“It puts you in this euphoric state of deep relaxation.”
I was nudged out of my meditation as the rocking sensation came to a stop. For the last 30 minutes I had felt as if on a boat, with waves moving under and around me—but I wasn’t in the middle of the ocean. I was at The Spa at Equinox East 63rd Street in New York City.
If you’ve ever used noice-canceling headphones or closed your eyes during a meditation, you’ve experienced some form of sensory deprivation. As with everything from fitness tracking to dating, the relaxation strategy has become more high tech over the years.
This trend is embodied by flotation tanks, where the stressed-out strip down and plunge into pods full of salted, body-temperature water. At once suspended and submerged, high-achievers can forget about the traffic and deadlines and to-dos awaiting them outside of the capsule and tune out.
“It’s a really interesting way for people to decompress and tap into the parasympathetic nervous system, slowing down their breathing and heart rates,” says Ashley Hudson, senior regional manager of The Spa in New York City. “It puts you in this euphoric state of deep relaxation.”
Science says so, too: A 2018 study found that a one-hour float significantly reduced anxiety, stress, muscle tension, pain, and negative mindset while increasing feelings of happiness and overall well-being.
But it can be cumbersome to undress, put on a bathing suit, get body and hair wet, dry off, and dress again. Give that process an upgrade and you have Equinox’s answer: ZeroBody dry flotation beds. (The service is currently offered at The Spa in two clubs, Highland Park in Texas and East 63rd Street).
“When you’re in a vat of water, there could be some concerns with sanitation and the risk of ear infections,” says Hudson. “Dry flotation offers the same weightless feeling of floating on water, but you can do it in the comfort of your own clothing.”
Always a skeptic of the latest wellness offerings, I decided to see for myself.