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

In this episode, Graham and Ashkahn succinctly breakdown the cost of float room construction. The average float room cost per the industry survey is $75,000 per room. How much of that is float tank cost and how much is construction? There are some variables to consider based on geography and types of tanks, but the guys lay out the average and clarify some of the numbers we’ve released previously.

Show Resources

Listen to Just the Audio

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

Graham: Today’s question is, “the state of the industry survey shows people spend about $75,000 per float room. How much of that is the tank cost versus construction cost?”

Ashkahn: Basically float tanks can range from probably around $10,000 at the cheapest for a commercial float tank.

Graham: Plus pump set up and all of that, yeah.

Ashkahn: Up to, I mean, they can get up to-

Graham: $90,000?

Ashkahn: Yeah, $90,000 dollars for a float tank.

Graham: So if you’re buying a $90,000 dollar float tank, then you’re now in negative money for room construction, negative $15,000. So, it depends a lot on what people are doing individually, and of course the survey itself is very subjective for what people are putting in there almost, so how people are defining everything that’s going into their room construction. It’s probably not 100% accurate even between individuals filling out the survey.

Ashkahn: But, I would say, if I had to make an average guess of how much people are spending on float tanks, it’s probably somewhere around $30,000 dollars a float tank. 30 – 35.

Graham: Which would be about $45,000 for doing the room construction, and I would say actually between maybe like $35,000 to $45,000 is not a crazy amount to assume for room construction. So not quite half and half, or half and half of the split that’s different for different people or something like that, depending on how much soundproofing largely you’re doing.

Ashkahn: Yeah, and we see that in general in terms of people’s cost total, float tank plus for rooms. It really does seem to range pretty much somewhere between $50,000 and $100,000 dollars for the whole shebang for a room. That was always kind of our calculations, and then seeing the industry report averaged that at about $75,000 kind of seems to support that.

So my guess is people on the higher end people are buying probably slightly more expensive float tanks and doing slightly more expensive construction, and at the lower end people are probably buying cheaper float tanks and doing cheaper construction.

Graham: Yeah, yeah, definitely. Again, there’s an, “Oh, yeah.” They’re like both how people are answering that question, and what you decide to do for your own center, and types of tanks, and whether you’re in the middle of a city or out in the countryside. All of these are going to affect how much is going into your individual build.

So, don’t assume that if you’re coming in a little under, if your ratio of tank to construction is different then the industry average that you’re somehow doing something wrong. It largely does have to do with how many tanks you’re installing at once, and how much crazy soundproofing you need to block out from city noises, and airplanes, and things like that.

Ashkahn: Yeah, you might just have less expensive construction if you’re way outside the city and you don’t have a ton of noise to deal with.

Graham: Yeah, just throw your float tank down a grassy hill somewhere-

Ashkahn: Yeah, call it good. Sprinkle some salt in the lake.

Graham: Sprinkle? I think it’d be a little more than that. This giant industrial dump operation puts Epsom salt or something into a lake.

So, if you have any more questions, go to floattanksolutions.com/podcast and we will answer them.

Recent Podcast Episodes

Post Pandemic Changes – OSP 13

https://youtu.be/JpDzbMd5In0Something in the world of floating have you stumped? Show HighlightsWell, it's been over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic and we know what you've been thinking: What have those Float On...

The 2021 Float Conference – OSP 12

https://youtu.be/HpsUSzirUPMSomething in the world of floating have you stumped? Show HighlightsThe ol' Graham and Ashkahn podcast duo is back at it to announce the exciting new updates to the 2021 Float Conference!...

What’s The Buoy Project? – OSP 11

Grashkahmn are back to talk about the latest product they’ve been putting together during quarantine: The Buoy Project, a social media toolkit designed specifically for float centers.

Beyond just a shameless plug, the boys use the episode to explain the nature of the project and what they hope it can turn into in the future with the help of the industry.

Adding Float Tanks to an Existing Business – OSP 10

Graham and Ashkahn kick off the New Year by discussing the things to consider when adding a float tank to an existing business. This is a fantastic episode to start with if you’ve already got a service-based business or are a practitioner looking to start up on your own and looking for ideas.

The boys talk about logistical considerations, the built-in advantages to adding on to an existing practice, as well as how nice it is to have a meatball sandwich after chilling out in a sensory reduced environment for an hour (Ashkahn has a serious one-track mind).

Tank Topics – Business Partners

Graham and Ashkahn round out the end of the year by talking about all the naughty and nice things about having business partners.

It’s a shorter compilation today, which gives you plenty of time to talk to your own business partners about what you think about them!

Latest Blog Posts

2021 Float Conference Live Blog

2021 Float Conference Live Blog

As we come together again as a community to celebrate the tenth year of the Float Conference, we are overwhelmed with joy from all the hugs, laughs, and excitement about the future. This is a live blog that will be updated as the Conference progresses. We will be...

The 2021 Float Industry Survey is LIVE!

The 2021 Float Industry Survey is LIVE!

Greetings Float Fam! It’s that time again. We’re gathering responses for the 2021 Float Industry Report through the end of July, and we once again need your help! Please take a brief moment to answer a few questions about your float center (or future float center)...

A New Idea on How to Keep the Industry Afloat!

A New Idea on How to Keep the Industry Afloat!

Even before experiencing a global crisis, float centers have had a hard time navigating social media, marketing, and just generally keeping their customers engaged. That struggle is even more real in the wake of the COVID pandemic. We’ve spent the last two months (in...