THERAPY CAN FLOAT YOUR BOAT
FLOTATION therapy, once only popular with stoners, scientists and the kinds of people who read tarot cards, has become a mainstream part of Gold Coast culture.
The practice of floating in a sensory deprivation tank – a pitch-black, soundproof capsule loaded up with 550kg of magnesium sulfate – is enjoying a major resurgence across the country.
Freedom Float Centre at Burleigh Heads, which offers an hour of pure relaxation for a cool $75, is attracting a varied client base from pregnant women to elite athletes.
Owner Ben Mawson, 27, said flotation therapy could help alleviate pain, anxiety, addiction and jet lag.
“People who have been in severe car crashes come in for the hour and walk out crying because it’s the first time they’ve been without pain,” he said.
“It’s also a fast track way to get into a meditative or dream-like state.
“We’ve had some of the Suns and Titans players come in. There’s one Suns player who floats in the last session at 8pm the night before a game and it helps him sleep through the night.”
Sensory deprivation isn’t a new phenomenon: It was developed in the 1950s by post-war neuroscientist John C. Lilly who claimed that the sensory deprivation tank allowed him to make contact with creatures from other dimensions.
“This guy used to do LSD and get in the tank for like, five hours at a time,” Mr Mawson said. “Over the years people have said it’s better than doing drugs because you get that same feeling without the side effects.”