What's Wrong With Feeling Deprived?

Deprivation gets a bad rap.  I mean, sometimes less is more, right?  Less makeup, fewer accessories, smaller portions...you get it.  Today I went WAY off the deep end (no pun intended) and spent an hour attempting to deprive my senses of all stimulation and concentrate on....NOTHING.  I didn't think I'd be a good candidate for a sensory deprivation tank, or flotation tank, because I knew my mind would never shut off.  This is however, a bucket list thing for me.  One of those that I could pretty easily check off my list (Unlike jumping out of a plane.  Just kidding.  I am no longer interested in that).  Trying out a flotation tank was on my list, as was experiencing weightlessness.  I didn't realize that I was checking off two items.  Technically, you are "weightless" when you're floating but I still think I want to see stuff floating through the air while I, moving in extreme slow motion, attempt to catch them.  I need to go to Space Camp.

And back to the story.  I have been completely intrigued by the claim that 1000 pounds of Epsom salt in 8 inches of water would make anyone float.  I have never been able to back float, so I was excited about that, as well as the floating aimlessly in a giant bathtub with no sound or light.  I wondered if I'd lose it.  Well, courtesy of a thoughtful Groupon I received for my birthday from my daughter, I trekked over an hour from home today to check it out.  Long story short---I loved it.

I started with a one hour massage which was arguably the best massage I've had.  I fell asleep.  Then I took a rain shower and after receiving instructions, was left alone with the shower, and beyond a white door, the Tank!  I've seen these things before, and typically, they kind of resemble a dumpster.  Lucky me, this place had just installed (over the weekend) a new, state-of-the-art tank, and I was one of the first to use it!  Rather then stepping down into a "pod" and pulling the overhead doors down behind me, I was able to just step into a small room-sized tub with lighting that I could control.  Once I got comfortable, I turned off the lights.  Believe me when I tell you that you become very familiar with the sound of your heart.  With earplugs in, I tentatively laid down in the body temperature water and I actually floated.  Me!  I was like a buoy, bobbing around in there.  I got comfortable, and actually dozed off a couple of times.  When I woke up, it was almost like being in bed, except I couldn't feel the pressure of whatever was holding me up.  I thought my mattress was amazing, but imagine being held up by nothing!  The water was almost undetectable due to the temperature, and I was only aware of it if I moved.  (I learned that my right arm likes to go up above my head and the left arm likes to just hang out by my side.  This is what naturally happened.)  It took a while for me to really relax, as I spent a little time consciously relaxing all of my muscles, but honestly, as soon as I laid down in that space shuttle, I was a happy camper.  Shutting my mind off proved nearly impossible, but I wasn't worrying.  After I finished telling myself "I can't believe I'm doing this!" about 20 times, I settled in to some inane thoughts about...see, I can't even remember.  Another 30 minutes in there would have been perfect.  I wasn't ready to get out, especially since I had to get out after the first 20 minutes because the corners of my eyes were burning.  The water made a circle on my face that was big enough to keep my mouth and nose dry, but it reached the corners of my eyes and all that salt was kind of tough on that delicate skin.  Before I went in, they warned me about any abrasions I might have, and even gave me some ointment in case I needed to cover something.  Note to self:  Next time, put a little around my eyes.  I was in and out in about two minutes, and it took nothing for me to get back to relaxed.  Personally, I would have loved some spa music, but the idea is no sensory stimulation.  None.  I get it, but I really like spa music.  After about 55 minutes, the spa music does come on, a little loudly, but it's to let you know that it's time to wake up.  After a nice shower and hair washing, I got dressed and sat in the lobby for a bit.  The workers were super and I liked it so much that I paid ahead for my next "float".  I might even buy one of those "floater" t-shirts.  Yes, they exist.

See?  If you've seen the "pod style" tanks and been
scared off, try this one.

I was more than a little apprehensive about this experience a year ago, when I first started looking into it, but I really enjoyed it.  It wasn't scary, but it was definitely weird.  In a good way.  I think the darkness was the hardest part, and the beautiful blue light, as well as the "stars" are your choice, but I really wanted to challenge myself to shut off everything and just TRUST.  I found that I didn't want the lights after all and I was really proud of myself for just being still for that long.  

And I'm probably the only one who's noticed, but you can kind of see your reflection in the ceiling when the blue lights are on.  Have you seen Avatar?  Yep, it was kinda like that.  I was an Avatar.  I think I'll add that to my bucket list just so I can cross it off.