Health and Fitness / Bristol Float Centre
Blissful bouyancy at Bristol’s only floatation centre
I cautiously step into a shallow pool of salty water, gently allowing myself to lie back and float into a comfortable position. Darkness envelops me as I turn out the lights.
Letting my body relax, I try to stay calm and allow the silence to absorb me. I’m braced for my thoughts to race, my mind to wonder and a fear of this dark unknown void-like state to take over.
But instead, my mind rests. My brain and body feel like they are being carried through space; cocooned, safe and supported by hundreds of kilograms of salt. My eyes, initially twitchy and racing, settle into calmness. After half an hour, I am asleep.
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I wake up to a light in the distance, and the faint sound of a bell letting me know my one hour session is over. I feel as light as air as I surface from the tank. My body tingles from the weightlessness and my mind feels clear and more at ease than it has felt in months.
What I have just experienced is a beginner’s floatation tank at Bristol Float Centre. This revolutionary little oasis of relaxation is the only one of its kind in our city, and has existed just yards away from the hustle and bustle of Park Street on one side and the centre on the other for 17 years.
Bristol Floatation Centre also offers couples floats
To get there, you must make your way down to the basement of Back in Action, a one-of-a-kind shop on College Green specialising in back-supportive furniture. Once inside, you will be greeted by Spin Coombes, a ‘floater’ since 2017 who walks you through the steps and answers any questions you might have.
While the idea of floating in a zero-gravity void with your own thoughts could induce panic from some – and indeed, briefly did from me – the actual experience was anything but what I had imagined.
Before you partake in a float, some choose to have a go on the mobiliser, a massage bed where, for 15 minutes, the back of your body is massaged with dozens of tiny sensors spread across two rollers which move continuously, easing you into a meditative state and relaxing your muscles in preparation for the float. If you so desire, you can also buy or rent the mobiliser to take home.
Beginners can try an open pod, while those looking for an even more immersive experience can try the Orbit – a closed pod – and couples or friends can use the two-person pod.
Each tank is filled with more than 400 kg of Epsom salt, and the temperature is the same as your body, making you feel like you are truly floating in zero gravity.
Floating is not a new phenomenon. The first isolation tank, as it is often known, was developed in 1954 by John C Lilly, a medical practitioner and neuropsychiatrist. Lilly wanted to experiment with the effects of sensory deprivation on the brain.
Since Lilly’s days, the term ‘sensory deprivation’ has fallen out of favour, not least because of its negative connotations, but also because in fact your senses are more often than not heightened during your float experience.
The first commercial floatation tanks began being sold in the 1970s. They gained popularity in the US and Europe for their health benefits, and have been used by celebrities and wellness gurus across the world.
Before you partake in a float, some choose to have a go on the mobiliser, a massage bed
While scientific studies remain limited, reported health benefits include reduced anxiety, stress relief and muscle relaxation. The tanks can be used to help with anything from anxiety and depression, to arthritis, frozen shoulders, sore neck, sports injuries or other chronic pain issues.
At Bristol Floatation Centre, visitors report all kinds of benefits, depending on what the body needs that day. While some fall asleep like I did, others feel energised and productive following a float.
“Our nervous systems are so highly strung with the rate and pace of life, that to just settle everything – even if there’s nothing particularly wrong with you, or you’re not coming in for a particular reason – it’s just a really good chance to disconnect from your phone and time,” Spin tells me after my session.
“An hour sounds like quite a long time, but the time in the tank is always so different to time outside. Your body just slows and relaxes, and it goes more quickly than you think.
“It’s so difficult to carve out those pockets of time for ourselves in life. A lot of people hit burnout and then do something like this instead of scheduling it in once a month.”
At £55 to £70, the price tag for a floatation experience isn’t cheap (Bristol Float Centre offers reduced packages and discounts), and the idea of being alone with your own thoughts in the dark for an hour might not be for everyone.
But as someone who struggles with anxiety, the experience was truly groundbreaking for me. I left floating on a cloud, reassured and with a renewed sense of confidence.
In a world where we’re forced to respond to the endless external stimuli around us everyday, it is revolutionary to be able to shut that all off, even if just for an hour.
Bristol Floatation Centre is located within Back In Action on College Green. To find out more, visit www.floatbristol.co.uk.
This story was originally published in the May & June 2024 Bristol24/7 magazine
All photos: Mia Vines Booth
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