I heard about sensory deprivation tanks about ten years ago and thought seriously about doing it but never did. It was expensive, and I heard it could be scary like an LSD trip. Ten years down the road, its still expensive but at least its not make my rent or float.

Of course, now I’m a bit claustrophobic. Not horribly, but for a while I slept in a cramped space and hated it, but I could talk myself down. That lasted for a month and then at night I would sleep walk and wake up on the sofa in the morning….or the lawn. I always wondered why I kept waking up with mosquito bites.

How I got there:

I was surfing the net, lacking the enthusiasm to do anything and trying to figure out what my day would be. Now that my writing is on hiatus, I have a lot of free time. I got started researching isolation tanks in Portland. I looked up who offered it, and then wondered how busy it would be. Float Shoppe, one of the 4 places I read about, had an opening within the hour. I thought that would be perfect, I could try ‘floating’ and practice randomness at the same time. Plus making an appointment wasn’t that appealing. I had no idea if I would be in the mood next week.

It really felt serendipitous. I saw the opening, drove over without any traffic, and found a parking spot right by the front door on NW 23rd. If you aren’t from Portland, that’s quite a find.

The Float Shoppe

The place is in a charming old house on NW 23rd Ave. Sometimes I avoid places on NW 23rd thinking they may be snobby, but if I was getting in what was essentially a shared bathtub, I was okay with something that may be on the higher end of cleanliness.

The place was wonderful. There was tea, a foot soak and very nice people. They weren’t overly concerned with the appointment time or anything and wanted to make sure I had all questions answered.

Tips I learned

Put the earplugs in before you get in the shower/get wet or they won’t work.

Shower with fairly cool water before you get in so it doesn’t feel cold.

Be playful and explore the space so you feel comfortable. You can stretch, massage your muscles, and swoosh your hair around.

Don’t get water in your eyes and have tap water nearby in case you do.

The Experience

I was in a tank their website describes as suitable for beginners. There was a light operated by a button inside the tank. She said I may want to put my head at the far end leave my feet at the opening and oh boy did that do it. All I could imagine was my head all the way at the narrow end away from the opening in the dark and I freaked. I tried the float with the lid open but I got really cold. I would estimate about halfway through (45 mins) I was so relaxed I had no trouble closing the lid. It was pretty cool. I felt like I was in the womb or being held in my mothers arms as an infant. It was almost like I was able to remember it. It also felt a bit like drifting in space.

The large quantity of epsom salt made it feel very safe even I fell asleep. My muscles, hair, and skin felt great.

The space itself was wonderful. I didn’t hear any distracting noise. The floors had radiant heat and the staff were so relaxed and nice about everything. I had a leisurely 2 hours to get showered and started, have the 90 minute float and get ready to leave. I really liked the toiletries, the towels, robe and all the natural fibers. The tank was in its own private room that had a locking door and was quite spacious. They had q-tips and cotton balls, makeup remover, a lot of nice little touches I didn’t know I needed.