These are challenging times for all of us, and many float centers (ourselves included) have decided to temporarily shut down to help stop the spread of coronavirus. Our team got together yesterday to figure out what we need to do to put our shop into hibernation mode, and we thought we’d share the list we came up with to help out anyone else who is in a similar position.
Best of luck to everyone going through this. We know we’ve seen a wellspring of kind words and support from our community when we decided to shut down, and we’re sure you have too. It’s nice to know the float world will be supported when we’re all on the other end of this.
Of course, if there’s anything that you’ve done in your own closure that you don’t see here, please send it along and we’ll update this list as suggestions come in.
Float Tank Solutions
Shop Hibernation Checklist
After the last float
- Do a full cleaning and disinfection pass across your center.
- Deal with your mail and package deliveries. You may need to put up a sign for your mail person, stop your mail from being delivered, or attempt to cancel or reroute any packages that are already on their way.
- Stop any automatic deliveries you have for any shop supplies.
- Make sure your HVAC system is set to run the whole time.
- Remove any food and beverages that can’t be stored for longer periods of time.
- Remove cash and any other valuables.
- Forward incoming calls and set up an appropriate voicemail (make a task to change the forwarding and voicemail when you re-open)
- Put bleach into washer and dishwasher and run them, then leave doors slightly open
- Consider putting out ant traps, if it’s appropriate for your area
Daily Ongoing Maintenance
- If your float tank doesn’t automatically run your pumps, go in twice a day to run them. This will both provide your float solution with its cleaning cycle, and prevent any salt crystallization from happening inside of your pipes and filtration equipment. Make sure to open the doors on your float tanks to let them air out while you’re there.
- Balance any levels of chemical treatment that you use (like hydrogen peroxide)
- Run the showers once a day to prevent any sort of buildup in the pipes
- Make sure to put water down all of your floor drains to keep your p-traps filled (so you don’t get sewer gas coming out)
- Empty your dehumidifiers (if you have any)
- Consider leaving some lobby lights on to deter vandalism
- Clean up any garbage outside the shop. It’ll help keep your city looking nice, and will also help deter vandalism.
- Answer voicemails
- Answer emails
- Answer social media inquires
- Collect physical mail
- Water any plants you may have (or take them to your house).
Weekly Ongoing Maintenance
- Replenish any water in your tanks that has been lost to evaporation (you may need to add a little salt as well).
- Do a disinfection pass on the inside of your tank walls and ceiling. It’s still a very hot and humid environment, and you want to make sure you’re preventing any mold growth.
There are, of course, other things to consider like communication with your customers and taking care of your members. You may be looking at laying off part, or all, of your staff temporarily so they can claim unemployment benefits. The next couple weeks are also going to be a good time to work on your marketing, to make sure that your customers are ready to float when you re-open.
We’re keeping the list above to just the operational side of things for now, but we’ll be releasing more over the coming days and weeks about what we’re doing at Float On to get through this.
Stay well,
Graham and Ashkahn
Addressing customer misinformation – DSP 82
Every float center owner has to deal with customers who get, maybe, a little overenthusiastic about the float experience. What is the best way to deal with customers who say things that are just patently false about the benefits of floating? Do you just let it slide? Do you correct them and potentially offend your customer? It’s not their fault, they’re just excited. It doesn’t seem right to punish them.
This is definitely a tightrope walk type of conversation and it can have an impact on your customers and your reputation as a business, as well as the whole industry. As stewards of the tank, Graham and Ashkahn offer their advice on how best to have this difficult conversation and offer some resources to help with it as well.
Our Report on the Chinese Float Conference – DSP 81
Ashkahn went to China and brought another one of the owners of Float On along, Jake. The two of them share their experiences of visiting the Chinese Float Conference this year and learning about all of the developments in the Chinese float industry, which seems to have exploded in just the last couple of years.
