness of the pool or a couple’s float, as there is enough room for two. They also provide items for during and after your float, like shampoo, body soap, hair dryers, towels, etc. I was able to book a couple’s float using their online system quickly.
Perhaps one day, I’ll write about our experience with the salt bath in greater detail, but I’ll give you this; I had this one beautiful moment of silence where I felt my mind was truly off. I hold that moment dearly as I have such a hard time closing out my thoughts or the music that constantly plays in my mind. My husband and I have been back to the float spa already, and I plan to continue giving myself this beautiful and relaxing experience as often as possible.
Have you gone to a float spa? What was your experience? If you’ve not done a float before, would you be interested now?
