Something in the world of floating have you stumped?
Show Highlights
Some questions are hard to answer, but that doesn’t take away the fact that it’s fun to try to find answers anyway.
This week, Ashkahn and Graham tackle the question, “How many float centers are there in the USA?” While the amount is constantly changing, their attempt to pin down a number opens up a fun discussion about the recent growth of the float industry.
Show Resources
Listen to Just the Audio
Transcription of this episode… (in case you prefer reading)
Graham: So, today’s question is, how many float centers are there in the country? Which I assume, means the United States.
Ashkahn: I feel like pretty much all our episodes start off with us saying that we really don’t actually have a good idea of what we’re talking about.
Graham: I mean, all of our episodes so far have started that way.
Ashkahn: So, we don’t really know. We don’t really know how many float centers there are. I guess, first thing we should clarify is what counts as a float center?
Graham: Also, nor does anyone.
Ashkahn: Yeah.
Graham: It’s not just us, I actually think there’s not a single person that could give you a totally accurate count of float centers in the United States.
Ashkahn: Maybe the government, you know?
Graham: Definitely not the government, there’s ten, there’s ten float centers out there.
Ashkahn: So, what counts as a float center, I think is the first thing we need to answer for this.
Graham: I would say anything that’s open, available commercially to the public, right? If it’s a float tank in someone’s house, that doesn’t count unless they’re also running paid floats out of there.
Ashkahn: So, maybe we should just say our best guesses at the same time.
Graham: Okay.
Ashkahn: You ready? One,
Graham: Two,
Ashkahn: Three … 350.
Graham: 500.
Ashkahn: 500?
Graham: Oh no, sorry, I was thinking of the U.S. and Canada, I was thinking of U.S. and Canada. I was thinking of U.S. and Canada. Okay, ready to do it again for realsies this time?
Ashkahn: Okay. One, two, three.
Graham: 483.
Ashkahn: 83? You think there’s 13 float centers in Canada?
Graham: Sorry. I wanted to say 383, I just got excited. It think there’s above 350. I think there’s somewhere …
Ashkahn: Like, 400.
Graham: 383 is my guess.
Ashkahn: 383, okay. Yeah, 350 to 400 is my best guess. But I don’t know, I mean it’s …
Graham: I did a really bad job there of the guessing game. Immediately forget what we were guessing about. Okay, bringing it back in.
Ashkahn: I mean, it’s hard to know what these numbers are from the past, as well. When we started up in 2010, I had the feeling that there was like 80 places across the U.S., maybe a 100. But a lot of those, when you actually looked at them, were a float tank that was a part of a much bigger spa, or a float tank in someone’s apartment. Or when you’re actually thinking of a business on a retail street that has four, a number of float tanks, stuff like that. There was just a small handful back then.
Graham: When we opened in 2010, we do know the number of 4-tank centers that there were in the United States, and it was nothing bigger than that. In the U.S., right? So there was four, 4-tank centers, is that right?
Ashkahn: Um so, there was us, there was …
Graham: Use the word know loosely here.
Ashkahn: Kinda know. Maybe I’ll count off and we can take our guesses at the same time.
Graham: 383.
Ashkahn: There was TrueRest, there was iFloat in Connecticut, and Space Time.
Graham: And then we opened up.
Ashkahn: Yep.
Graham: And so yeah, when we popped up, we were the fourth 4-tank center.
Ashkahn: I believe so.
Graham: And the other two had only opened within a year prior to us. So if you were taking 2008 numbers, then that would be only be Space Time tanks that had four tanks.
Ashkahn: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Graham: So, fast forward to now, I still have no idea how many four tank centers there are.
Ashkahn: No, it’s hard to count now.
Graham: But it doesn’t take a lot to realize that there are a lot. I mean, they’re popping up all over the place, and much bigger centers too. Six tanks, seven tanks, eight tanks.
Ashkahn: 11 tanks.
Graham: Yeah, they’re getting really big. And that number I think, is almost more interesting to look at too. If you look at the industry report from Float Tank Solutions, you’ll see from 2016, that that number of new centers who want to start with more tanks is only going up too. It’s kind of turning from what may be used to be more of this cottage enterprise with a tank and a spa or a tank in a house, and we’re counting those as float centers too. Now, if you’re opening a float center, it means you’re opening a three to six tank kind of big deal, and oftentimes five or six tanks too.
Ashkahn: Yeah, even just like depending on when you’re listening to this episode, if it’s been a year since we recorded this, these numbers are probably wrong at this point. Everything’s growing at a really tremendous rate. It’s hard to keep up and really have a good finger on the pulse when everything’s changing so quickly.
Graham: All right guys, hope you enjoyed our meandering through today’s question and we’ll see you tomorrow.
Ashkahn: Chicka boom.
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Latest Blog Posts
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #20
We now follow the trail of our ancestors, Meriwether Lewis & William Clark, whose expedition started in St. Louis and would, eventually, lead them to Oregon – just like us.
Except, unlike them, we didn’t actually start in St. Louis, don’t have a tour guide from the Lemhi Shoshone tribe, and aren’t carrying flintlocks (except for Graham).
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #19
Chicago is home to one of the oldest float centers still in operation – SpaceTime Float Tanks.
We had the misfortune of timing our visit as they were moving to a larger location, the only time in 34 years that they have ever been closed. It is with great regret that we were unable to see their historic float center in operation.
They were trailblazers even before there were trails to blaze – so many float centers in the entire Midwest trace their roots back to a single float at SpaceTime.
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #18
We made it back to America, everybody. It was a harrowing experience being in an uncivilized country where they think gravy and cheese curds on french fries is a meal but, thankfully, we’ve crossed the border back to a country where we know that chili and shredded cheese on french fries is a meal. Civilization.
Quite honestly, we might be in love with Canada. We’re definitely making another trip up there. For now, it’s about to MPH not KPH.
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #17
We hosted our second Float Tour Workshop here in Toronto and stayed in town a bit longer than we normally do, allowing us to get acquainted with the city. The sprawling metropolis is an amalgamation of old world pioneering days and modern multiculturalism. It was founded in 1787, and some of the currently standing buildings pre-date even that. Ancient architecture stands next to contemporary monoliths, weaving a tapestry of antiquity and avant-garde in this fair city.
