I recently travelled Overseas for my good friend’s wedding. With all the flying and the heat of New York city, my poor little ankles were all of a sudden the size of a baby elephants hoofs.
After spending the first few days back in the cold of G-Town, I assumed that my ankles would shrink back to normal, as I wasn’t walking everywhere in 42 degree heat. Once I realised this would not be the case, I took my swollen ankles, now solidly cankals, to the flotation tanks around the corner from me at the Wellness Centre in Stephan Street. Why you may ask?? Well for one I had a gift certificate from my sister, and for two, I had heard from a friend that Epsom salts could take down swelling.
What is floating??
A spacious tank is filled with 360 kilograms of Epsom salt which is dissolved in approximately 30 centimetres of skin temperature water. The process of floatation aims to remove sources of discomfort and stress through depriving the senses of external stimulation (The Wellness Studio, 2019).
When I first walked in and saw the tank I was slightly apprehensive as I’ve never been fond of small cramped spaces. However, the owner walked me through what to expect and how to manage the tank on my own. Knowing that I had the power of my own captivity strangely put my mind at ease.
Flotation tanks have a wide range of benefits. The magnesium rich solution is the magic behind the weightlessness. Our body naturally responds to this environment by accelerating physical recovery and performance, and alleviating the symptoms of both acute and chronic pain.
Floatation decreases stress hormones, replenishes neurotransmitters, and releases endorphins. The unique environment encourages deep relaxation and provides a zen-like afterglow that can last for days.
The benefits…
ENHANCES:
- deep relaxation
- creativity
- athletic recovery
- sports performance
- super learning
- muscle and bone regeneration
- hair and skin health
- right and left brain synchronicity
- visualisation
DECREASES:
- chronic pain
- fatigue
- migraine headaches
- depression
- anxiety
- insomnia
- hypertension
- pain from injury
- heart disease
You have the power while in the tank, you close the tank lid and the controls for the light are in the tank. They turn all the music off and when your hour is almost up, they turn it back on, so you know its time to get out and shower, which is also in the room. You go to the bathroom before you get in, and most times you have to go again after your float. This is your body cleaning out all the toxins through your urine.
As my larger than life ankles were fairly swollen, the urge to clean out these toxins happened before my hour was up…… Getting up naked to go the toilet in your locker little room, when you’re covered in salt and the towels they give you are lucky to cover one of your bum cheeks. It was not ideal. However, releasing these toxins in the tank is not an option. So up I got.
Once that was out of my system I felt like I could really relax, then I kept thinking that it felt like I had been in there for a while, then I thought I should be thinking about nothing, then I thought I should be thinking of creativity things, then I realised that I have no creativity. FINALLY- the music came on and my time was up. I feel if I was good at relaxing then I would have really enjoyed the experience.
Getting out of the tank I looked down and saw my ankles that had been no existent for the past three weeks. All thanks to the tank.
Click here to book an appointment online or contact our friendly team on 5255 5040 (OG) or 4202 0446 (L) to discuss how Nikki can help you achieve your health goals!
