Tried Flotation Therapy today!

I've been meaning to try flotation therapy for a while.  This is sometimes known as Sensory Deprivation, but I think flotation is more accurate.  Today was the day and I have to say, it met the hype!

Travelled up to Float Matrix in San Francisco today.  The appointment pretty much went to what is listed in their FAQ:

• Watch the eating and drinking before the appointment
• Arrive and take a deep exfoliating shower
• The attendant guides you to your float pod -- you put in ear plugs
• You get in and close the door and float on your back
• An hour later they knock on the outside, you get out, take another shower and that's it

Anyway, the super dense Epsom Salt mix does several things:

• Keeps you floating out of the water so your face is comfortably above water
• Keeps your skin from getting wrinkles (salt balances)
• Does a nice job of nourishing your skin (whatever epsom salts do)
• Keeps the water fairly disinfected on its own

I liked it.  At the beginning, the ringing in my ears [even while in a basement, in an insulated box, with ear plugs in] was the major stimulus that remained.  Then a little vertigo; with no visual reference a slight tumbling sensation.  A very slight sensation. After a while, the vertigo and ringing subsided and I definitely felt my muscles relax -- lower back, neck, lower legs -- all sore from a hike yesterday.  And then a little later my mind did indeed calm down; stopped thinking about work and todo lists and the such and really started to enjoy to buoyancy, temperature, blackness, quiet, slow heartbeat.  The water density made it easy to float so could move arms a bit to stretch, legs, etc -- all without worrying about getting the liquid in eyes [it DOES sting I found out].

They have a nifty ventilation trick for the relatively humid air in the pod -- there is a high and low vent pipe to the outside that wind up allowing for a slight convection.  So when your head is at the far end of the pod, you get a soft flow of fresh air.  However, with the humidity, scentless epsom salts, temperature control, this was very comfortable -- no stuffed airways, no throat tickles.

Around the end I did almost doze off -- more like meditative state -- brain stopped, no motion, no sound, touch, etc.  This is the goal -- and probably why they have 90 minute sessions too.

I came out of the place nice and relaxed, joints feel good and so on.  I think I'll work to make this a regular visit.