It’s funny. Going on this trip, my primary motivation was to have an adventure and spend more time with Graham and Ashkahn, two friends that rarely got to see since they became consumed by their business. As we traveled, I became immersed in the Float World. I made new friends everywhere we went and got to meet some truly interesting, innovative, and brave people. I got to meet all of you. Many of you were wondering why Graham and Ashkahn went on this trip.
What were these two larger than life characters up to? Was it a publicity tour? Were they trying to research float center ideas? Were they plotting world domination?
As someone who’s gotten to know them pretty well over the years, I can say definitively why they decided to do this trip: it sounded like fun (and possibly world domination).
And it was fun.
We got to celebrate Persian New Year with Ashkahn’s family, visit the Petrified Forest in Arizona, chill with every float center owner along our path, and go on the kind of trip that could coax Kerouac out of retirement. The schedule was absolutely unrealistic, and yet we held to it (mostly). We made it back to Portland 3 months and 6 days from the day we left, tired but inspired. Graham and Ashkahn shared some of their thoughts on the experience at the Conference.
Below is our collection of links to the blogs. My chronicling of our adventure, highlighting all of you out there.
Thank you for the memories.
Float Tour Blog Issue #1 – Southern Oregon || Northern California
Eugene, Oregon
Float Om
Blue Lake, California
Chumayo Day Spa
Chico, California
Renew FloatSpa
Marysville, California
Float Therapy
Float Tour Blog Issue #2 – Northern California
Marysville, California
ACE Composites
Reno, Nevada
Healing One
Truckee, California
RISE Float House
Grass Valley, California
Samadhi Tank Co.
Float Tour Blog Issue #3 – Bay Area, California
San Francisco, California
Reboot
Zazen
Float Dreams
Oakland, California
Oakland Floats
San Carlos, California
Come Float With Us
Ben Lomand, California
Be and Be Well
Float Tour Blog Issue #4 – Southern California
Woodland Hills, California
Nova Center
Pasadena, California
Just Float
Westwood, California
Float Lab
Costa Mesa, California
Newport Beach Float Therapy
Float Tour Blog Issue #5 – Southern California
Laguna Beach, California
The Float Lounge
Orange, California
Awaken
Temecula, California
The Float Experience
Santa Barbara, California
Alchemy Wellness Spa
Float Tour Blog Issue #6 – Southern California
Solana Beach, California
Float North County
San Diego, California
Float Spa San Diego
Float Sanctuary
Palm Desert, California
Desert Serenity Float Spa
Mot’us Floatation & Wellness
Landers, California
Landers Float Camp
Float Tour Blog Issue #7 – Nevada || Arizona
Henderson, Nevada
Go Float Yourself
Las Vegas, Nevada
Float Centers of Nevada
Float Sanctuary (Part Two)
Sedona, Arizona
True Rest
Phoenix, Arizona
Vibetality
Float Tour Blog Issue #8 – New Mexico || Oklahoma
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Enlighten others
Los Alamos, New Mexico
Float Los Alamos
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Float OKC
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Recover
H2Oasis
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Synergia Ranch (Honorable Mention)
Float Tour Blog Issue #9 – Our LIBR Visit
Tulsa, Oklahoma
The Float Clinic at the Laureate Institute of Brain Research
Float Tour Blog Issue #10 – Texas
Frisco, Texas
The Float Spot
Highland, Texas
Float Away Spa
Colleyville, Texas
@Peace
Dallas, Texas
Adrift
Austin, Texas
Zero Gravity Institute
Liquid Floats
Houston, Texas
Space City Float Center
KOLD
Float Houston
Float Tour Blog Issue #11 – Louisiana || Georgia
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Fleauxt
New Orleans, Louisiana
Space Sanctuary
NOLA Floats
Atlanta, Georgia
Flo2s
Flöt Spa (Honorable Mention)
Impact Cryotherapy (Honorable Mention)
Float Tour Blog Issue #12 – Tennessee || Virginia
Nashville, Tennessee
Float Nashville
Ashville, North Carolina
Still Point Wellness
Norfolk, Virginia
Superior Float Tanks
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Dream Float Spa
Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia
The Salt Spa
Richmond, Virginia
The Float Zone
Charlottesville, Virginia
Aquafloat
Float Tour Blog Issue #13 – Virginia || Maryland || Pennsylvania
Ashburn, Virginia
Om Float
Bethesda, Maryland
Hope Floats
Baltimore, Maryland
Be Free Floating
Forest Hill, Maryland
Mind Body Soul Float Tanks
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
East Coast Float Spa
Halcyon
Float Tour Blog Issue #14 – New Jersey
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Float South New Jersey
Bedminster, New Jersey
Quantum Floats
Kearny, New Jersey
Serene Dreams
Ocean, New Jersey
The Float Studio
Brick, New Jersey
Floatation Locations (Honorable Mention)
Float Tour Blog Issue #15 – New York || New Jersey || Connecticut || Massachusetts || Maine || Vermont
Brooklyn, New York
Lift/Next Level Float
Waldwick, New Jersey
Cloud Aquatic
Mt. Kisco, New York
Rise Above Floatation
Westport, Connecticut
iFloat Sensations
Trumbull, Connecticut
PuRest
Boston, Massachusetts
Float Boston
Portland, Maine
Float Harder
Burlington, Vermont
Satori Float & Mind Spa
Float Tour Blog Issue #16 – Quebec || Ontario, Canada
Montréal, Quebec
Ovarium
Spa Cloud
Ottawa, Ontario
Tank Action
ISÖ Spa Floatation Centre
Old Chelsea, Quebec
Spa Nordik
Float Tour Blog Issue #17 – Ontario, Canada
Toronto, Ontario
Float Toronto
REST Nest
Toronto Float Tanks
H2O Float Spa
Muse (Honorable Mention)
Hamilton, Ontario
Flowt K-W
Zee Float
Wonderfloat
Float Tour Blog Issue #18 – New York || Ohio || Michigan
Buffalo, New York
Silver Essence Float Spa
Flo
Rochester, New York
Bodymind Float Spa
Cleveland, Ohio
Optimal Wellness Center
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Neurofitness
Bloom Wellness
NSF International (Honorable Mention)
Lansing, Michigan
Delta Floats
St. Joseph, Michigan
Revive
Toledo, Ohio
Tom Fine & John Turner (Honorable Mention)
Float Tour Blog Issue #19 – Illinois || Wisconsin
Chicago, Illinois
Float Sixty
Anicca Float Club
Northbrook, Illinois
Chicago Stress Relief Center
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Float Milwaukee
A Better Me Float Spa
Madison, Wisconsin
Float Madison
Float Factor
Float Tour Blog Issue #20 – Missouri || Nebraska
St. Louis, Missouri
Float Shiloh
F.L.O.A.T.
