Float spa fans say isolation tanks buoy bodies and minds
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Allen Hughes said the concept of floatation therapy took a long time to sink in.
The management consultant, a self-described “high strung” type who’s always looking for new ways to relieve stress, said he didn’t think floating in water could bring him that much relaxation.
“This is something crazy people do,” he recalled thinking.
But after trying it for the first time in March, Hughes has become a regular at East Coast Float Spa in the Philadelphia suburb of West Chester, Pennsylvania. There, immersed in darkness and silence, he floats effortlessly in a private, shallow saltwater pool and just … lets … go.
Floating is enjoying a renaissance after virtually disappearing for decades. Its current popularity stems in part from high-profile enthusiasts like comedian/UFC commentator Joe Rogan and some professional athletes, who tout the practice as a way to clear their minds, relieve muscle aches and temporarily unplug from the world.
“We are at the tipping point,” said Tom Bazis, owner of Float in Marlton, New Jersey. “We’re about to see a landslide, I think, in terms of awareness and openness and acceptance.”