Flotation requires a soundproof and lightproof fiberglass enclosed float capsule (sometimes referred to as float tank or spa ­ approximately 8 feet long by 4 feet wide by 4 feet high) filled with heated water (to skin temperature of 94­95 degrees F) and a very high concentration (800 lbs.) of Epsom Salts. The resultant high density allows one’s body to float naturally and spontaneously without effort. Even the head floats. The center of buoyancy and the center of gravity of the head is in about the same place so you can tilt your head back comfortably without fear of sinking.

Due to the high salt levels in the water, the flotation tank creates a zero-gravity environment. Unless you are an astronaut the flotation tank is the only situation you will encounter where your body is free from gravity. NASA employs flotation to simulate weightlessness. Zero gravity allows you to relax every single muscle, your neck, arms, back, and even ears. The tank enables you to find those areas you are holding tense so you can let go. Finding where gravity is and in which direction, then computing how you can move and not fall over, takes about 90% of your brain’s activity on a daily basis. When you start to float you are free from all the gravity computations and the physical world, which leaves the brain free to attend to other matters. The tank creates a state of sensory relaxation as the mind and body are shielded from all the external stimulation. The brain’s normal workload is reduced by up to 90%. In this situation, the body conserves energy and has a chance to heal and rejuvenate itself.