6 Reasons Moms Need Float Therapy

Thanks to Radiance Float & Wellness for sponsoring this post and hosting my experiences. As always, opinions and story are my own. Thanks for supporting the businesses who support this blog 🙂 

I’m giving away 2 prizes to 2 lucky winners: one will win a float therapy session and the other will win an experience of their choice (up to a $79 value) – enter here. 

Have you heard of float therapy, aka floating, sensory-deprivation tanks, float tanks, or float spas? The things I always hear from friends are:

1.) that sounds really weird

2.) I would freak out – #nothanks 

But I’m here to explain why floating is actually not as scary as it sounds 🙂 keep reading to see the 6 reasons moms need float therapy.

Radiance Float & Wellness is a new health spa in St. Louis. They asked me to come check out their (beautiful) new space and try a few services. Relaxing spa services for me, solo? YES PLEASE. Their space is SO nice: 

I had a great sweat sesh in their Infared Sauna, where the invisible light heats the body (versus the surrounding air of regular steam saunas). Sweating rids the body of toxins and increases metabolism – statistics say you can burn 600+ calories in a 40 minute session. Again, YES PLEASE. Next, I got a quick 10 minute hydromassage – where you can totally customize the pressure and area of the massage, you’re totally clothed, and there’s no massage therapist trying to talk to you ;). Really easy and relaxing. They also have an amazing oxygen bar, cryotherapy (gonna try this after I’m done nursing!), a halotherapy (salt) room, whole body vibration, vitamin D light therapy, and IV therapy. I love that Radiance was founded by a team of physicians who practice traditional medicine but also believe in natural healing as a way to improve health. 

Next was my float…  at Radiance, there are three separate, private float rooms. Other float spas may have little pods that you pull down over your head, but Radiance finds a large room more inviting and relaxing. Inside the room is a shower with shampoo and body wash – you first shower to wash off any soaps, oils, etc that may be lingering on your skin. Then you put in earplugs, open the door, climb in the tub, and lay back. The saltwater naturally brings you to the top and you just lay there like you would in a bed. There’s no light, no sound, no weight. The 1,000 pounds of Epsom Salts keep you buoyant without any effort, which is a pretty cool feeling.  

Sensory deprivation sounds terrible to some people… but when you aren’t exposed to any stimuli, your brain doesn’t need to process anything and is allowed to chill – which means everything else chills, too. 

As someone with anxiety, the main question I had before I floated was “what if I freak out?!” – and the answer is… if you need to take a break, do it. If you want to turn on a light or open the door to the tub, go for it. It’s your experience so do what you want! But once I was in, I felt no panic or anxiety about it. And I really like the way I feel when I’m finished floating. 

Here are 6 benefits of float therapy for moms: 

Floating Reduces Tension 

It’s kind of like a massage in that tension melts away after a session of being soaked in salt water. My shoulders are always tight from toting a baby on one arm (sometimes two) and floating helps to ease that ache. 

The Magnesium Helps Your Body Function Optimally 

The part that makes you float is Epsom Salts (aka Magnesium Sulphate). Magnesium is in lots of the healthy foods I (try) to eat: spinach, quinoa, almonds, nuts, beans, oats – but most people aren’t getting enough magnesium, which is linked to migraines, high blood pressure and diabetes. When you float, your skin (the body’s largest breathable organ) absorbs magnesium. 

Floating is like the ultimate nap 

I always fall asleep when I float. And when I do nap while floating, it’s like an ultimate power nap. The science says that when you float and you’re experiencing sensory deprivation, the brain is able to produce more theta waves, which is the sort of feeling you have right before you fall asleep. Theta waves are also what Buddhist monks try to reach through thousands of hours of meditation – but I don’t have time for all that, so floating it is! 

Floating relaxes you

Honestly, as a mom, you could put me in any dark room by myself and it would be more relaxing than hanging out with 3 kids under 5 but that’s not always possible. Going to a float spa amplifies that relaxation because the sensory-deprivation piece allows your brain to turn off it’s stress-producing chemicals (adrenaline & cortisol) and truly relax. 

The Oxygen Mask Theory 

Taking time – even an hour – to yourself will make you a better mom. How? It’s the oxygen mask theory (one of my favorite parenting theories, btw) – you need to take care of yourself so that you can best take care of everyone else around you. As the primary caretaker in my family (kids, house, husband), I need to treat myself well so that I can treat everyone else well, too. By taking time away from the stressors of your life (kids and otherwise), you’re going to feel good. 

You’re Weightless 

Ok, this is a BIG one if you’re pregnant… it’s safe to float while pregnant (ask your doctor, of course) and I’m SO wishing I’d done it during all of my pregnancies. Weightlessness, reduced soreness, less stress & anxiety? I would get my pregnant belly in a tank STAT. Maybe next time 😉 

If you’re near STL, I’m giving away some great experiences at Radiance to two lucky winners: one will win a float and the other will win a service of his/her choice up to a $79 value – how awesome is that?! You can enter here. 

Have you floated? Would you try it?