Handling Common Client Concerns: Claustrophobia – DSP 80
This is something pretty much every float center deals with on a regular basis. The first objection that a lot of people will say when they first hear about floating is “Oh, I’m too claustrophobic for that”. Which… feels like getting shut down straight out of the gate.
Graham and Ashkahn, as seasoned float center owners, have heard this all too often and are not only familiar with it, but have some excellent ideas as to why this is the first major objection people throw out there as well as good ways to combat this concern.
Pros/Cons of having Business Partners – DSP 79
Graham and Ashkahn talk from their (admittedly very biased) perspectives on the merits and flaws of getting involved with a business partner for a float center. Most of the things they talk about are just universal truths for starting any startup. Realistically, it’s going to have a major impact on your workload, your decision making, your investments, and even your free time.
It’s worked out well for these two, but the reality is that sometimes having a business partner is a lot like being married. How do you find the right person? How do you handle disagreements? It can be one of the most daunting, and rewarding decisions to make when starting up.
The Relationship Between the MAHC and Float Tanks
The MAHC stands for the Model Aquatic Health Code. This is a document put out by the Centers for Disease Control that is a set of guidelines for recreational water sanitation and operations.
The MAHC is what is called a “model code,” which means it is not a regulation in and of itself. Instead, the CDC puts out the MAHC as a document which they consider to be a really nice set of code language for recreational water facilities (mostly pools and spas). The MAHC includes everything from the process of getting permits…
A list of our favorite podcasts – DSP 78
Sure, this is a great podcast, but it’s over after ten minutes in the day. What other podcasts are out there for you to get your fix once the high of listening to Graham and Ashkahn wears off? Fortunately, Graham and Ashkahn have solved this problem too!
So this episode is all about other podcasts. This one isn’t the only one in the industry, and there’s tons of other podcasts that are great for any startup, so they talk about some of their favorites as well. Graham also throws out some philosophy podcasts for those who want to flex their mental muscles too.
Check out the resources on this episode for some great suggestions!
How much Epsom salt do you keep on hand? – DSP 77
Obviously float centers need a lot of salt. The average float tank requires roughly a thousand pounds of salt to maintain a specific gravity high enough to be functional. What about after you get your tanks filled and ready to go, how much do you need to have on hand just for maintaining that level? Fortunately, Graham and Ashkahn have a good rule of thumb for how they run Float On to use as a metric, as well as some good simple tips to keep in mind about storage in your float centers.
Where to cut corners in opening a float tank center – DSP 76
Opening a float center is a huge expense. There are several major investments that can seem daunting being on the outside looking in. Where to you skimp? The float tanks themselves are definitely a huge part of that, but getting everything right for construction seems even more daunting possibly. It’s a natural inclination to save money and it can definitely seem like there has to be a corner to cut somewhere to bring that bottom line down a little bit more. You want to do it correctly though, it doesn’t really seem worth it if it’s going to end up costing you more money down the line to fix or replace whatever it is you have now.
Doing Float Center Construction Yourself – DSP 75
Construction and buildout are likely going to be some of the largest expenses for any float center. Possibly even more than the float tanks themselves in some situations. Most float center owners aren’t millionaires, and when faced with these large expenditures, it can be difficult to decide what to cut to keep your costs down. Doing your own construction can be an effective way to go about that, but with so much technical work needed to go into building a float center, is that really the right thing to do?
Graham and Ashkahn lay down some knowledge on this, having both worked on a lot of their buildout themselves initially, as well as hired out workers for repairs and upgrades.
Is print/TV/radio advertising dead? – DSP 74
Marketing is a big gamble for any industry. You have to invest in a strategy on a platform and just hope that it pays off. It’s certainly one of the most essential investments for your business, but how do you know what will work and what won’t? This problem seems especially aggravated for float centers. Whatever marketing you do needs to tell people more than just that you exist, it also needs to explain what floating is and why people need it. How do you overcome these hurdles? And are traditional mediums even viable?
