Outside, it's busy 84th street. Inside aFloat Therapy, it's a little dip and down goes your dopamine.
That's the idea behind floating.
"It's simple," says owner Vicky Westergard. "You just float. You just allow yourself to let go."
The first flotation tank was developed in 1954 by the Dr. John C. Lilly at the National Institutes of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Westergard says there was a boom in the 80's and
now, there's a resurgence as sports teams like the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks have brought float tanks in for their athletes.
Here's how a therapy session works. First, you change into a comfy robe and get a 15 minute chair massage. Then, you shower off all the natural oils from your body. After that, it's into the tank you go. Normally you're in your birthday suit and normally its pitch black. If you watch our video experience above, you'll see we left on a low blue light and some swim clothes for tv purposes. The big appeal, floating fans say, comes in the water. Westergard's tanks hold ten inches of water and 1200 pounds of epsom salt. That is what make you so buoyant. The water and room is heated to body temperature and air pumps keep the air in the tank fresh. There's a water filter and Westergard to clean the tanks in between floaters. When you're done, you shower off the layer of salt on your skin and relax in another room with low lighting and complimentary tea.
As far as costs you, an initial float at aFloat, it's on par with a massage. In my limited experience, the benefit was about the same. So if you're looking for a way to escape or just decompress, you may just be ready to float away.
