Float Therapy

In 2011, The Guardian wrote that more than 50% of Brits are not getting enough sleep, which is fast becoming a pandemic as people’s immune systems are knocked from being overworked, overstressed and lacking the proper rest they need to overcome life’s daily challenges. More than 50% - and I don’t think the numbers have been getting any lower. Aside from sleeping tablets that interfere with our bodies’ natural hormonal balance, could Floatation Therapy be the next best solution?

60 minutes of my life beautifully spent. I feel as though I had the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had, and achieved it in the space of 65 minutes including a post-session shower. Here’s why every time I’m in London I will be booking a session at Float Hub UK.

Floating is a solution to stress. Mentally, physiologically, energetically, it’s scientifically proven as well as raved about by those who have given it a go. Even my friends noticed a difference after my float session at Float Hub. The space itself is something to behold. Nestled in the heart of Shoreditch, only a couple of minutes walk from my old brokerage office, a staircase that leads to the clandestine underground haven better known as Float Hub. Even though Float Hub opened only 3 months ago, I can see why it has been named the Number 1 spa in London by TripAdvisor. Design is simple and cool, with thoughtful zen-den style spaces in which to relax prior to and post treatment. The space is grounding, there is no background music so that the mind can begin to unwind and be at peace, without distraction: true to the very nature of that which it wishes to invoke within its guests.

I am led to my flotation chamber and talked through the process, after which the therapist leaves me to begin my float session. The room is peaceful, quiet and temperature neutral - not too hot or too cold, it’s just right. The float hub is filled with water (also, temperature neutral) and 525kg of high-quality epsom salt. For those wondering about the sustainability of this, the salt and water is filtered and reused. The high ratio of salt to water is what causes the body to float effortlessly in that water, so much so that I felt almost weightless. Float sessions have become excellent tools for top performing athletes and are recommended by physiotherapists - many patients now have a session prior to treatment as it helps with alignment and decompresses the spine. Perfect prior to physiotherapy as the body is more relaxed and easier to work with.

Once in the float chamber, there is no light, sound or pressures. The body begins to settle and become weightless, and the mind begins to do the same. I must admit, that for the first 20 minutes I left a light on in the treatment room. The whole session was pleasant, but switching off all lights made a difference like night and day. Pure darkness took the treatment to a whole new level, my mind became quiet. No, it didn’t become anything. It simply was. There was no sense of time, or rush, of need to be anywhere else, to do anything, to be anyone else. I did not feel calm or peace, I was calm, I was peace. For anyone who struggles with meditation or finds that they are constantly thinking thoughts during mediation, a Float Session is your entry point to embracing and enjoying your practice. If you experience stress and run off of the feeling of adrenaline, a Float Session is the key to balancing your hormones and being able to more effectively handle stress.

Why I will be going back for regular Float Sessions:

My skin improved - glowed - immediately after the treatment, and lasted for 48 hours.

My sleep has improved markedly, after just one session.

I feel better able to handle stressful situations - I have been reacting much more calmly in stressful situations.

Flexibility: I was able to move around and stretch in my float session. The temperature of the water and anti-inflammatory (anti-stress state means the body is better able to relax) environment is super conducive to stretching and also reduces muscle fibre tissue recovery time.

It aids meditation - research has proven that floating triggers the same hormones and Thea brainwaves a meditation session might offer, except floating is an easier way of accessing this for my body and my mind.

The sciencey bit:

Float Therapy triggers dopamine production, reduces the effects of stress (including levels of adrenaline) which in turn enables the endocrine system to come into better balance: that means that the rest of our hormones such as progesterone, oestrogen, testosterone, HGH (Human Growth Hormone) and TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) are less likely to be compromised as cortisol levels are lower. Whether your goal is improving sleep, fat loss, addressing anxiety, stress or depression, you are putting your body and mind in a far better state when you allow the body to activate parasympathetic nervous system (rest + digest state) as opposed to the sympathetic nervous state (fight or flight, the stress state).

Want to book your session?

Float Hub are offering a 3 session Float Pack for £99

They’ve only been open 3 months and as far as I can tell, they’re massively underpriced. Book your session quick.

Instagram: @FloatHubUK

Website: www.floathub.co.uk/

525kg of Epsom salt in every bath!