Update

I have been using the float tank regularly, a couple of times a week for the past several months, now. Originally, I intended to use this blog to post my experiences, but I find it a bit difficult to say much about it other than it is a really great way to improve your meditation practice, whatever practice that may be. I will give a more general impression to date in this post: A couple of friends have tried it. One found it a bit claustrophobic, but otherwise liked his experience (although he didn't do it again). The other is someone who meditates regularly and he had the same experience as me, in fact noting, "Now I know what meditation is." He floats often in my tank and has modified his own jacuzzi so he can float in it in fresh water the help of one of those floating sticks. He says that it is a decent imitation of the tank, though not quite as good as the real thing. You can see the difference in a person when they come out of the tank. There is an obvious relaxed look on their face. If you are using a tank to meditate, I recommend spending the first 20 to 30 minutes just getting into a relaxed state, letting go of any tension, then beginning whatever meditation practice you prefer. Or you can just get into as relaxed a state as possible and leave it at that. If you are considering buying or making your own tank, I will make a few practical suggestions: First, put it in a garage or other area where salt water leakage is not going to be a problem as it will inevitably get messy. Total darkness is useful, but you will probably have your eyes closed for most of the time, so a slight bit of light is not the end of the world. Also, most sites recommend floating in the nude. I don't think this is all that necessary and creates some modesty issues with friends. A baggy suit can be distracting, but a speedo or biker shorts or something tight fitting like that is fine and maybe even better. Temperature is best around 93 to 94 degrees. I don't think that a more precise temperature than that is all that important. I have speakers in my tank, but I have not yet used them and will have more to say once I try them out. You want to avoid rubbing your eyes or face while you are floating as the saltwater stings when it gets in your eyes. Sometimes, you will float into one of the walls (wider tanks make this happen less often). If you do, very gentle pushing away with the hand or feet is all that is needed, otherwise you get a bit of a pinball effect. Sometimes people get very stiff in the neck area. The most common reason for this is the natural tendency to hold you head up to keep it from sinking. If you have enough salt in the tank, your head should float fine, so if your neck is stiff, just relax the head and let it fall back and float. When you get out of the tank, you will be covered with saltwater. I have set up a hose in my garage (hooked to hot water) and I rinse myself off in the garage, then take a regular shower in my house. You otherwise will track a lot of salt into your house on the way to your shower. My friend noted above and I have been working on a device that can be used to simulate the floating experience in a pool. This is not going to match doing it in a saltwater tank, but I think it will provide a nice experience. I will update when our project is fully off the ground. In any case, I wish you happy floating and would love to hear your experiences. Cheers, Steve

Just Floatin' Along

Well, I've been floating a few times each week and I find the experience quite helpful in terms of my meditation practice. It allows a much deeper relaxation, with a greater awareness of any tension. There are still a few bugs to work out with the tank. There is a bit of dripping, which seems to find its way direct-hitting my eyes and nasal passages, which can be a brief buzz-kill. I'm thinking that running a mop along the ceiling before floating will clear the top and prevent most dripping. I also notice that keeping the fan running around the clock keeps it less drippy. I still have some covering up where the light gets in, particularly at the seems. My initial attempt to cover it wasn't that helpful, but I've been more into floating than fixing these days and, with my eyes closed, I don't notice any light anyway.
The floats have been gradually longer, getting towards 2 hours. It helps to have a defined, sequential meditation practice rather than just laying there, where an hour can seem like an eternity.
I've had one taker on trying it out, a friend of mine who is not really of the New Age mentality. He was a bit put off by the enclosed nature of it and the potential lack of oxygen. I've since cranked up the fan, which had been on a minimal setting due to concerns that the air would be distracting. Now it feels more aerated and less swampy in there. Perhaps I'll get him to try it again. Someone at the gym has a friend who he told about it and I'm told he wants to do it, but I've not heard from him. Like most of these types of things, people are intrigued, but not too keen to really try it out for themselves.