A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine from massage school and I ventured over to the Fadeaway Flotation Center in West Des Moines for the first time. We had been talking about trying out ‘floating’ for a while, and we were eager to check it out!
Fadeaway Flotation Center is Central Iowa’s only ‘float center’. A float center is where you go to float in a sensory deprivation tank, a medical environment with the purpose of gravity reduction, stress relief, magnesium supplementation, and meditation. The medical benefits as a result of floating are endless: ranging from improved sleep, less pain, improved joint function, and a plethora of other benefits.
The logistics of a float are simple: you enter a private room, take a shower rinse, enter a flotation tank filled with Epsom salt that is concentrated to allow any person to float on the surface, and relax for your length of session. Upon completion of the float, you exit the tank, shower again to set the salt water off your body, and redress and exit the treatment room. Once the tank door is closed, the environment is created to allow the body to be free from gravity and all stimulation from the outside world.
My review from doing it for the first time? It was great! My friend and I chose option to float for one hour, although you can choose up to a 90 minute session. At first, I was a little apprehensive about closing the door of the tank and whether or not I would be comfortable, but I was comfortable (although there IS an option to prop the door open if you so wish, but it does change the experience slightly).
The biggest challenge that I experience was not being able to tell what time it was or how long that I had been in the tank. As a very busy entrepreneur, trying to calm my mind down for an extended period of time can be difficult for me! After I relaxed and allowed my mind to rest and experience the tank, there came a time during the treatment that I was rejuvenated and ready to ‘get out of the tank’, but my session was not complete. Not because of any anxiety but rather boredom; I felt, ‘This was cool! Now onto the next thing!’.
In summary, I will definitely do it again, and I highly recommend it to clients and friends when they ask. Go and check it out! It is at least worth the experience to try!
Happy Floating!
Amanda
