During the past year of being a float ambassador I’ve noticed that whenever someone asks me about floating, there’s always a point during my riveting and inspiring sermon where I notice a slight change in the eyes of my previously attentive listener. Their brain has clearly begun sending signals of “nope”, “I don’t think so”, and “no way” to the idea of being in the float tank and everyone will usually have one specific reason that makes them hesitant to try it.

While floating may not be for everyone, it’s usually pretty easy to allay whichever fear or stressor is standing in the way of someone giving it a try. One of the great things about floating is that your time at the Floatation Centre can be absolutely anything you want it to be, so if there’s an aspect of floating that makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to do it!

Do you feel claustrophobic about the idea of being in a dark tank? Leave the door to the tank open and keep the lights on! There’s also a dimmer on the lights in the room so you can make it exactly how you’d like it to be.

Maybe you feel like you need to lock in the entire time and try to meditate? You can try to quiet your mind if you like, but you can also use the time to think as much about anything you want! Floating is a perfect time for meditating but it’s also great for some guaranteed uninterrupted thinking time.

Does the time slot feel like a big commitment to something that you’re unsure of? You can be in the tank for whatever time feels most comfortable for you. Sometimes I stay in the entire booked time, other times the tank has done the job for me in a shorter amount of time and I get out! 

Maybe you’re a little nervous about just entering an unfamiliar place with people you don’t know. That’s a totally valid feeling to have but everyone who works at the centre are wonderful people who are there to help support you in whatever way you need. If you’re lucky you might also run into Pearl, the sweetest dog you’ll ever meet!

These are a few of the common things that hesitant people will often mention to me, and I felt that way myself before I gave floating a try. Even now I sometimes need to remind myself that I can make my float whatever I want it to be, and yours can be whatever you want it to be too. I once played Boards of Canada on my airpods and floated on my stomach the entire time so that it felt like I was skydiving weightlessly for an hour into the endlessly dark expanding nothingness of the universe to a soundtrack of Scottish electronic music, and you know what? Nobody stopped me! A singular 10/10 experience.