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
Tips for getting celebrities into a float – DSP 64
Celebrities carry a lot of weight with their opinions. Often times they can be trend setters, especially for things like alternative wellness or things that might traditionally be seen as a little “out there” by the standards of contemporary society. Getting one to float in your center is a huge boon, naturally, and can be a really effective way to get some marketing.
So how do you land someone like Steph Curry at your float center? Well, fortunately Graham and Ashkahn are all too familiar with this, having had dozens of celebrities come in and float at Float On. They share their tips on what they do (and don’t do) when having celebrities float at their center.
What is the Model Aquatic Health Code? – DSP 63
The Model Aquatic Health Code is a major change to how the float industry is likely going to be regulated in the future. It has been the subject of lots of whispers and rumors throughout the industry, making it almost like a bogeyman for float centers. Ashkahn has worked closely and advocated for the industry along with members of the Float Tank Association and several others.
He helps explain where it’s at in the process now that the version has been finalized, what that means for float centers, and what to expect after it becomes implemented.
What’s your policy on floats for staff members? – DSP 62
Every float center wants their staff to be knowledgeable and experienced in the practice of floating. They need to be able to answer questions that customers may have, and sharing personal experiences in the tank can be an excellent tool, marketing wise. But how do you balance that with your need to run a business? Some float centers end up hiring their best customers to work the shop, does that help or hurt their bottom line? In this episode, Graham and Ashkahn talk about Float On’s liberal employee float policy and the philosophy behind it, as well as discuss some of the confusing legal quandaries that come with it.
What’s your opinion on hiring friends or relatives? – DSP 61
Graham and Ashkahn over the years have made some difficult choices while running Float On. In this episode they talk about the fortunes and follies of hiring friends to work for them. They’ve had friends that worked on construction, in the shop, building websites… It hasn’t always been the best decision and they’ve lost some friends along the way. So, when is hiring friends the right thing to do? When is it the absolute worst? These guys share their thoughts on the matter.
I’m just putting together my website – any big tips? – DSP 60
Building a website is more and more an essential skill to running a business. Graham and Ashkahn revisit website construction for float centers. They lay out some of the best practices and tips to avoid for websites, having years of website management and marketing experience themselves. They also offer tips on things to avoid and look out for when making your own site; how to maximize it’s effectiveness as well as common mistakes to avoid.
How do you get first time customers to convert to members? – DSP 59
This is easily one of the most difficult marketing challenges for any float center. Having regular members means maintaining reliable, steady income for your center and takes some of the burden off filling your tanks in other ways. Graham and Ashkahn have previously talked about memberships at Float On, now they tackle their methods on how to convert them.
This can definitely be a challenge in the float industry where it wouldn’t be elsewhere, because most float center owners may feel that having a sales pitch to floaters can affect the quality of their floats. Fortunately, Graham and Ashkahn have some useful tips to pitch memberships without coming off like you’re trying to upsell a combo meal.
Establishing an employee dress code – DSP 58
The episode where Graham and Ashkahn discuss the nuances and rational behind an appropriate float center uniform and additional attire.
Handling Common Client Concerns: Float Temperature – DSP 57
So we’ve already talked about trying to set the perfect temperature in a float tank, now listen to Graham and Ashkahn talk about how they deal with complaints from customers about it at Float On.
What are your target demographics? – DSP 56
Graham and Ashkahn are very familiar with the question and have answered it a bunch of different times. They’ve practiced and are prepared to tell you what’s what on the demographic front.
Risks of floating with a tattoo? – DSP 55
Should you allow people with fresh tattoos to float? How fresh is “fresh”, anyway? Graham and Ashkahn share their experiences floating people with recent tattoos.
