Learn best practices for starting and running a float center:
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Listening to Music in a Float Tank

by | Operating

To play or not to play music in a float tank…

Some centers start the float with a few minutes of music and then fade away, some don’t play music until the end, and another float center will not let you turn off the light. In fact, they also have the noise of a automatic massage table, pounding away next to you, while other places will leave it up to the floater to decide.

The Pure Float Experience

Playing Music While FloatingUnlike most things we do at Float On, we have taken the middle ground for this particular issue.  We take a strong stance to begin with, and a much more lax approach after that.  In our opinion it is important for people to get the full range of float experience, from darkness to temperature, and to me that absolutely includes silence.

As a result of this, we won’t play music for people during their first float (with a specific set of exceptions). Tinnitus for example is one of those exceptions. If someone is never truly getting silence no matter what, then we aren’t going to force them to listen to the ringing in their ear, and the music can help drown out that all too familiar ringing.

In the end by guiding people towards silence during their initial experience leads to very few people actually wanting to listen to music in the tank for future floats. The goal is to make sure the floater is getting that baseline pure float experience before adding any additional variables to the unique experience that is floating.

The type of music requests we do tend to get from the music die hards are requests like crystal bowl sounds or rhythmic chanting. In those events, the clients will often bring what they want to listen to in the tanks.

The Future of Sound While Floating

Subliminal Messaging while in a float tankOne element of sound that we haven’t had time to jump deeply into using is subliminal messaging.  Subliminal messaging has shown to be an effective aid in improving things someone is interested in or actively trying to improve upon.

Wikipedia also lists benefits in academics, quitting smoking, boosting learning capacity, and the positive effect on memory. Using subliminal stimuli on a person that is in a naturally suggestible state could be an effective way to further help your clients improve themselves in all facets of life.

At the end of the day, whether you decide to just let people have music during their float, or take on more of a mentor role, and give them the reasons you don’t think music is the best idea for the first time (like we do).  What is really important, is that you have considered the options, and are doing what you believe will leave your customer with the best possible float, that’s what is really important.

Does your float center have a policy on sounds in the tank?

Chime in over on our Facebook page and let us know your stance on music in the tank.