Blissfulness after a treatment at Bangkok Float Center

We all live in a very stressful world in stressful times and yes, it is ok not to be ok… I am also one such person who deals with stress and depression since I had gone through a tough childhood and with my experiences in life, and have thought of suicide pretty often…( not trying to gain any attention or sympathy )

And with that, I believe we should of course also try to find how we can counter all the stress that is affecting us… with that I was kind of doing my own research and came across float therapy….

But since Malaysia did not have any I knew of, I went to the Bangkok Float Center when I was in Bangkok cos well, if there was anything out there that could help me loosen up and just chill, I was definitely game.

We booked via KKday and were lucky to even had scored a discount. Bangkok Float Center is located on the 2nd floor of the Hopeland Hotel. You can either take a Grab car there or take the BTS to Phrakanong Station (Exit 4) and take a 3-min walk to Hopeland Hotel…

It was my first visit, so Sam the owner there gave me my orientation…. Schedule your float appointment at a time when it is ideal for you to relax, maybe similar to a time when you would book a massage. It is highly recommended that you should plan ahead as not to have strenuous or stressful activities post session, so that your body and mind can slowly unwind and absorb your experience in a calm, relaxed state to get the most out of it.

You do not need any swimsuit or clothing to float with. You will be in your own personal room/ suite and so no one is going to see you…. Besides no clothing of any kind is allowed in the pods for sanitary reasons, as well as both the overall physical and spiritual aspects of the experience. There is also a good filtration system to keep the water pure and clean…

Towels, shampoo, soap, earplugs, and other amenities are provided for you. As mentioned , you will have your own personal room with Dreampod, private shower, and dressing area….

Here, you can shed your worries, stresses and such along with your clothing and settle inside your Dreampod or the floatation tank that actually contains a whopping 700 kg of specially formulated salts added to 1000 liters of water, creating a 30 cm deep solution, which is heated to 35.5 degrees C (skin temperature).

The temperature of the water means that once you are settled in the tank, it is virtually impossible to distinguish between parts of the body that are in contact with the water, and those that aren’t.

The buoyancy created by the this salt solution removes the effects of gravity on the body, and brings the individual close to an experience of total weightlessness. Unless you are an astronaut, this is the only situation you will encounter where your body is free from the harmful forces of gravity.

I tried to quiet my racing thoughts as I shut my pod and leaned my head back into the water. I was in a giant man-made egg filled with salty liquid, with only soft coloured lights illuminating the pod and very soft music surrounding me. ( the soothing relaxing music is turned on for first 5 minutes and last 5 minutes – signaling your float treatment is ending)

There an almost slick, oily feeling to it thanks to all the salt.

When the music stopped, I did feel some kind of panic…. I am not too good with sheer silence and sheer darkness, being someone that sleeps with noise and lights…. With all my racing thoughts, I felt anything but relaxed. All the reasons I was floating in the first place—the l thoughts; my tense shoulders; the jittery, nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach—felt amplified. It took a lot of self control not to push open the hatch of the pod and get out… My shoulders felt strained…

But the longer I stayed in the tank, the more things began to slow down. My shoulders kind of loosened up. I could hear my breathing and my heartbeat. My thoughts stopped racing. I close my eyes and relax, letting my body succumb to the water and yeah… floated and before you know it, the music began again and the water rippled signalling the end of the session…

Researchers found that a float therapy session can help decrease stress, depression and anxiety disorders…. Studies also show that feelings of optimism often increase following float therapy. Those good vibes can work to enhance creativity, focus and even help boost work or athletic performance.