Something in the world of floating have you stumped?
Show Highlights
Some people have special ways that they prepare for floating, and how it’s approached depends entirely on the person floating.
Graham and Juliet (Ashkahn’s still missing) talk about their different approaches to floating, whether it’s sneaking in to float whenever they can, or planning entire days around floating to make sure it goes off without a hitch, they share their perspectives.
Listen to Just the Audio
Transcription of this episode… (in case you prefer reading)
Graham: Alright, welcome everyone. I am Graham.
Juliet: And I am Juliet.
Graham: That’s right. We got a Juliet in the studio again. And for those of you who aren’t familiar, she was just on stage at the Float Conference giving a wonderful talk, which will be coming out soon through the Float Conference website. She went on a three month float tour with us around the country. And she’s responsible for a lot of our blog posts and content going into our free product. So pretty important person here at Float Tank Solutions. And she’s also an avid floater, which means she’s going to be helping us go through some questions that are geared more towards the floater specific side of things and a little less technical.
And today’s question for us from you is, “How do you get yourself ready for a float?” I assume yourself they mean like us. And do you have advice to give to customers? So yeah, what do you do? How do you prepare yourself for a float?
Juliet: Typically avoid caffeine. I like if I’m floating later in the day, I like to get in a walk or light exercise. Just get my body to not be so tense while I’m in the float.
Graham: Have you exercised before hopping in the float tank?
Juliet: Yes.
Graham: That’s a very unpleasant experience.
Juliet: I don’t like it, no.
Graham: Yeah, I went on like a really long run, well, a joggle – juggling while jogging – and then I went to float and I just had to have the door open, like, I was so hot, even after taking a cold shower, I was miserable. Okay, so don’t do that, don’t drink caffeine.
Juliet: Right.I don’t know. I look forward to my floats. And I try not to over-hype myself. I think that’s a big problem for some of my floats sometimes, but, I try to create a very present mindset for when I get into a float, so that it’s not such a big deal, and maybe that’s a difficult thing to tell customers to do, but I also think it’s a generally good idea.
There … I don’t know. I’m rarely in a space where I don’t think that a float is a good idea.
Graham: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I hear ya.
Juliet: But, depending on where I’m at in the day, it can really change the trajectory of the float once I’m in the tank. And, I guess, just being open and prepared for that, and letting people know that, I think, for a float center, is probably a good idea, you know. It’s going to take you where it’s going to take you, right?
Yeah, and I try to treat it, I try to treat floats with a little bit of respect, I guess, and be mindful of them, because there are days where, it’s like, I can’t float because I just shaved my legs, or things like that, so I’ll plan like even a couple of days around a float sometimes, so.
Graham: Maybe it’s just as the result of being an owner, and, like, I have this guilt that I’m taking floats that are in prime slots, or when other people would take them, you know? So I tend to just sneak my floats in at the last minute. Like, my, largely my preparation for a float is checking the schedule to make sure that there’s at least one tank free before I walk down to Float On. Which, also living 5 minutes from Float On is a huge boon in this case.
Juliet: Right, yeah, I have to go across town in order to get it.
Graham: Yeah, I guess, like, only when I acutely really like need a float, like I’ve hurt my back, or just been feeling really sore or something like that, I’ll really plan ahead. Or if I’m trying to do something like 10 days of floating all in a row, just do kind of a recenter or something like that, I guess I treat it a little more like this, more of a journey, or like, more sacredly, or something like that.
Juliet: Sure.
Graham: And, often, I’m just “Floating always sounds like a good idea,” so, it’s really just like, “Oh, is there a tank free that I could just hop in right now, because I have some free time?” And that’s kind of how I hit my once a week sort of habit is just like that.
Juliet: Yeah.
Graham: Which is fine. I think that my habits are just very different from my customers, which also sometimes, I guess it doesn’t make it too difficult to still give them good advice on what to do to prepare.
Juliet: Right.
Graham: Do you bring fresh socks?
Juliet: I try to plan around my outfits so that I don’t even have to wear socks.
Graham: I wear sandals when I go to float, it’s like my thing. I really don’t like putting back on socks that are, like, that you’ve been wearing the entire day, you know. I thought that was a good pro tip.
Juliet: I really enjoy being able to wear just like something very casual and drapey. I’ll wear a lot of dresses on my float days, which is awesome. Just get like a … For people who don’t wear dresses, muumuus exist. I recommend it. Maybe just robes, float robes, that you plan to take with you for the rest of the day. Acquire a look is what I’m saying.
Yeah, no, and I do, I plan days around this, so it’s like, I have my float outfit, I wear float shoes and go in and I have my float time, and then I’ll get out and enjoy the rest of the day.
Graham: It’s one of the tips we give to customers, too, for sure. You know, it’s like, half of the tips are things to avoid, kind of like we covered, it’s like don’t shave your legs the day of, don’t drink a bunch of caffeine, you know, don’t get into a big fight with your landlord before heading over to float, ideally. You know, it’s kind of like take it easy before and after your float is also the advice, you know. Make sure you don’t have anything that’s going to put you in this immediately stressful place right before coming in.