Drift
Columbia, Missouri
Infinite Wellness Center
Clarity
Kansas City, Missouri
Floating KC
The Spa at Briarcliff
Lincoln, Nebraska
Escape Pod
Float Tour Blog Issue #21 – Colorado
Denver, Colorado
Isolate
Cloud Nine
Healing Waters
Tank’d
Into the Mystic Healing Arts Center
Samana
A New Spirit
Astral Float Spa
Float Tour Blog Issue #22 – Colorado || Utah || Idaho || Montana
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Luna
R.E.S.T. Float Solutions
Salt Lake City, Utah
Crystal Waters Float Spa
i-Float Sensations
The Great Salt Lake
Zen Float Company (Honorable Mention)
Idaho Falls, Idaho
Float Fix
Missoula, Montana
Enlyten
Whitefish, Montana
ISO Float Center (Honorable Mention)
Float Tour Blog Issue #23 – Alberta, Canada
Edmonton, Alberta
Float Wellness
Drift Float Studio
Floatique
Beyond Buoyancy
Modern Gravity
Floating Oasis
Jason Macdonald (Honorable Mention)
Float Tour Blog Issue #24 – Alberta, Canada
Red Deer, Alberta
The Float Shack
Calgary, Alberta
Urban Escape
Clear
Home of Om
Float Life
One Love
Salt Water Sport & Spa
Canmore, Alberta
Float Canmore
Float Tour Blog Issue #25 – British Columbia, Canada
Kelowna, British Columbia
The Float Space
Chilliwack, British Columbia
Pro Float
Coquitlam, British Columbia
Cloud 9 Float Spa
Burnaby, British Columbia
Float Sense
Float Tour Blog Issue #26 – British Columbia, Canada
Vancouver, British Columbia
Metta³
Pure Float
Float Yaletown
Floathouse – Gastown/Kitsalano/Surrey
Puriin Spa
Hälsa
Salt Wellness Center
Sensa Float Center
Float Tour Blog Issue #27 – Washington
Olympia, Washington
Oly Float
Tacoma, Washington
Northwest Float Center
Bellevue, Washington
Float Seattle – Bellevue
Seattle, Washington
Life Float
Cocoon
Urban Float
Auburn, Washington
U Float
Tacoma, Washington (again)
Uncharted Waters
Float Tour Blog Issue #28 – Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
The Float Shoppe
Mudra Massage
Float On
That’s all she wrote.
Our road trip may have ended, but the adventure certainly hasn’t. In the wake of the Float Conference, our deepest ambitions lie in finding a way to keep the float community as strong as it was when it was just a handful of centers getting together to talk about Nothing.
Personally, I learned so much more about this industry (and about myself) than I knew was possible. I accomplished my goal of becoming even better friends with Graham and Ashkahn, and I’ve listened to more versions of “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” than anyone on the planet (save two others ahead of me).
The industry isn’t going to thrive unless we all reach out and make it. There were multiple times when we visited that we heard from other centers that they had never met the other float center owners in town and had concerns about how they were representing the industry. And there were others who treated each other as best friends. They loaned supplies, helped cover shifts, and whatever else was needed. They stood against preconceived notions of competition and worked together to make their community better.
Isn’t that what we want to be known for?
As always, we will continue to present the industry with the best we have to offer. Follow our blog if you haven’t already, and get to know your fellow float centers. In Graham and Ashkahn’s talk, they introduced the Float Drinks website. A standing offer to buy the first round of drinks for float centers who get together. I say, take them up on it.
For Graham and Ashkahn, this trip was about taking a snapshot of the industry before it got too big to do so. It was already too big for us to visit every center, but that didn’t stop us from trying. Going out and sharing drinks and stories helped us really get to know the incredible people who make up this industry.
And that experience doesn’t belong to us: get out there, find your floaty neighbors, and be excellent to each other!
