It’s a little like my first tattoo, once I had one, I wanted another.

I’m lucky to live in Portland where there are several options to take a dip in a sensory deprivation tank or float tank as they’re more commonly called these days. The Float Shoppe was a great experience, but I wanted to see what else was out there so I headed to Mudra Massage.

Getting Ready to Float

The first thing I noticed was the feeling like I was there for a vaccine or something. The man working at the desk looked at the appointment book and the clock and gave me some paperwork. There was some short paperwork at the Float Shoppe too, but at Mudra I was definitely not encouraged to get tea or sit and relax. I must not have come early enough.

I was informed of all the rules – try to limit your shower to 5 minutes, try to get any loose hair out before you get in, try not to drip salt water, wipe the salt off before you get out of the tank, use this set of toiletries before you get in and the others when you get out, and just split one  wax earplug into two pieces rather than use two. All of the rules made sense, and I’m sure keep the place and tank very nice and clean. It was just a lot to take in and a little off putting.

I immediately felt terrible for every faux pas I must have committed at the Float Shoppe without even knowing. I’m sure I touched things with my salty hands and my shower after the float was long and warm and wonderful.

The Tank

I thought I was ready to try a more traditional tank – the long white ones with the big doors. After my experience in the other tank I was calm and ready to start with the door closed. I wasn’t prepared for the next instruction.

You need to put your head at the end of the tank and your feet near the door. I asked three times and said I was really uncomfortable doing that, but apparently the air comes in at the far side and it was highly recommended I put my face there.

The Experience

I tried to talk myself down. I got in the tank and made sure I was comfortable before I closed the door. Then I opened it to make sure I would know it was possible. The door was slippery, the tank sides and walls and my hands were too. I tried not to panic and just go slow…I opened the door, but I was not at ease.

I decided the fear was ridiculous and if I could just meditate and relax I’d forget all about it. Problem was – one side of the tank was warmer than the other, I could feel the heating unit under me on one side. There was a noise from where the air came in, and I somehow didn’t seem as bouyant and floated around a lot more in the tank causing me to hit the sides and come out of my relaxed state.

When I wasn’t nervous about the space, I was bored. I thought about getting out early but remembered how I eased into it the first time eventually. That never really happened this time.

When it was time to get out, I got into the small fiberglass shower unit and used the Trader Joes shampoo. I missed the big tile shower, radiant floors and smelly shampoo of my earlier float. I tried to be very quick in the shower and not make a mess on the floor. When I dried my feet I noticed black pieces of the stone floor were on the towel and I was worried about pissing the guy off….all in all, the place was clean and the people were nice, it just wasn’t for me.