Scientists in Tulsa, Oklahoma are studying how floating in a tub of Epsom saltwater can physically change your brain.
Floating sounds simple, but researchers said the experience could be a shortcut for many people to reach a calm meditative state. In Dallas, and outside of any research tanks, floating has been available to anyone for the last six years.
“Sensory deprivation is a game changer,” said Bernadette Fiaschetti, owner of Adrift Float Spa and also a health-focused radio host.
She’s talking about the sensory deprivation that happens in a float tank.
"Effortlessly you just float atop the water and go off into a very, very deep state of relaxation like you’ve never experienced before,” said Fiaschetti.
Adrift Float Spa clients start in a private suite, put in ear plugs, then lower their body into a 6 by 8 foot tub that’s filled with about a foot of water and roughly the same temperature as your body.
“You can’t tell where the water begins and your body ends,” said Fiaschetti.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
You float because you’re buoyant; the water is mixed with 1,200 pounds of Epsom salt.
“You know you hear the story you sprain your ankle you soak it in Epsom salt? Except this is your whole body,” said Fiaschetti.
You can float in complete darkness or choose a colored light, which looks like something out of a science fiction movie.
“Ya, it’s pretty trippy,” said Juan Zambrano, laughing. He said he’s floated at Adrift for the last year and a half and he uses it as a form of meditation.
“Everyone says, I’m like chill and Zen, so I feel like this has helped make me that way,” said Zambrano.
He said it’s helped him control his emotions, decrease stress and become centered.
"The first time I did it, I can remember laying there and going, ‘This is so dumb, like, what am I doing?” said Fiaschetti with a laugh.
But after an hour into her first time floating she became a believer.
"All I know is I came out of that tank and I was a changed woman. I was calm, I was clear, I wasn’t afraid anymore. I wasn’t depressed anymore, and I just felt amazing,” said Fiaschetti about the benefits of floating.
She said shutting off your senses forces the mind and body to relax, and that’s boosted by the natural healing elements in Epsom salt, resulting in a blissful state in a busy world.
"And it’s natural. It’s completely natural, so there are no side effects other than happiness," said Fiaschetti.
