Something in the world of floating have you stumped?
Show Highlights
Sometimes you have customers with very specific needs or concerns about their float. In the case of medical concerns in regards to floating, there’s a lot we don’t know. Always always always have your customers discuss any serious medical concerns with their doctor. If for no other reason, if something does go wrong, even if it’s completely unrelated to their float, you’re not on the hook and have to deal with it.
Listen to Just the Audio
Transcription of this episode… (in case you prefer reading)
Graham: Today’s question is also here with us recording, and it is, “Do you have any information regards to clients with a pacemaker or defibrillator? Is it safe for them to float? I wasn’t sure if you all had encountered this before.“
So, first of all, any kind of serious medical questions like this should be run by a doctor, which we are not.
Ashkahn: Yeah, there’s a big list of things we’re not, which you’ve maybe realized by listening to this podcast.
Graham: Lawyers, doctors …
Ashkahn: Psychiatrists…
Graham: Good podcasters…
Ashkahn: Decent humans in general. But yeah, them also, yeah, definitely not doctors is the thing we’re not today.
Graham: That said, there seems to be no real problems with it that we’ve been able to find.
Ashkahn: Yeah, I can’t think of what … Unless you somehow got salt in your blood and it went into your pacemaker and screwed up the electronics.
Graham: Yeah, kinda the biggest concern that I’ve heard is in relation to, people who have pacemakers often are taking other cardiac medications or things that affect their blood pressure, and there could be something with that, entering into deep relaxation and blood pressure problems, so I’d almost be more concerned about the paired medications than the pacemaker itself.
Ashkahn: Yeah, definitely one of those doctor questions. And this is what I would say, were a customer to ask me this at the float center, I’d be like, “Oh, man, you should definitely check with your doctor about that. I can’t give you an answer.”
Graham: Yeah.
Ashkahn: “I just run a float tank center.”
Graham: For sure. And again, that said, I have a feeling the doctor would come back and say that it’s probably not a problem. I’d also say, definitely ask the doctor about contraindications with any other medications that you’re taking along with this, and again, we’ve heard from several float centers that they’ve floated people with pacemakers, they’ve never had any issues with them. In general, it wouldn’t be high on my priority list, but no reason to dodge the-
Ashkahn: Yeah, if anything, floating seems to be better for your cardiovascular system.
Graham: Yeah, but just like pregnancy, no reason to skip the whole doctor recommendation. It’s just, what if something did go wrong, and someone were to come after you, just sounds like such a awful situation. Way better to punt it over to the medical professionals.
Ashkahn: Yeah.
Graham: So, I think that’s short episode day.
Ashkahn: I guess that’s it, man. We’re not doctors, so you asked the wrong person this question.
Graham: So if you have any more medical questions to send our way, it’ll be really easy episodes. We can just kinda rehash through this exact same thing. And you can do that at floattanksolutions.com/podcast.
Recent Podcast Episodes
Does it matter how you order your filtration equipment on a float tank? – DSP 155
When setting up your float tank, it can be tempting to look at the spa pack and imagine how much more convenient it would be if the pieces were rearranged a little bit. So… is there a particular order to the filtration equipment? Why or why not?
Fortunately, Graham and Ashkahn have painfully researched this issue and know all the ins and outs of water treatment systems for float tanks and why they are the way they are.
Pairing Psychotherapy and Floats – DSP 154
It’s easy to look at some of the research that comes from floating or look at special programs for veterans with PTSD and think about how float tanks should be paired with psychotherapy.
Graham and Ashkahn have met several therapists who use float tanks in conjunction with their sessions, sometimes exclusively. They also know that it’s important to recognize that they are trained professionals who are providing a treatment for difficult to treat psychological issues in some cases. Knowing when to leave the work to the experts is a valuable part of providing a service like this one with so many broad uses.
What is too small for a 4-tank float center? – DSP 153
Real estate costs from building out a float center, especially in an urban area, can get costly really quick. Sometimes compromises need to be made. But how much of a compromise is too compromised?
As with the best float center mistakes, Graham and Ashkahn can speak to their personal experience on this issue. They talk about opening a four tank center with less than 1,000 square feet and how much of a mistake it is. They also provide helpful planning tips so you can find out how much space you need at an absolute minimum for your float center.
How Do You Find Time for Hobbies? (Rise) – DSP 152
This is the last episode we recorded at Rise and it seemed fitting to close out the recordings with the organizers again, Jake and Kevin. In this episode they talk with Graham and Ashkahn to answer a question from Greg Griffin about how to manage your time after opening a float center to dedicate to hobbies.
While the episode starts a little heavy, the conversation turns and begins discussing the value of work and how rewarding it is to be in this industry.
Thank you to everyone who came and talked to us at Rise and shared your experiences. If we don’t see you at the Float Conference, hopefully we’ll see you next year. As always, float on.
What’s the Weirdest Post Float Experience You’ve Seen (Rise) – DSP 151
Another conversation that was captured at Rise was this little sit down between Graham and Ashkahn and a float center owner by the name of Jeremy out in San Antonio. They talk about a subject that I think comes up whenever float people get together. “What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen after someone got out of a float?”
Sometimes people have a hard time coming back to Earth after a really good session in the tank and seeing how they interact with the rest of the world afterwards can be heartwarming and enlightening. It’s part of the reason we do what we do.
Latest Blog Posts
Thou Shall Not Program
Floating is on the rise, and this means there are lots of new faces trying floating out for the first time. When someone comes to you for their first time, what should you say to explain floating? Just as importantly, is there anything you should avoid saying? Or...
How to Clean and Maintain Your Float Tank – An Owner’s Guide
This post is kept around for historical purposes, but doesn't reflect our current knowledge of float tank sanitation. Please see The Basics of Float Tank Sanitation and Testing and Maintaining Float Tank Water Quality instead. Ashkahn and I just got back from...
Meditations on Mediation
I just had to mediate a discussion between two of my employees, and I couldn’t be happier. Neither of them is going to lose their job: we’ve never fired an employee. Neither of them is going to be paid more or less than the other: we pay all of our employees the same....
From ‘I’m never doing this’ to ‘when can I sign up?’ in 30 seconds
When you show people the float tanks, inevitably some of your potential customers will be freaked out. That's fine, it's normal, it's how people reacted to Rock n' Roll. Now, you need to know upfront that there's a small group of people who will, in fact, never be...