“Can’t I just float in my bath at home?”
Welcome to one of our most popular webpages! We’ll be honest, we had no idea so many people were wondering if they could recreate the special environment of floatation in their baths at home.
We first wrote this blog before we even opened the float centre, and in light of its surprisingly popular content, we’ve given it a little overhaul. For the short answer to the question of whether you can float in your bath at home, check out Will’s video here…
Now for a little more detail…
When some people hear that floating involves Epsom salt, they wonder whether they can’t just buy a bag of it and recreate the experience at home in their bath. So we would like to ask you the following questions:
Have you got 550kg of Epsom salt?
Yes there really is that much Epsom salt dissolved in a float pod! The solution is thick with salt, making it more dense than the Dead Sea. This is what allows you to float on the surface of the water and be completely supported. This is a pallet load of salt, which would be a huge quantity to try and transport to your bathroom, not to mention costly!
Could your floor take the extra weight if you did add that much salt?
Many floors are not designed to take this much extra weight, particularly when concentrated in one area of the floor. This was a serious factor in choosing a venue for our float centre, and the float centre floor was assessed by a structural engineer for safety.
Can you re-heat your bath water?
Here’s an interesting fact about the process of preparing a float pod:
When the Epsom salt is dissolved in the water, it removes a lot of the heat from the water. This means if you were trying to recreate a float at home you’d also need to be able to re-heat your bath water again afterwards! As far as we know, most baths don’t offer that function…
Can your bath maintain the temperature of the water for an hour?
A float generally lasts an hour. Unless you have a special bath with an integrated heater, your water would lose the heat in this time, leaving you cold and uncomfortable.
The float pod heats the water and is well insulated, so that it is maintained at skin temperature. This is a really special aspect of the experience, as after a while you may find you can’t feel where your body ends and the water begins.
Is your bath 2.5 m long and 1.7 m wide?
I don’t know about yours, but our bath certainly doesn’t give you this amount of room!
Much as I love a bath, my knees are normally at least a bit bent, my neck is at a bit of an angle, and my arms can’t spread out much away from my sides.
By contrast, our float pods are so spacious that you can spread out comfortably. This means that while supported by the Epsom salt, you can lie in whatever position is comfortable, allowing your muscles to relax and your joints to stretch out. Your body can realign to how it naturally wants to be, and you can release all tension.
Can you ensure uninterrupted silence?
Most homes are full of noise and distractions. Maybe there’s traffic outside, music, tv or radio, dogs barking, or children wanting your attention… chances are you will struggle to achieve uninterrupted silence.
In fact finding complete peace and quiet is a rare thing.
It is a priority for us to get as close to silence as we can, and in our purpose-built float centre we use ingenious soundproofing techniques not generally seen in the home.
Respite from distractions and noise is another really special aspect of floating.
How dark is your bathroom?
OK, so we know this bit isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. If you prefer to leave the light on or the pod door open while you float, that’s fine.
However the ‘pure floatation experience’ involves complete darkness as well as silence. By removing the distractions around you, you are reducing input into your mind, and this is what allows your mind to really slow down and drift away.
Many people describe floating as a ‘short cut to meditation‘ or as being like ‘floating in space’. With light often coming in from windows or around the door, complete darkness is also very hard to achieve in the bath at home.
So in conclusion, while taking an Epsom salt bath at home can be lovely, it is a far cry from the floatation experience, and all the benefits it brings. Come and give it a go for yourself!
