Float On at Pause Float Studio
Unless you live in close proximity to the Dead Sea or have astronaut access to NASA, your floating background probably consists of a few feeble attempts at weightlessness in a backyard pool when you were little. But it turns out, floating is actually a thing now— and one that’s proven to be highly beneficial for your wellbeing.Flotation therapy has been around since the 50’s but it wasn’t until the last couple of years that it has truly taken off. People have realized that stress wreaks havoc on the body, and, surprise surprise, floating in over a thousand pounds of body temperature magnesium sulfate is a real stress reducer! It also detoxifies the body, increases circulation, and reduces inflammation. Since magnesium is a mineral we are already deficient in skin comes out softer, and hair shinier. Long story short, it’s a beauty treatment on steroids, mixed with lasting mental and physical effects.
The flotation tanks are gravity-free pods filled with 11 inches of water. The massive amounts of salt render you completely buoyant and able to fully lean back and be embraced by the water, which in turn, releases pressure on your overworked spine. Scared you might fall asleep? Don't be! Studies have found that just one hour of sleep in a flotation tank is like getting four hours of sleep at night... in your very own bed!
Jeff Ono the founder of Pause Float Studio in Culver City, describes the first time he floated three and a half years ago.
“I came out feeling good, but it wasn’t until I was walking to my car that I realized just how good. I felt younger physically. I felt light and refreshed. My headspace was clear. I wanted to know what really happened in there,” he remembers.So he dug deeper into flotation therapy.“Once you shut off sight and sound your mind looks around and sees there’s nothing to process and slows down. You enter the Theta state, where the left side of the brain (the logical side) quiets, and the right side of the brain (the creative side) opens up. It’s the state of healing.”
Jeff wanted to share the experience with his family and friends. He knew he had found something special and wanted it to affect as many people as possible. In researching other float studios he found that there wasn’t really an environment built to demystify the experience. He wanted people to not just have a place to go and float, but also a place where they could go and learn about the benefits they were experiencing after a session.Already in the health and wellness industry, he was familiar with the shift towards rejuvenation. “People are understanding that recovery is just as important as the workout itself,” he explains. Jeff left his job consulting and set to open a space where his clients could come to relax, destress, rejuvenate, recover, and stimulate creativity.
Pause Float Studio opened its doors this past summer. “The experience is curated to make you feel like you’re floating from beginning to end,” says Jeff. Everything from the look to the smell to the absence of technology, it’s become a place where customers communicate with their bodies and connect with different parts of their mind.Before each session a team member gives customers a rundown of what to expect to ensure they have an elevated floating experience. For those still unsure of what’s to come a guided meditation is available that will advise you through the float, making it easier to relinquish one’s body to the water.In the midst of busy life, Pause Float Studio offers that pause we all need. A pause to regenerate, recover, and rest before we go back at it again. It's time to float on... no Dead Sea needed.Lindsay DeLong is the Managing Editor of The Fullest. She is more than willing to trade in her bed for a flotation tank. Find her at lindsay@thefullest.com or on social media via @lindizzaster.
