SAN ANTONIO – The thought of floating really, well, never floated my boat. I first heard of the practice through my nephew, who tried it in California. He gave an interesting narrative on Facebook, but I had no real interest in trying it myself.
That changed, however, after I recently visited a new float center in Balcones Heights. Tired from my punishing work schedule, I became enthralled with the idea of soaking it all away in water that matches the exact temperature of my body and cool blue lighting that nearly lulled me to sleep at first sight.
Recommended Videos
I met with Jeremy Jacob, the co-owner of Float, which is located in the 4500 block of Fredericksburg Road, with the intention of simply talking to him about his business and what appears to be a wave of float centers opening locally. It didn’t take any convincing at all to get me to try it for myself — with the goal, of course, of being able to write a well-informed story.
I arrived at his shop, about 1 p.m. on a Tuesday after a busy work day. After greeting me, Jacob escorted me to a changing room, where I was instructed to remove all my clothing and put on a bathrobe and flip-flops.
From there, Jacob took me to what I call the “warmup room,” one that features a dark ceiling with twinkling lights that resemble a star-filled night sky. I sank into one of four full-body massage chairs, and for the next 20 minutes, I experienced what felt like three sets of strong hands massaging my head, back, feet and legs.
With a whisper, Jacob woke me from this state of pleasure and took me to yet another room, which contained a chamber that resembled a weirdly shaped, white UFO. The tank itself was wider than the length of my arms fully stretched out and longer than my body from head to toe. In other words, there was plenty of room to move around.
After showering and washing my hair, which you’re required to do, I removed my robe and sank into water that by design is exactly 98.4 degrees. Jacob said the water contains about 40 percent Epsom salt, making it as buoyant at the Dead Sea.
I found that I was able to float effortlessly, a concept that, at first, seemed tough for my body to grasp. I initially felt tension in my neck and shoulders which, I’m told, is a byproduct of struggling to keep myself afloat. The effort, though, is unnecessary. Eventually, my body figured that out and I was able to relax into my zero-gravity environment.
I closed the lid on my pod completely, enveloping myself in a world of soft blue lighting and ethereal music. Then I closed my eyes. After about 10 minutes, all outside sights and sounds disappeared.
I did, however, hear what I thought was a windstorm. Instead, I found out, it was the sound of my breathing magnified tremendously in the chamber. At the same time, in my mind’s eye, I saw what looked like outer space, the image of a dark starry sky in my inner vision. I felt, at first, as if I was being tugged in that direction, and then I felt as if I was floating in space.
Suddenly, I began to see the disembodied faces of strangers who were staring at me from that imaginary sky. It was not a frightening experience, by any means. To me, it was more like watching the scene in the movie “The Hunger Games,” in which the faces of all of the dead participants show up in the night sky. I do, however, remember thinking, “I sure would like to see someone who I know.”
After that strange thought, I don’t remember much more. I either fell asleep or was in a deep meditative trance.
I also remember the sensation of no longer feeling my body, and strangely, it was a feeling I didn’t want to end. Occasionally, my leg would twitch involuntarily, causing a splash in the water. Jacob said that is not unusual, that it is the body reminding itself that it is still present.
Eventually, the ethereal music began drifting into the pod, gentling nudging me awake. I felt as though I had had one of the best nights’ sleep in my life. When I attempted to stand up and climb out of the pod, my legs seemed to protest. It took a minute for them to adjust and do their job of supporting me, a testament to how relaxed I was.
For the next hour or so, I felt completely rested and at peace. Whether there are any lingering beneficial effects of it within me now remains to be seen. It all seemed to evaporate with the ringing of my alarm clock at 2:30 a.m. the following day.