Thoughts of floatation had been crossing my mind almost daily for the past couple of months so I took that as intuition telling me it was something that was going to be good for me to do. That said, being squished into a tiny wee float tank when you’re a tall person isn’t all that appealing, which is why I was so drawn to Saltuary when it dropped into my search feed.
What I loved when reading about this place is they don’t use tanks but instead opt for small rooms. A float room? Tick! After watching the very short video on their site I booked in without hesitation because it looked like all kinds of bliss to me. And I could certainly do with some calming of the mind before semester started up.
I arrived at Saltuary to be greeted by two lovely ladies, and had one of them run me through all the details of what to expect after I’d filled out the first-timer paper work. With formalities out of the way I was lead into a beautiful space to call my own for the next hour and a bit. It contained the float room, shower with soaps; shampoo etc, towels and change room. Unlike many other float places, Saltuary encourage you to bring nothing but yourself because they provide everything you need. I felt relaxed before I even got there because of that. It’s so nice not to have to think about all those little things because forgetting something when rushing out of the house is inevitable… well, for me anyway.
First up, a quick shower, which is a requirement before getting into the sparkly clean, salty water. And when I say salty water, I’m talking half a tonne of epsom salts mixed into the water to keep you buoyant. HALF A TONNE! There is no hope of sinking with all of that in there and it’s a wonderfully big hit of magnesium to boot. The amount of salt was my first surprise, my second was just how shallow the water was. When I stepped in… after a quick (long) peek in the water to make sure there really were no fish or sharks or anything (the places my mind goes… honestly)… I found it only came up about 15cm off my ankle. Not that you needed much more than that because as soon as you lie back you’re shot straight up to the surface. Fun!
When you step in and shut the door to the float room you find yourself alone in a dimly lit space with body temperature water and very relaxing music. Just divine. The staff encourage you to go for short periods without lights or music so you feel the full effects of the sensory deprivation and I’ve read many people struggle with this but I quite enjoyed it. I actually enjoyed it so much I fell asleep, I’ve no idea for how long but I woke up very relaxed, albeit extremely disoriented.
I really expected to find my mind racing while I was floating away. I have a very busy mind that is quite comfortable running 40 or 50 things through it simultaneously but for the first time in a very long time it was silenced. I imagined lying in water for an hour would leave me loads of room to concoct all manner of scenarios and chatter in my head but thankfully that didn’t happen. What did was complete and utter relaxation of mind and body and when I finally got up and out of the water I felt like I’d just come back from a one-month meditation retreat ❤️
At the end of your float, you’re encouraged to stay in the sitting area for a cup of tea and a little treat so you don’t rush off back to the busy world. It helps cement the feelings of relaxation if you do this and I certainly found this to be true.
Think floatation therapy is something you’d like to try? There is a growing body of evidence that now suggests floatation therapy, also called sensory deprivation or flotation restricted environmental stimulation therapy is effective in the treatment of stress, fatigue, hypertension and the pain associated with fibromyalgia and the many forms of arthritis just to name a few things. It’s important to know that not all the scientific evidence for the effects floatation has on each condition is strong, however, it definitely does support the positive effects it has on stress and pain. In my opinion, stress reduction is good for any condition and a fabulous boost to your health.
I’ve definitely become a convert and after the beautiful experiences I’ve had at Saltuary I highly recommend them. I have now had three introductory floatation sessions and can say with all sincerity that my stress levels have definitely dropped. More so directly after a float, although it does seem to have lasting effects. I loved it so much I signed up for a fortnightly floatation membership actually and I’m already looking forward to my next visit.
Saltuary also offers acupuncture, massage, salt therapy or consultations with a Naturopath, Nutritionist, Herbalist or Chiropractor. You can even do yoga or have an infrared sauna there and adding any of these services before or after your float will only add to the experience. Have a wonderful visit! ❤️
Top tips:
- Try not to get water in your eyes, nose or mouth. It really, REALLY burns because of all that salt in the water. I now know this from experience so if you get the urge to scratch your face for any reason, don’t do it! It is also worth being cautious about water dribbling down into your eyes when you get out at the end of your session (again… I know from experience)
- If you’re going for pain relief, you may find you are a little worse the next day, or even coming week, but this will subside and will happen less on subsequent floats. After chatting to the staff at Saltuary and reading information on various forums from other float centres, I found this is definitely not a common reaction. I had this experience with muscle and joint pain becoming quite intense but it was all under control by my third float
- I am prone to stiffness in the shoulders and neck and found it better to float with a pillow and my arms by my side for extra support. I imagine as you get more accustomed to floating this will be less of an issue.
DETAILS
Saltuary
Shop 2, 134 Great North Road, Five Dock
(02) 9713 8688
[email protected]
Opening Hours
As per website listing
Social Media
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LinkedIn
Resources
1. Fine, T & Turner J 1982, ‘The effect of brief restricted environmental stimulation therapy in the treatment of essential hypertension‘, Behaviour Research and Therapy, vol. 20, no. 6, pp. 567-570
2. Bood, S, Sundequist, U, Kjellgren, A, Nordström G & Norlander, T 2007, ‘Effects of flotation rest (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique) on stress related muscle pain: Are 33 flotation sessions more effective than 12 sessions?‘, Social Behaviour and Personality: an International Journal, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 143-156
3. Kjellgren, A, Sundequist, U, Norlander, T & Archer, T 2001, ‘Effects of flotation-REST on muscle tension pain‘, Pain Research Management, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 181-189
4. Walbaum, A, Rzewnicki, R, Steele, H & Suedfeld, P 1991, ‘Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy for Chronic Tension Headache: A Pilot Study‘, Journal of Psychosomatic Research, vol. 38, no. (1-4), pp. 33-39
5. Jonsson, K & Kjellgren, A 2014, ‘Curing the sick and creating supermen – How relaxation in flotation tanks is advertised on the Internet‘, European Journal of Integrative Medicine, vol. 6, no. 5, pp. 601-609
