Float Room Essentials (video)

Today I want to walk you through some of the items found in our float rooms. When Sandra and I first decided to open the Float Shoppe, we would buy floats at various float centers simply to investigate their float rooms. Of course having a float was a very nice perk. While in the rooms we would snap pictures of each item as well as the tables that held those items to get an idea of the functionality and layout of where items were located in relation to their purpose during a float.

While the best thing to do is to visit other float centers, that isn't always possible. There are those who are interested in starting float centers in very small American towns and those who are working to open the first float center in their country. As a float center that has been open for about two years, we feel like we have a great selection of offerings in our rooms and idea of where our items are located.

Take a tour of one of our own float rooms in the video below:

Items mentioned in the video:

• Body wash - A necessity in any float room. This will pull off any dirt, body oils, make-up etc off of the body that would otherwise end up in your float tank and age your water/filters faster. It's important to use a wash that is not going to age your water itself. We use Doctor Bronner’s Baby Mild Liquid Soap.

• Shampoo - While it’s not required (Dr. Bronners body wash works both as a body wash and a shampoo), many of our clients have requested shampoo for after their floats. We do not direct them on whether or not this should be used before or after their float, either/both is okay.

• Conditioner - A somewhat controversial topic for float centers; if you have ever had someone use conditioner before their float, you know that it can be a major pain. In essence, your float tank will become a bubble bath, it can take many hours of filtering and several filters to remove all the bubble causing conditioner.

So if it's such a hassle why bother having it in your float rooms? Clients love it! Those with long hair genuinely appreciate having conditioner in the float rooms and it was the most requested item by far before we started carrying it. Oftentimes we would find that our clients were bringing in their own anyways. At first we started offering conditioner by request, but enough people wanted it that we ended up just keeping it in each room. To prevent its use before-hand, during the introduction we ask every new visitor to only use the conditioner after their float. We haven't had any issues with clients using conditioner when given a proper intro. The only time we have had an incident was when a new hire forgot to tell a client about our policy.

• Vinegar Water Solution (1/2 vinegar, 1/2 water) - Another float room basic. You don't know if a client is going to wear earplugs or not, so if they get saltwater in their ears it’s great to have an instant solution to flushing salt from their ear canals. The practice of adding vinegar water to your ears is old home remedy for swimmers ear, and it's a great cheap tool to have in your shower.

• Table - We like having a table very near the float tank so that anything a client might need during their float is easily accessible. Also right before our clients get into their float, they are likely to take a look at this table and decide what they might want in the tank with them (ear plugs, tap water, etc).

• Neck Pillow - Very often customers (especially first time floaters) will prefer the support of a neck pillow during their float. These are rather cheap, so I recommend buying a few extras in case they leak or water gets inside them (which will eventually dry and crackle inside the pillow).

We tell customers the best way to wear a pillow is so that the two ends cradle the top of the head, the center curve portion of the pillow located at the base of the skull, supporting the neck. We also encourage our clients to let air out if they feel like there is too much support.

• Silicon Ear Plugs - These seem to be the standard in the float industry. They cost about 50 cents a pair when you buy boxes of 200, so they are fairly inexpensive. They provide a great seal from water and you can even take them home from a float and reuse them (they are great sleeping earplugs!). Before opening the Shoppe we tested all sorts of ear plugs and these kept coming up the winner for ease of use and functionality.

• Vitamin A & D Ointment - Having an off brand petroleum jelly in the room will save your clients with cuts and scrapes from a lot of pain. Stepping into a float tank full of salt water while you have a scratch is just the worst! Putting ointment on before stepping into the tank will prevent the stinging sensation associated with salt water on wounds. We recommend using individual packets for sanitary reasons. Having people dip their fingers or Q-tips multiple times into the same jar caused a big "no thank you!" from nurse Sandra. The bonus of using these individual packets is that per ounce, they are cheaper than Vaseline jars.

• Tap Water - Inside or right outside of your tank, this should be another standard in your float rooms. If your client gets salt in their eyes (which is incredibly common) they will be able to instantly flush the salt out with a bottle of tap water. Without this they will likely have to get out of their float tank and shower off to get the same results.

• Towel - This one should be pretty self explanatory.

• Second table - A second table distanced from the rest of the float experience (away from the shower and float tank, usually near the door) should provide the items that aren't directly used during the float.

We find it's nice to have a dish for jewelry so that clients aren't scattering their jewelry around the float room and forgetting it when they leave or wearing it into the tank.

• Lotion - Something that is greatly appreciated by a lot of our clients after their floats, though I personally love the way salt water makes my skin feel after a float.

• Kleenex & Q-tips are great basics toiletries to have accessible after a float.