The ultimate in ‘me time’

THERE’S a new way to get yourself some quiet time in Ipswich and if you haven’t tried it, you really should give it a go.

Flotation therapy has been around since the mid-1950s but only now is there a facility in Ipswich where you can enjoy the multiple benefits of “sensory deprivation”, at CityCave, next to the QT in West Ipswich.

Many people use a flotation session to clear their head, rest or even sleep but what you get out of it is up to you. Many people do them on a regular basis and claim it to not only be a healing method but the ultimate in “me time”.

Scientific evidence has shown that time floating can deliver many benefits, including increased concentration and thought clarity, increased problem-solving abilities and improved circulation.

So what will your first float be like?

New to floating, I headed to CityCave to see what all the fuss was about.

After a shower in a private room, you enter a pool of water that is only 35cm deep but the water has had 400kg of medical-grade salt dissolved in it. This means that, like the famous Dead Sea in the Middle East, the high salt content means it is impossible to sink and if you lie straight you simply float on the water.

This is where things get clever, as the water and room are both kept at 34 degrees, the same temperature as your outer skin. This means that once you’re in the pool, after a few minutes you don’t feel the water, you are at one with the H2O and once you turn out the light you feel like you are floating in space. The room is soundproofed and silent, so you are alone with your thoughts floating with no sense of your surroundings.

You can choose to have relaxation music playing or just sit in silence. You can see where your mind takes you or you can sleep, like many people choose to do. Experts claim that one hour of sleep in this environment is equivalent to four hours’ deep sleep at home in bed.

Some liken a float to lying on a warm, soft, fluffy cloud or its how they imagine a mermaid would feel or similar to an astronaut floating around in space.

Essentially you just drift away, floating and dreaming, which cues our nervous system to initiate repair and renewal work in our bodies. It’s a strange feeling and one I’d compare to being asleep but still awake. It is a profound state to be in and so relaxing. It is so unique.

If this all sounds a bit odd to you, the best thing you can do is give it a try. I tried it and found it a very relaxing experience.

I must have had a few micro sleeps as the one-hour session flew by and in that time I used the floating silence to focus on childhood memories, while enjoying the fact that for the first time that week, I could just focus on some time alone with nobody making demands on my time. Pure heaven.

For more visit www.citycave.com.au