i-sopod Sensory Deprivation Float Tank
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I used to have a membership to a sensory deprivation tank club (because I am both fancy and bored). What happens is you go into a private room, get naked, and then climb in these completely enclosed, completely pitch black sci-fi looking pods filled with about a foot of bath water and many, many pounds of epsom salt for buoyancy. Then you just lie there on your back. Floating. Alone with your thoughts for a whole hour. It's meant to be a good stress fighter and relaxation technique, as well as a means of opening your neural pathways to increased creativity and productivity.
Yeah...that part didn't really happen for me. But I got some great naps and escapes from blustery winter weather out of the stint.
The pods themselves looked very much like the i-sopod you see here, but mine were a little less curvy and refined. More Superman's ride to Earth from Krypton circa the Christopher Reeve era than the Henry Cavill/CGI age we live in now. I'd definitely go for a round of senses-lessness in one of these upgrade versions though. i-sopod manufacturers describe their 8'5" x 5'5" x 4'3" tank as a "sleek and stylish inner spaceship designed to transport the user to a new world of absolute calm and tranquillity." Wow. Impressive goal for a coupla GRP double-skinned mouldings.
Each i-sopod is hand-finished and insulated throughout, with an integrated audio system boasting stereo sound and a built-in MP3 player. Transducer tech "excites the skin" of the pod for optimal fidelity. Tanks are fully ventilated through natural convection and draught-free, even with the door left partially open (for users too weirded out about the smallish, pitch-black floating space to keep it shut).
Alleged benefits of sensory deprivation tank use include:
- Muscle tension relief.
- Lowered blood pressure.
- Lowered heart rate.
- Pain relief.
- Aid in injury recovery.
- Removal of stress-related chemicals, such as adrenaline and cortisol, from the bloodstream.
- Introduction of beneficial endorphins.
- Taking the brain to a theta state, often considered deep and healing, and achieved only through extensive meditation.
Also--and prepare for this to put you over the edge--floating is Joe Rogan Approved.