A Sensory Deprivation Float Tank Is the Most Extravagant Way To Isolate

(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- Prioritizing recovery after workouts has become integral to wellness. And as the benefits of proper recuperation become better appreciated—less soreness, improved circulation, shorter rest between workouts—at-home treatments are more popular. Among them, sensory deprivation flotation tanks are some of the most extravagant. Doctors have recommended immersion in a concentrated solution of body temperature- saline water since the 1950s. LeBron James and Stephen Curry now embrace the experience of weightlessness to calm the nervous system and enhance the body’s ability to mend by providing magnesium and other essential minerals. Superior Float Tanks’ Evolution Float Pod ($28,900) holds a half-ton of Epsom salts and is the choice for Notre Dame’s football team as well as Naomi Campbell, who uses one at the S10 Recovery spa in New York.

THE COMPETITION

• In 2009 the I-sopod ($23,000) was one of the first modern float tanks visually and practically suitable for home use. The color therapy LED lighting, a separate superior filtration tank, and flow-through heater make it a top contender.

• The 102-inch-long, 68-inch-wide unit from Float Pod Technologies (price on request) is fully self-contained with a built-in filtration system, so it takes up less space than others of the same caliber. You can plug a phone into its audio system to stream a favorite playlist.

• Wave Float Rooms LLC’s Wave LS (price on request) measures 54 inches wide by 102 inches long and comes with a steel frame. It has a touchscreen interface, multicolor LED light therapy, and an ozone generator that helps disinfect and prevent mildew to keep the pod clean.

THE CASE

We’ve all been in isolation lately, but it doesn’t have to be all bad. There’s a good kind that calms and restores rather than aggravates. The easy-to-install Evolution filters itself at regular intervals and has bench-seat sides for easy entry and exit. Fiber-optic starlight is available on the domed interior. Regular soaks replenish the body’s sulfates, magnesium, and other minerals, while they clear your head. It’s a state of relaxation so nurturing it feels like a return to the womb itself. $28,900

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