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

Staff Doing Tasks Differently – DSP 349

If you run a business, one of the benefits is that it’s run exactly the way you want it, right? If the “millennials” that you hire don’t do the job exactly the way you want, they’re wrong, right?

Well, maybe. It could just be that the people on the ground doing the day to day operations have their own ideas about what works best. Efficiency is a big deal when running a float center and if there’s something that takes 20 seconds longer per room, that could be the difference between a late float and an on time one. 

Ashkahn and Graham share their perspective on how best to manage employees who have different ways of operating their shop and how the standards were formed at Float On. 

Dealing with Entrepreneurial Dread – DSP 348

Opening a float center is stressful, and when you first get started, there’s a lot of uncertainty involved. Will people keep coming in to floating from one month to the next? Will it be enough to cover costs? What happens if surprise expenses rise up and throw your center underwater. 

Graham and Ashkahn discuss the existential dread involve in being a small business owner and what they do to not worry so much about the future of Float On. And also self-immolation. 

Leasing Float Tanks – DSP 347

Recently, the float community has been introduced to some companies willing to lease float tanks for businesses. These are usually different from manufacturers and come with a small fee associated with it. 

Graham and Ashkahn discuss the issues to consider when looking at these companies and in what situations they might be a viable alternative to purchasing tanks outright. 

Expected Capacity for a New Center – DSP 346

If you’re opening a new center and trying to anticipate your business, what’s a reasonable amount of paying customers to expect? What about total capacity including free floats? 

Graham and Ashkahn dominate the mic to drop some knowledge on the float family regarding what to expect. 

Latest Blog Posts

Why we’re Excited for the 2018 Float Conference!

Why we’re Excited for the 2018 Float Conference!

It’s Float On’s final year hosting the Float Conference this year. The wails from all our floaty friends can be heard throughout the galaxy as we mourn the end of an era. But, please, dry your eyes, float industry, because this year is going to be amazing.

There’s absolutely no way we’re not going out with a bang, so buckle up and buy your tickets. We’re planning on making this the best Float Conference yet! We have fresh speakers, amazing activities, new podcasts, and a very full schedule. Everything is going to be bigger and better and the parties are going to be off the hook!

Here’s a little bit from some of us putting this event together about what we’re excited about this year.

Take Part in the 2018 Float Industry Report

Take Part in the 2018 Float Industry Report

We’re gathering responses for our 2018 Industry Report through the end of June, 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) – it may be the easiest thing you can do to contribute to the growth of floatation around the world.