The Float Shoppe

Floating – Take 2

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.

Sensory deprivation – with a name like that, why doesn’t everyone do it?

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.