TEMPLE, Texas — Sensory Deprivation Tanks, also known as float pods, are touted as relaxing and meditative. They boast benefits like better sleep and decreased stress. So, in this edition of Your Best Life, I tried one out to see if it's truly calming or a recipe for claustrophobia.
At Royal Oasis Spa in Temple, sensory deprivation tank sessions have become more popular.
"So, it's a saltwater chamber, and it's 200 gallons of water and 900 pounds of salt. The salt is magnesium sulfate so it's the medical grade of Epsom salts. It's like taking an Epson salt bath, like on steroids,” Owner Jenna Drake said.
She added the float pod to her spa's lineup because her husband is a huge fan of Joe Rogan, who is a huge fan of this type of therapy.
The tanks were first created by a neuroscientist in the 1950's that said the tanks have benefits like improving focus and concentration, boosting mood and helping you sleep better. After hearing this, I knew I wanted to try it out.
“A lot of people feel just general relaxation. The aches and pains kind of dissipate because of the amount of salt," Drake said. "Some people will say they've had some sort of euphoric feeling from it. Everybody's a little bit different. So (it) just kind of depends what it is that you're looking for."
Drake started by walking me through what to expect in my session.
“You take a pre-shower. The pre-shower is more of a rinse-off shower. I put my earplugs in before I even get in the shower. That way I know they're molded in and everything's comfortable. And then there's petroleum jelly which we have you put on if you know you have any cuts or scrapes because it is so potent that you'll feel it almost immediately," Drake said. "And then you get in, you do your session, it's an hour long. Some people prefer to do it with music, some people do it without. It kind of depends on what it is that they're actually trying to get out of their session. And then you just get out at the end and take a full shower to get all the salt off."
The 93.5-degree water is skin temperature and it's set up to mimic the environment at the Dead Sea. It has a built-in filter, so it cleans itself between each person.
While it looks small from the outside, there's plenty of room inside.
"I have had a couple people who were just anti-floating at all. They thought, ‘Oh my God, you're putting me in this giant egg and it's really scary.' And then I had somebody referred to it and they said, ‘It's like laying down in a minivan with no seats in it,’” Drake said.
Drake said floating can be great for people who don't like massages but still need to relax. It helps with aches and pains and even PTSD.
For me, it felt like taking an incredibly relaxing bath and I eventually fell sound asleep.
Now one tip or a warning, don't touch your face when you’re in the water. If the salt gets in your eyes it will burn. It happened to me, and frankly, it's awful. Other than that, I loved it!
If you would like to try it out for yourself, Royal Oasis Spa offers a first-time floater special of just $30 dollars.