And similarly, try not to have any commitments right afterwards, where, you know, regardless of your mind state, you might have to just go and immediately do something. I’d almost say, just, I mean, for me, open time is one of the best things after a float, you know. I would rather do that than even plan for, like, “Oh, I’m gonna go watch this concert,” or do something even if I might enjoy it, just because, once I get out, I don’t even know what kind of mental state I’m gonna be in, you know. Sometimes I want to lounge, sometimes I want to go on a walk, sometimes the concert would sound like an awesome idea, but, yeah, I kinda don’t even want to guess ahead, you know.
Juliet: Yeah, yeah, no, I totally get that. And I think that that lines up pretty well with customer experiences, too, because I think that this is kind of a treat for most people.
Graham: You mean my experiences are universal?
Juliet: Yes, sure. Let’s go with that.
Graham: Yeah, any other little tips for customers, or tips for float center owners to give their customers to prepare?
Juliet: No, I don’t think so. I think that’s it.
Graham: Don’t come in just super sloshed.
Juliet: Right, yeah, yeah.
Graham: Yeah, it’s just all the kind of basic stuff, you know. Once you’ve been open for a week, you kind of have your spiel down for all the little things to avoid. I guess the last thing is making sure people actually pay attention to those, because, often, you’ll be saying things, or your brochure says something like, “Don’t drink caffeine beforehand,” and what the person is thinking, “I get to float tomorrow,” and they’re absolutely not paying attention to your warnings.
So, reiterating that, you know, we say it in our brochure, we say it in our email, we do it during call-aheads, when we’re calling to people just reminding them of the little things that they should do to prepare, so, don’t think that just because you say this in one place that people will internalize it and actually prepare accordingly.
Juliet: Right, yeah. It takes, what, seven times in order for something to get stuck in your mind, sort of a thing? Repetition.
Graham: I don’t know, I’ve only heard that like three times, so it’s hard to remember.
Juliet: Yeah.
Graham: Cool. Well, if you have your own questions, or your own answers, I guess, if you want us to come up with questions, just go to floattanksolutions.com/podcast. And, yeah, we’ll do whatever you want. Just write in your demands there, just don’t hurt us.
Alright, bye, everyone.
Juliet: Bye.
Recent Podcast Episodes
Can You Wear Jewelry in a Float Tank? – DSP 209
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.
What’re the Benefits of Financial Transparency for a Float Center? – DSP 208
There’s a traditional wisdom in business that dictates certain information should be held close to the vest. Financial information, hiring information, performance metrics, and so on should only be shared on a need to know basis. More recently, there’s been a push for more businesses to have transparency in some of these areas.
Ashkahn and Graham explain their stance on transparency and the thought process behind making Float On as transparent as possible, as well as many of the benefits they see on a regular basis because of it.
How to Prevent Losing Members to Cheap Discounts – DSP 207
Many float centers rely on memberships, usually monthly, to help maintain a steady flow of income throughout the year. Sometimes that’s not enough, like during slow months, and a steep discount can seem really attractive for filling up float tanks. What’s the best solution to making sure that you aren’t cannibalizing your own sales with discounts and potentially losing members?
Graham and Ashkahn share their tried and true approach to this nuanced question and share some excellent examples of how Float On rewards its members without losing sales during discounts as well as throughout the rest of the year.
Dealing with Low Flow After Installing a Flow Meter – DSP 206
Flow meters are designed to measure how quickly water travels through a filtration system. This is useful for all sorts of recreational water facilities. Pools and spas have been using them for years. Often times health departments will require them for float tanks, as they help provide a certain level of assurance to the filtration quality of a system.
The problem arises when using flow meters that aren’t designed to handle the specific gravity of float tank solution. So far, only one flow meter is designed to be accurate for float tanks and if a system isn’t using that one, it can be a bit surprising to find out that the flow is different. Ashkahn and Graham talk all about the reason for flow meters and how to troubleshoot problems that may cause a loss of flow.
Floating with Intention – DSP 205
Not every float is going to be pure bliss. Sometimes the anxiety doesn’t go away. Sometimes that back pain is still there. Are there ways to float with intention to help control the outcome of a float?
Graham and Ashkahn share their thoughts on techniques intended on getting the most out of your float and things that may work, as well as the perils of trying to control how your float goes.
Latest Blog Posts
Handling Tough Decisions…
I’ve written the introduction to the conference program for four years in a row, and each year I like to share it on this blog. For those of you who didn’t make it out for the 2015 Float Conference, here are a few of my thoughts on the work that float center owners do, and the questions they may face in running a float tank center.
How to Drain and Fill a Float Tank
There are roughly 850 pounds of epsom salt and 200 gallons of waters in an average sized float tank (approximately 8 feet long and 4 feet wide). It takes hard work (and a few tips I’m about to share) to get a tank ready for floating.
The Whys and Hows of Email Marketing
A trending strategy when a small business goes to market is that social media marketing becomes their main focal point. On the surface, social media marketing is easy to get started with, the costs can be nil, and most people are already using it for personal use. The...
How to Deal with a Power Outage in your Float Center
Power Outages = Unplanned Sensory Deprivation It only took a day since the publishing of my last blog post before I would have to put my knowledge of unconventional ways of waking up floaters to the test. The incident did not involve “sinkers” those individuals who...
