Your First Float Tank Experience : Walkthrough of Think Tank Flotation

Hello everyone, Joe here!

You may know me from Swing This Kettlebell and Strength. I'm also one of the owners of Think Tank Flotation in Newport KY and I'm going to give you a quick walkthrough of your first float tank experience.

First off, welcome to our Wellness Center! We are happy you're wanting to experience what floating can do for your busy lifestyle. Perhaps you have been recommended by a friend or family member of yours. This means we have done our job to create an environment in which people feel safe and comfortable for their health needs. Enough so, that they have recommend it to those that they care about for their first float tank experience. 

We are conveniently located at 521 Monmouth St in Newport KY. It is as close to downtown Cincinnati as we could get, without being in a noisy and hectic environment.

When you arrive feel free to look around our main area of relaxation! We have many things to read, and experience for your senses. We believe in cultivating experiences based on mindfulness.

Mindfulness can be defined as, " THE AWARENESS THAT EMERGES THROUGH PAYING ATTENTION ON PURPOSE, IN THE PRESENT MOMENT, AND NONJUDGMENTALLY TO THE UNFOLDING OF THE EXPERIENCE."
- JON KABAT-ZINN

Perhaps you want to read the first float experiences that were left in our notebook from people just like you. People have different experiences during their first float, ranging from muscle tension relief to increased focus/visualization effects.

Many people have heard of floating through the internet, and the internet incredibly good at sensationalizing things. Flotation isn't any different. We do truly believe floating is one of the best holistic tools for stress management and muscle tension release.

That being said, just one float isn't going to fix your anxiety or a bulging disc issue you've had for years. Extensive floating over time? Now that's a different story.

Flotation can be used to work hand in hand with other therapies (massage, chiropractic, grief counseling, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) to produce even better benefits. Lots of people have heard of floating through podcasts such as the Joe Rogan Experience. While I appreciate the exposure that has given to floating please remember one thing: You are not Joe Rogan.

Don't attempt to do what Joe does. Experience floating for what it is and what it does for your body and mind. Eat a normal light meal an hour or so before your float, not 2 or 3 THC gummies your friend brought you from Colorado.... but moving on.....

Floating is best used for extended intervals in your life.

The first float gets you accustomed to the idea and process. Floats you incorporate after that are the ones that really start making a difference in your life. Just like you wouldn't go to a yoga class once and expect to be incredibly flexible afterwards, it is the incorporation over time that produces the biggest benefits.

Forget crazy youtube experiences you've watched and explore what is to be yourself, and in the moment while you float. Maybe your neck will feel better when you're done. Maybe you will find the solution to your problem at work or with your next art piece.

Your experience is exactly that- YOURS

Thank you for trusting us to provide you with this wonderful tool. Our two tank rooms are similar, yet have a different ambience.

One of the float tanks is the Explorer Room, on the left. Using a tank that is based on the original design of early flotation tanks made for John Lilly, the neuroscientist who created Restricted Environmental Stimulus Technique, otherwise known as Flotation REST. This room is used by many who have experience in meditation and or don't spend aalot of time stretching during their float. I think it feels like a comfortable hug of euphoria.

Our other float tank room, on the right, is the URTH room. This room feels a bit sci fi / outerspace. For your first float tank experience It doesn't really matter which you choose, but we recommend people try both and then gravitate towards the one you like the best for later floats.

Floating is best done as a practice as I mentioned before, much like yoga or weightlifting. This is why we sell discounted packages of 3 and four floats.

I recommend you start with a few floats in a shorter period of time to get accustomed to what floating can do for you.

Perhaps you float once per month. Perhaps its once per week. It all depends on how it affects your stress levels.

Does the 60 minute float session give you a week of focus and undistracted productivity at your high stress marketing job? Then a $40 weekly float is probably a great idea for you. (Click to see our 4 float / month membership.)

After your shower, which is important to help maintain cleanliness and keep our magnesium solution stable, you will begin your first float tank experience.

Our highly saturated epsom salt solution is sanitized with ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT and hydrogen peroxide but it makes it even better that guests are showering beforehand.

Be careful entering the tank as you don't want to splash the magnesium saltwater into your eyes to avoid stinging. I recommend the provided earplugs to be put in before your shower so they don't want to slide out, yet some people choose to float without them.

When you start your float, you can leave the door open or closed, it just may be a little cooler with the door open. The water is around 94 degrees, which is the average person's skin temperature. You can choose to float in the dark or light, listening to silence or ambient music, stretching or lying still.

I recommend for your first float to begin the session testing how buoyant the water makes you by holding your arms and legs under water. You'll feel how you don't need to put in any effort to float. Next, lower your head until the water touches your temples, and fell it rise again. If there is one thing people have a hard time with on their first float, it's relaxing their neck and jaw enough to fully relax their body. I sure did!

It is an amazing feeling once you trust the salt water cradle your body, especially your head.

Try Stretching while you Float

Move slightly and slowly, experimenting with different arm positions, either overhead or by the sides of your body. Do light stretches. Many yoga instructors, ballet dancers and massage therapists float with us as a recuperative practice. The positions you can hold and relax into are vastly different than the positions you can maintain on the bed, couch, or floor . This is due to the cradling effect of the saltwater. Once you find a very comfortable position, stay there for as long as you want and focus on how your body feels along with your breathe.

When your brain realizes you're in a safe space and it becomes aware of the new environment, your mind can start traveling down your stream of consciousness. We have heard researchers say that it can take someone new up to 45 minutes for their nervous system to relax in their first float tank experience. This is why it's usually even better your second or third time.

It's normal to have thoughts that are all over the place. Just let it ride. Some peoples thoughts are highly erratic and some have trouble not thinking about what they have to do in the future. The more you float and meditate, the easier it is to be able to concentrate on one thing (or even just your breathing).

Remember you are here to just "be", not "do".This is accomplished by always returning to your breathing. As Ram Dass said, "BE HERE NOW. "

That can be a simple mantra you repeat when your mind is going a thousand miles per minute. Enjoy this 60 to 90 minutes of less input from the hectic world. Yes, you will bump the sides of the tank occasionally. It's all going to be ok, just relax.

Recenter yourself and your breathing patterns. The phrase "take a deep breathe" is amplified in here as you get 60 minutes to do pretty much that and that is why floating is so wonderfully rejuvenating. Your skin will not dry out and it will not prune!

Many people love how their skin feels post float.

After your time is up you will hear music and a voice that tells you to carefully exit the tank. Carefully lift your head up squeeze the solution out of your hair and carefully open the door. Hold on to the railing as you step out.

Do not stop to check your texts, do not pass go, do not collect $200! (We hope you get the Monopoly ref...)

Please drip off as much of the solution as you can, so it doesn't end up all over the room. Take a moment to stretch and exhale, then immediately go to the shower to rinse the solution off your body.