Attention to detail

What makes a great float?

This is a question we have given a lot of thought to at Float in the Forest, and answering it has informed every aspect of what we do, from the way we built the float centre, through to the way we interact with those who come to float.

At the heart of our response lies attention: it involves carefully creating a rare set of conditions, and creating them afresh for everyone who comes to float with us.

Years of research

Your float journey with us began longer ago that you might realise. We started preparing for your visit back in 2016. We searched for the right location for your float centre for two years, and along the way we spent thousands of hours researching how to deliver the best float we can.

And we’re still learning and making improvements to this day.

More than just the float

We learned that giving you the best float we can is about more than just the float itself, it’s also about the set and setting. Your experience can be influenced by many subtle factors in these surrounding conditions, both in the physical environment of the float and during the time before and after the float.

So we extended our attention beyond the float with the goal of shaping them to enhance your float journey. These surrounding factors might be as mundane as the free parking right outside, or as sublime as the ambience of our float rooms.

We will look after you from the moment you arrive. Our unique training programme empowers your float hosts to provide you with practical guidance, while allowing your unique experience to unfold without constraint.

We make sure you are well-informed, so you can feel confident and relaxed as you approach your first float with us. We are available to answer any questions you might have, and we have created a wealth of resources online, so you can find out everything you might want to know about floatation.

At the same time, we are careful to avoid telling you what your float will be like experientially – we don’t want to create any preconceptions which might limit the expression of the infinite possibilities you have within you. We use language carefully to allow you this rare opportunity.

Purpose built facility

We built the float centre from scratch to support you in getting the most from your float. From advanced soundproofing methods gleaned from how recording studios are built to ensure beautiful peace and quiet, through to a hot water system carefully engineered to ensure instant high pressure hot water to the luxurious showers. With bespoke systems for controlling heat and humidity using overhead infrared heating and intelligent fans, and LED lighting tailored to your colour preference… We invested in the most advanced building techniques and materials we could, in order to create the optimum conditions for your float.

Your private float room is spacious and spotless, with clean lines and stainless fixtures, and it feels like you are the first person to grace it with your presence.

The natural products are full to the brim. The big fluffy towels feel soft and welcoming. The rainfall shower bathes you in luxury. Your float pod is sleek and modern, big and friendly, with a state of the art sanitation system. The whole room glows with a soft light of the colour you chose.

This is a place which is yours alone.

Nurturing the post-float bliss

We nurture a space in the lounge to support your post-float bliss. The usual social conventions and taboos need not apply here. This is a quiet comfortable place where you can dwell as long as you wish. Your sensory impressions are carefully curated. Tactile delights like fluffy rugs, sprung chairs, comfy sofas, insulated floors, and a cosy peaceful vibe. Aesthetic pleasures of natural wood textures, clean minimalist design, and beautiful abstract art. Tasty treats like organic teas, natural kombuchas, and local ice creams.

There’s the freedom to express yourself in drawing, writing or colouring, and there’s books about floating should you wish to learn more. We’ve provided the opportunity for you to emerge gradually from your float, so that you can recognise the float as part of your life, and carry the benefits onwards and outwards more easily.

Part of something greater

Our passion for floating arose from the profound benefits we have personally experienced, and the desire to share those benefits with others. There were times when the challenges felt insurmountable, and it seemed like our dream to open a float centre would remain no more than just a dream.

Yet we received help along the way, with an unlikely series of ‘coincidences’ leading us to spending time with Lee and Glenn Perry. These guys were students of John Lilly, the inventor of the float tank. They built the first commercially available float tank, opened the first float centre back in 1977, and in doing so they birthed a global phenomenon. They were inspirational and taught us a lot. Meeting them felt like a blessing, and imparted the sense of being part of a greater lineage. This gave us the boost we needed to make Float in the Forest a reality, and sustains us in our ongoing service to those who come to float.

We are contributing back to the greater good too.  We make regular donations to local charities, and we are members of the Floatation Tank Association.  Plus we are funding original scientific research into floatation through the Float Research Collective – not only that, but as founding members of Project Arcturus we will soon be participating in new float research!

Sustainable

We make sure that our actions in running Float in the Forest are ethical and sustainable, because we know that running a business is an opportunity to shape the world with the choices we make, just as you can shape the world with the choices you make.

That’s why we choose our suppliers very carefully. We use natural toiletries and cleaning products like Faith in Nature, and offer refills to reduce plastic. We use 100% renewable electricity from Ecotricity. We provide biodegradable earplugs. Our toilet paper supplier ‘Who gives a Crap’ helps provide clean drinking water and toilets to those without. We provide washable makeup wipes, the furniture is made of reclaimed wood, and you can even catch the no 23 bus which stops right outside the float centre.

So you can feel good when you float with us, knowing that you are looking after the planet, and you can emerge to enjoy the beautiful natural environment of the Forest of Dean.

Reflected by your responses

We’re not just blowing our own trumpet here – those who float with us are sharing about their amazing experiences too, and we really appreciate it!

We have over 500 five star reviews, and counting. There’s a stack of journals in the lounge full of words of appreciation. We’ve been nominated Travellers’ Choice 5 years running on Tripadvisor, and we’ve been number 1 spa in Gloucestershire for the last 5 years.

We’d love you to come and experience for yourself what makes a great float, at Float in the Forest.