Ever go for a stroll to help your thoughts flow? Try going for a float instead. The newest trend in spa and relaxation therapy extends past massages to sensory deprivation flotation chambers.
FLO2S (pronounced flo-tus) in Little Five Points has custom made chambers perfect for flotation therapy. The name FLO2S is a nod to the lotus flower – a symbol that represents rebirth, purity and spiritual awaking.
Spa owner Edward Tomilov said each session in a flotation chamber is a safe, isolated experience that gives the sensory and nervous system a respite from the world of stimuli, eases the body and opens the brain up to clarity. Highly concentrated salt water helps you float for a gravity free sensation; it’s nearly impossible to distinguish whether you are floating or flying.
Tomilov has been floating for eight years, but he said he never tires of the unique experience flotation therapy offers.
“If you don’t float for two or three weeks, you feel like you really need it. It gets in your blood,” Tomilov said. “When you are still, you have an out-of -body experience where you melt into the water between reality and dreaming.”
As an artist, Tomilov said he was drawn to the Little Five Points area for its diversity, but soon discovered a basement space, which had been vacant for two years.
The back entrance separates FLO2S from the hip, urban feel of Little Five and invites guests inside a tropical, rustic spa. FLO2S isn’t concerned with having a manicured, sleek spa experience, so don’t think you will be pampered with luxury appliances and fluffy towels. Their specialty is floatation therapy offered in a go with the flow atmosphere.
Tomilov himself made the three flotation tanks, using his artistic eye to make the tiled chamber walls, as well as researching the right type of equipment to handle the highly concentrated salt. Each chamber holds 1,200 pounds of Epsom salt, which is noted for relieving muscle tension and inflammation in joints.
Sessions cost $75 for a 90-minute float, and $90 for a 120-minute float. During that time, you lay back, allowing the water to effortlessly hold you up in silence and darkness. There are no vibrations and the water is the same temperature as your skin.
“It’s always hard to shut the brain, but after two or three floats you learn how to get completely unplugged from this world,” Tomilov said.
As a first time floater, I spent the first 30 minutes swimming and experimenting, which Tomilov said is typical for a newbie. I kept the small strip of LED lights on while music softly played to help me acclimate to the new environment. My most surprising discovery was being able to float on my side in the fetal position – a feat that can only be accomplished with the highest concentration of salt.
I was nervous about being alone with my thoughts, in silence and darkness, for 90 minutes. Prior to my appointment, I prepared thinking points, but once I started soaking up the experience, I turned off the lights, listened to the sound of my breath and simply let my mind wander.
The best part of the experience was being in pitch black, something most of us never encounter in our daily lives. Within the calming darkness, I also found a stillness that is hard to achieve simply be meditating. It’s truly an experience you must try for yourself.
FLO2S is located at 427 Moreland Ave., Suite 800. For more information, visit flo2s.com.