The owners of City Cave Float Centre in Brisbane, Australia are revolutionizing how we view wellness. Float therapy uses sensory deprivation tanks to create a zero gravity weightless experience. Floating provides a myriad of both physical and mental benefits to counteract the damages our bodies have suffered from life’s demands.
Unplug from reality and reconnect to mindfulness. The journey to a better self begins at City Cave Float Centre. For more information, visit: http://www.city-cave.com/
What are the essential benefits of float therapy?
City Cave: Physical Benefits: Lying in 400 kg of Epsom salts (880 pounds) floats you to the surface of the water, taking all of the pressure away from your joints, letting your body sit naturally in its state. Epsom salts are just magnesium sulphate which is incredible for the body. It is a natural muscle relaxant, a protein builder for the joints and it lowers your cortisol levels. So, as you can imagine the benefits are quite remarkable. Lowering the cortisol levels destresses the body which aids in weight loss and prevention of disease.
City Cave: Mental Benefits: Removing all of the stimuli gives your mind a chance to reflect and relax. Nowadays, we are more stimulated than ever before with Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter all requiring our immediate attention. With the constant barrage of information, in addition to our real world demands, we never really have time to ourselves. I believe that taking time for yourself is going to become the most important thing in the years to come. The Dalai Lama once said, “If every 8-year-old was taught meditation, we would eliminate violence in the world in one generation.” Floating for an hour is about rejuvenating yourself. It is a time when no one can bother you and you just press pause on life’s demands. The silence is a liberating feeling!
What is the process? How long does it generally take before one can expect to notice results?
City Cave: The process is really simple: you put in ear plugs, have a quick rinse in the shower and step into the tank. You lie back into the tank and the Epsom salts float you to the surface. The water temperature and the air temperature are the same as your skin temperature (34.5 degrees), so after some time you can’t tell where the water starts or finishes. We have 10 minutes of music play at the beginning and silence for remaining 50 minutes. Then, 10 minutes of music comes in at the end to bring you out of the floating experience. The effects follow the first float and up to 3 days after. Consistent floating will help alleviate any injuries in your joints or any muscle soreness.
How do clients react to the floating treatment?
City Cave: Generally speaking you meet two people: one person before they’ve floated and a completely different person after they’ve floated. At first, we thought that most of our clients would be athletes seeking recovery, but we have found a lot more people that come for stress relief. Our clients enjoy the solitude. Many people say the best part is being able to unplug from their phone and work. We have had some incredible success stories and have had the pleasure of assisting some wonderful people on their journeys.
Why floating over the alternatives?
City Cave: I personally haven’t come across a therapy that has so much to offer. In my world, it has aided me in almost every aspect of my life. It’s an overall wellness therapy. The benefits are endless.
