Something in the world of floating have you stumped?
Show Highlights
Sometimes people wear jewelry. Sometimes people float. What happens when these things overlap? What about piercings?
Graham and Ashkahn concisely explain why it’s a good idea to take that wedding ring off before you float in this episode.
Listen to Just the Audio
Transcription of this episode… (in case you prefer reading)
Graham: Okay.
Ashkahn: Welcome. Hey, everybody.
Graham: Hey there. I’m Graham.
Ashkahn: I’m Ashkahn.
Graham: And today’s question is, “Jewelry/piercings in a float tank?”
Ashkahn: Hm.
Graham: Concise.
Ashkahn: Yeah.
Graham: I like it.
Ashkahn: To the point.
Graham: Um. No.
Ashkahn: Period.
Graham: Thanks for the question.
Ashkahn: I mean, so, there’s a couple of factors here. One-
Graham: Jewelry can sometimes be piercings.
Ashkahn: Yeah.
Graham: So it’s not just a straight separation there.
Ashkahn: This is really just a one question thing here. Well, there’s a lot of salt in these float tanks. I don’t know if you knew that.
Graham: Have you heard?
Ashkahn: But the salt can be pretty, it’s pretty intense. It can be pretty damaging. It can eat through metals and it’s not good for some things. So, which metals will it destroy and which will it won’t? I mean I’m sure-
Graham: We could go into it. There are definitely metals that won’t really be affected by the salt.
Ashkahn: Yeah.
Graham: Especially not being in there for such a short period of time.
Ashkahn: But, are you really going to be going through that with each person and the jewelry and piercings that they have?
Graham: And sometimes their jewelry is not made out of the metals that they think it’s made out of.
Ashkahn: Yeah, like a crummy boyfriend back in the day.
Graham: That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Or just a confused person who thought they were wearing their titanium necklace when in fact they were wearing their silver necklace, you know?
Ashkahn: I just thought titanium came out of those little things you put quarters in and spin to get the egg out.
Graham: That is true. If they have just plastic jewelry, you can wear plastic jewelry.
Ashkahn: Yeah, I’m sure there’s a couple, like jade or-
Graham: That’s totally fine.
Ashkahn: But here’s the other thing. It can be uncomfortable. When you’re in the float tank, you just feel everything that’s on your body. If you have bracelets or necklaces or things like that on, it might just make for a slightly worse float experience. So it’s a combination of those two things that makes you be like, well, “what’s really the point of keeping things in?” I mean, I guess there’s piercings where you can’t-
Graham: Yeah.
Ashkahn: -just conveniently take things out of your body.
Graham: And fortunately, those ones are actually often very controlled. And in that case, you want to check with the person who did your piercing. Or, yeah, the person who’s in charge of doing your body work is who you want to check in with.
Ashkahn: And it shouldn’t have been done very recently.
Graham: Yeah, definitely. Healed up. Healed up first. I mean, I know that you soak those things in salt water but it’s a different kind of salt water. Yeah.
Ashkahn: But in general, if it’s rings or bracelets or whatever, if it’s easy to take off, earrings, take it off. Why keep it on?
Graham: And for me, it really is that risk of what if they thought they knew what material it was and it wasn’t? Or what if they’re wearing this thing in and the person running the shop was pretty sure that it would be fine and it totally wasn’t fine. Are you now responsible for replacing this person’s jewelry-
Ashkahn: Yeah.
Graham: -and upsetting them? It just feels like another one of those things since there’s the option to remove stuff. When people have dyed hair, you have them contact their person who does their hair, their hairstylist, and see if it’s safe to go in water or soak in something like a float tank and maintain their color and style and it’s the same for piercings if it is permanent. Otherwise, it’s removable and why ever risk it? Pretty much like why-
Ashkahn: Just say no.
Graham: -take these risks.
Ashkahn: Yeah. Just like drugs. Just don’t even risk it. So, yeah, there you go. That’s it.
Graham: Yep. Jewelry and piercings are just like drugs.
So if you have your own float tank problems you want to send our way, go to floattanksolutions.com/podcast.
Ashkahn: There’s a little box in there. There’s a little box. You’ll type stuff into it.
Graham: Yep. And it sends directly to our brain. So, yeah, we had that surgery done. Take advantage of it.
Ashkahn: All right. We’ll talk to you tomorrow.
Graham: Bye, everyone.
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Latest Blog Posts
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #24
Alberta is often called the Texas of Canada. Part large oil industry, part cattle country.
Don’t Mess With Alberta!
At the base of the Rocky Mountains, replete with an Olympic Stadium, Calgary is a world-class destination for winter sports. The float community developed here similarly to Edmonton – there wasn’t anything nearby except for one or two residential float tanks, and then, in a short period of time, several centers opened all at once. Instead of competing, they’ve decided to work together and have developed one of the tightest knit float communities we’ve seen. They even have monthly Float Dinners, much like we do with the float centers in Portland. They don’t keep meeting minutes, so it’s hard to determine what they talk about at these dinners; my guess would be salt, the effects of salt on various substances, and how salty salt damage can make someone salty.
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #23
After Montana, we blazed our way back into Canada. The drive was long, but the scenery was beautiful. We followed the Rockies north, driving up to Edmonton. It’s a bit of a detour but, there are so many float centers in Edmonton, it seemed crazy not to stop by.
The city itself is primarily made up of workers from the oil fields – high risk, high income jobs that fuel the economy. At least until recently. Our visit was right in the middle of the Fort McMurray wildfire which has displaced a lot of the workforce, forcing 100,000 people to leave their homes. Many came to Edmonton, being the nearest metropolitan area to Fort McMurray. Some already split their time between the two cities, living in Edmonton and traveling to Fort McMurray for weeks or months at a time for work.
It’s understood that, in economic hardship, luxury commodities are typically the first thing people cut back on. Surprisingly, this doesn’t seem to be the case for floating. In fact, more people seem to be trying it to help alleviate the stress, many centers even offering free or discounted services to those displaced in an effort to help in a small way.
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #22
We’ve got two more stops in Colorado Springs before heading west. It’s a town known for its military base and long history of weapons testing. With such a large military presence, it comes as no surprise that the float center owners here are veterans, themselves.
After that, we shoot across to Salt Lake City. Utah is filled with gorgeous sights, from breathtaking lakes to stunning painted hills. With an international landmark famous for its effects on buoyancy, Salt Lake City should be pretty familiar with the concept of floating. With five different float centers, and the manufacturer of the Zen Tent out there, there could be some cause and effect.
After that, we head up into Idaho and Montana to close out the Central United States portion of our Tour. We’ll follow the Rocky Mountains north, taking in the scenery along the way.
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #21
Denver has been home to a vibrant float community for a long time. Some of the earliest commercial centers that started up in the ‘70s and ‘80s were out here. 30 years is a long time, and most of the old centers aren’t around anymore, but there’s a conscious community that has been floating since the old days and they love how much the industry has evolved and grown.
