Remember that episode of The Simpsons where Homer and Lisa got inside two large tanks that took them on their own spiritual journey and you were thinking, “what on earth are these trippy water beds?”
If you don’t remember perhaps this video will jog your memory…
Well, it turns out those two tanks are sensory deprivation tanks and in 2016, they are the latest spa trend all over the world.
Flotation therapy tanks have actually been around for more than 60 years. Their main focus is on physical, spiritual and creative nourishment. Even if you haven’t yet heard of them, these tanks can be found all over Australia.
So why float?
My first float was at Cocoon Floatation in Figtree, and as a first-time floater I had all the usual questions:
For starters:
- What is going to happen ?
- Will I be claustrophobic?
- What makes you float?
- Will the salt sting my eyes?
I had been assured by Meghan, owner of Cocoon Floatation and a strong believer in their benefits, that my hesitance was perfectly normal.
As it turns out, the moment I immersed myself in the 25cm of water and 350 kilograms of Epsom salts, my body instantly thanked me.
With the water kept at a constant 34.5 degrees, the temperature is skin-receptor neutral, meaning you have no clue where your body ends and the water begins. Hence, “floating”.
Just two hours of floating is equivalent to 8 hours of deep sleep. That’s a deep sleep dream come true.
The safe sensory stimuli are a relaxing way to achieve a deep, tripped out meditative state. After just 35 minutes the brain starts producing theta brainwaves responsible for the ‘between waking and sleeping state’, just one of the great reasons why people are floating the f*** out.
Aside from wigging you out and taking you on a journey of self-realisation and personal epiphanies, studies have shown that floating has the ability to relieve stress, anxiety, ease pain and even treat addictions.
Turns out on Homer’s ‘journey’, it was a lot more literal, after a pair of repo men start to clean out the store despite the lease not being up for months, taking the tank that Homer is in, resulting in it falling out of the back of the van.
The tanks have helped people delve deeper into their creative sides, learning scripts and even drafting entire novels. There are absolutely no sensory distractions, so creativity flows through you. The likes of John Lennon and Michael Jackson have utilised the insane, creative benefits of sensory deprivation and floatation therapy.
The best part of all is coming out of the float, your senses are awakened and the world seems a lot more colourful. That night and the few following you will have the deepest, most relaxing sleep you’ve ever experienced.
And what’s even better is, the more you float the deeper and darker you go.