Jackson floatation therapy center treats pain, stress

Annette Fowler stepped into the 93.5 degree water expecting to find a better way of relaxation and relieve joint pain. Fowler closed the 30-inch-wide shower door to her private pool, and after a few minutes of no movement, the lights went out. For 90 minutes, Fowler floated. “Really, it’s about maintenance,” Fowler said before her float session. “So, if this helps relieve the occasional discomfort and stresses I feel, then I think it will be well worth my time to do this as a regular procedure.”

Jackson Float Therapy and Massage, located in the Hamilton Hills Shopping Center, opened Dec. 1. The first float therapy session was given on the 19th of the same month. It offers emotional, spiritual and physical benefits, according to owner Tom Collins.

According to Collins, floatation therapy helps people with emotional conditions such as PTSD, anxiety and depression, as well as helping people further their meditation practice.

In addition to improving emotional conditions, Collins said, many physical ailments, such as shoulder, hip, lower back and joint issues, become better with floatation therapy.

“The biggest reason is because you’re at zero gravity,” said Collins. “And the reason you get to zero gravity is because there’s 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt in the water.”

According to Collins, the dense water allows people to float like a stick on the water.

Jackson Float Therapy and Massage is one of three floatation therapy facilities in Tennessee.

Collin’s facility differs from the others due to the unique aspect of three private rooms. Each 10-footwide room includes a shower and a pool that is 5 feet wide by 8 feet long, with 10 inches of water in the pool. The Epsom salt is dissolved in the water. “The open float is designed to help people who have ambulatory issues, mobility issues and claustrophobic issues,” Collins said about one of the three float rooms.

Fowler said that she could equate the float session to being in outer space, if she could ever get the experience, because she didn’t feel her body.

“You’re just there,” Fowler said about the temperature of the water inside the pool after completing her first float session. “The temperature is so soothing. You really don’t know if you’re in cool water or hot water.”

Although Fowler had to prepare mentally for her float session, she said that it was an awesome experience when she was lifted after laying back in the pool.

“I had to sort of build up a trust factor when I got in,” Fowler said. “I don’t float well when I’m in a swimming pool, so I didn’t know how well I would float in this pool, but believe me, once you lie back, it lifts you right up.”

Fowler said that it’s a really good time to meditate or to pray and to forget about your day if you can.

“To me, that’s the whole objective of it: to take yourself away to another place,” said Fowler. “It may take time, a little practice and a little time, but I was able to achieve it.” Fowler plans to return for more float sessions. Collins also believes that when Fowler returns, the experience will be even better.

For people who have questions about the sanitation factor of the pools, Collins said that between float sessions the water goes through a filtration system that keeps the water clean. Collins said it is virtually impossible for germs to live in the water.

Jackson Float Therapy and Massage also offers massage therapy in relaxation massage, soft tissues and pain management.