Thanks to everyone who commented or sent me a message after last week’s newsletter. (If you didn’t read it, short recap: I’m challenging myself to trying one new thing every week for the next year, “52 New Things”.) Last week my new thing was hot-air ballooning (in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley, to be precise). So far I have a backlog of new experiences to write about, which is exciting! This week…
New Thing #2: Floating
If floating in the salt-rich waters of the Dead Sea sounds appealing but there’s no way you can make it to the Middle East anytime soon, perhaps you should also give floating a try.
Last weekend I booked an hour at Nelson’s Uplift Float Centre, after a friend recommended it. I’d honestly never heard of this practice before, but that’s why this challenge is so fun. This centre has two float pods, which are filled with salty water at body temperature. The idea is that you take off all your clothes, have a quick shower, then lie back in the warm salty water and close the lid to the world for an hour. The water is shallow but there’s no way you can sink because the salt in the water keeps you buoyant. You can put a thin foam pillow behind your head if you like (I did) to help you relax. And that’s it. Float for an hour in silence.
Friends had told me about falling asleep in the pod, and having meditative experiences. I can’t say I did either because I couldn’t switch my brain off, but it was definitely a relaxing experience. It was a nasty rainy day in Nelson (we had 10 constant days of heavy rain, ugh) and a warm salty bath was just the antidote. I joked with the Float man that I’d just dropped my daughter off at a sixth birthday party, and floating was essentially the opposite of a kid’s birthday party full of sugar, music, noise, and overstimulation. Blissfully, there was none of that in my float pod.
Would I recommend floating? Absolutely, if you’re looking for alternative ways to unwind and perhaps to enter a meditative state. Would I do it again? Yes, after a while. It’s not a cheap experience (NZ$99 for a one-hour float) and I think if I needed a relaxing hour again in the next few months I’d opt for a massage instead. But perhaps as a once-a-year experience when I really need time alone without distractions, I’d do it again.
Or maybe I should just save that money and put it towards a trip to the Dead Sea.
I didn’t take any photos because, well, I was in a dark salty tank. But if you want an idea of what this floating business looks like, check out the Uplift Float Centre’s Instagram.