Learn best practices for starting and running a float center:
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Something in the world of floating have you stumped?

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Show Highlights

How much does a float tank cost?

Short answer — roughly $18 – 43K.

The slightly longer answer — listen to today’s episode.

Show Resources

Listen to Just the Audio

Transcription of this episode… (in case you prefer reading)

Graham: Alright, welcome, everybody. Our question today from one of our listeners is: “How much is a sensory deprivation tank?”

Ashkahn: Okay. How much does a float tank coast, huh? It’s a big range, right? I think the full scope of the range, I would say, is probably $10 000 at the lowest to $80 000 at the highest, for a commercial tank. There’s a tank, there’s the Zen Tent, which is $1,900 something. But that’s not really made for commercial use.

Graham: Right. So I guess just to clarify; I assume, since this is a show for commercial float center owners, that this is more on the commercial side. On the commercial side, about $10,000 to $80,000, from the very lowest to the very highest.

And so then the more median range in there, the average range of tanks that people are investing in, what do you think those are?

Ashkahn: There’s only a handful around the $10,000 range, and there’s I think an even smaller handful in that higher $70-$80,000 range. So, really, the bulk of them are somewhere between 20 and 40. Maybe slightly under 20k and 40k, and slightly over 40k, like 17-43k or something is gonna be the large majority of commercial float tanks out there.

Graham: Yeah, I think $17,000 to $43,000 was actually weirdly the numbers that I had in my head. And that’s also for getting commercial set up for the filtration side of things, too.

There are some of these tanks that you can get that have the lower priced models and the higher priced ones, or ones that are meant for home use and ones that are more for commercial settings. So that price range also includes that backside, too; the filtration system and everything that you’d need to be able to put in.

Ashkahn: Yeah, there’s one or two manufacturers out there that will even just sell a tub and you can kind of build the rest of it, so we’re not exactly counting those into this list.

Graham: I’d even say that the shipping and installation is kind of worked into that, too, or if you work that in, maybe it goes just a tiny bit higher.

Ashkahn: Those are good things to consider. I mean, if you’re buying a float tank, those are the things that you might not be quite expecting right off the bat and can vary a lot from tank to tank. Like, if you’re buying a tank that’s being manufactured down the street from you versus being manufactured on a different continent. The shipping cost is probably gonna be different across those two models.

Some manufacturers require for you to pay for installers to come out, so two people will come out and be there and install the thing and teach you how to do it. Other ones will send you the equipment and you can install it yourself.

Graham: I should say that literally before doing this episode, we went and looked at our own tank comparison chart to get a sense for exactly where those numbers were. I totally recommend you go to Float Tank Solutions and download the tank comparison chart and actually get a good look at exactly what these tanks are, and kind of the full range there. You can actually view all the individual units in addition to just having this broad view of price.

Ashkahn: Outside of that, it’s really hard to break it down much further. You might think that cabins are more expensive than pod-style tanks, and I feel like that can be true. You definitely see more cabins in the higher end than you do in the lower end, but there are some cabins out there that are in that $17-18k range.

And there are some tank or pod models out there that are in the $30K-something range, so that’s not necessarily a completely true statement, either.

Graham: And I think that’s all there is to say about that.

Ashkahn: Yeah. Alright. Ship it.

Graham: Lick it and stick it.

Recent Podcast Episodes

When DON’T you Feel Like Floating? – DSP 275

When DON’T you Feel Like Floating? – DSP 275

Graham has Juliet on the podcast today since Ashkahn is doing some post-Conference traveling. 

The duo talks about times when floating just doesn’t feel like a good idea, which is something they have a bit of disagreement about. Juliet shares her experiences being cautious of her experiences in the tank and how she tends to have to be more mindful of when she floats. 

When DON’T you Feel Like Floating? – DSP 275

How do you Handle Changing Memberships? – DSP 274

This year at the Float Conference, Derek hosted a marketing forum and took questions that he wanted to share with everyone here. 

This episode focuses on how Float On handles memberships, including tiered memberships and how to gracefully transition from one type of membership to another.

When DON’T you Feel Like Floating? – DSP 275

Are Vapor Barriers a Good Idea for Float Centers? – DSP 273

You can tell when Graham starts to miss Ashkahn when he makes a soundboard made up of sound clips from previous episodes just to have Ashkahn do another intro. 

Jake and Graham break down barriers in this episode. Vapor barriers, that is. These tools are a little confusing in the construction world and their efficacy is hotly debated in just regular construction, never mind the demands that a float center has, especially in regards to moisture protection. Fortunately, Graham and Jake know a thing or two about a thing or two and explain what vapor barriers are, how they work, and what the source of contention is. 

When DON’T you Feel Like Floating? – DSP 275

What to Consider with Plumbing in a New Float Center – DSP 272

Graham and Jake talk about the confusing world of plumbing for your float center. There are any number of unpleasant surprises that can come about when planning the water lines to showers, getting floor drains in place, and making sure everything lines up how it’s supposed to. If the sewer main is too deep or not where you think it is, it can add a significant amount of cost to your build out just to get floor drains installed. Fortunately, the guys have some useful tricks to help mitigate costs and plan accordingly.

When DON’T you Feel Like Floating? – DSP 275

Should I use Spray-in Insulation for my Float Center? – DSP 271

Graham and Jake are still in a sans Ashkahn world at Daily Solutions, but they’re not letting it harsh their mellow. 

The guys are talking about the different types of spray-in insulation today. It’s a pretty common material in construction and it can be a fantastic insulator for float centers, if you get the right type. 

Jake and Graham go over the differences between open cell and closed cell insulation and why, specifically, float centers should avoid open cell insulation. They also provide some excellent pointers on the materials themselves and good conversations to have with a contractor regarding insulation. 

Latest Blog Posts

Oh, the Questions You’ll Hear!

Oh, the Questions You’ll Hear!

When you run a float tank center, you’re going to get asked a lot of questions. Do I float naked? Can I drown? Is this sanitary? Many of these are easy to answer: It’s recommended. Not without a conscious, and determined effort. Yes! There are some questions, however,...

Happy TANKSgiving (Giving Gifts to Monthly Members)

Happy TANKSgiving (Giving Gifts to Monthly Members)

Monthly memberships are an important way to ensure that your float tank center has a consistent, if not dependable, amount of business.

While pricing structures for memberships vary widely across the industry, we’re focusing less on the strategy of what to charge and looking more at the benefits we’re actually offering. Once we’ve established a solid offering, then we can revisit pricing.

Running a successful monthly membership program takes more than just charging customers and making sure they use their credits. With a little creativity, we can find ways to increase engagement.

The Float Tour Blog Roundup!

The Float Tour Blog Roundup!

The following is our collection of links to the all of the Float Tour blogs. My chronicling of our adventure, highlighting all of you out there.

Thank you for the memories.