Float Seattle South Lake Union, Seattle

Float Seattle provides relief from the stresses of everyday life as well as from the strain of living with over-stimulated senses. To accomplish this, the center invites patrons to lounge inside one of its four floatation tanks, which suspend bodies atop 10-inches of water that has been super-saturated with Epsom salt. This water is heated to 93.5 degrees—roughly the same temperature of the skin—which makes it difficult for the body to distinguish which limbs are touching the water and which are exposed to the surrounding air. Additionally, guests have the ability to close the soundproof tank's door and adjust the light and temperature using easily accessible controls.

By providing a blank-slate environment where sights, sounds, and even tactile sensations are virtually nonexistent, the tanks allow visitors to lose themselves for a bit. The floatation sessions can help people overcome the mentally and physically taxing effects of stress and fatigue, and they even encourage the brain to sink into theta state: a brainwave state commonly associated with increased creative insight and self-awareness. After floating in the controlled environment, guests have the opportunity to rinse off using one of the facility's private showers or any massive water balloons they may have brought from home.