1,100 Pounds Of Salt

Have you ever considered a sensory deprivation experience where you can’t see or hear anything and you feel as though you’re floating on air? Welcome to the Salt Float Tank experience. Some may find this type of environment deeply uncomfortable. The lack of control, the stillness, the confined space - it’s enough to make a person have a full-blown panic attack. OR it can be a highly meditative experience. I recently visited Salt Float Center in Montclair, NJ for the second time and have detailed my personal experience so that you can decide for yourself if this is something you’d be inclined to try.

Salt Float Center, Montclair, New Jersey

The Center itself is small, but very clean. Even now, during the pandemic, they’re strict about they’re cleanliness standards. The staff is friendly and great about answering questions. Because it’s a small space, you don’t have to worry about being around a lot of people. I booked the first appointment of the day and it was just me and two employees.

There’s a shower in each room so that you can shower before and after your float. In addition, they provide you with shampoo/body wash, earplugs, Vaseline to relieve the sting on any existing cuts/scrapes, towels and a powder room with q-tips and a vinegar drip to clean up any salt water that enters your ears. You can find more information about the logistics directly on their website.

I first heard about float tanks on a Wellness Retreat in Arizona and not long after that, a few family members tried it with varying tails of their personal experiences. I was intrigued enough to give it a try and ended up finding a spot close to me, in Montclair, which had pretty good reviews. This was about a year ago now and since my first float I had thought about doing it again, but of course my career kept me busy and then the pandemic happened. Luckily they were able to re-open the space to clients last month for whatever phase we’re now in, as things have started to slowly open up again.

This brings me to my story. Recently, there was something that hadn’t been sitting well with me. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was, but I knew I had to get to the bottom of it so that I could release it. It had been pulling my focus and I found myself losing my patience more often than not. On top of that, I had been experiencing chronic shoulder and back pain. While Epsom salt bath’s tend to help relieve my joints and muscles, this time I needed something more to shake the pain. With a bit of curiosity for understanding what was bothering me and a desire for pain relief, I was elated that they had re-opened and decided to schedule a 90-minute Salt Float Tank experience. 

The purpose of the salt float tank, for those who don’t know, is to reach a highly meditative state.  All distractions are removed because you're literally sitting in an enclosed tank, floating in 10,000 lbs of Epsom salt with no sound and in complete darkness.  It's almost as though you're floating on air in that environment, and you're completely forced to be still with yourself. As I mentioned, my first float was about a year ago. It was for 60-minutes and half of my experience was spent trying to get comfortable with the fact that salt water was entering my ears. The other half was extremely relaxing and meditative enough that I knew I wanted to try it again.

This time, I knew what I was getting myself into and was more prepared with the armor of a swim cap to cover up my ears! Although I thought I had it all figured out, alas I sat there for a good 30 minutes trying to get used to the temperature of the water and my new swim cap.  My mind rustled with worry about whether or not I put it on right. I could hear the water hitting against the cap and I kept thinking, “what if it seeps into my ears like it did the first time?!” That was so uncomfortable!  I tried everything to let go and to just be there, but I couldn't stop my mind and my body from being tense.  My need for control was ruining my experience, and suddenly I was reminded that I have an incredibly difficult time letting go - of everything. This is a constant life lesson for me that I’m continuing to learn, as many of you read in my last Newsletter. But every time I’m able to release and let go, it changes everything and I find my way back to myself and to a state of inner peace.

My real epiphany that I realized in that moment was that letting go of past experiences and releasing the feelings associated with them isn't just a one and done kind of thing. Not even for people who meditate regularly and who are incredibly enlightened! It's a major part of the journey and the journey never ends. Well, at least not until “the very end”, anyway. Letting go is something we're called to do on a regular basis. By being open and curious with yourself, you can create the awareness needed to release any and all conditions that keep you from finding your state of “unconditional happiness.”

So I decided to sit there in 1,100 pounds of salt and just noticed my inability to let go with complete and utter curiosity.  I did a body scan in which I observed every inch of my body, determining if there was tenseness, and I breathed into the parts that needed it most until I finally felt less rigid. I wasn't fully relaxed yet, but I decided at that point to turn my curiosity over to my mind and to ask the question, "What is it that's been bothering you? What has you feeling so sad lately?" I sat there searching for something that had happened the last couple of weeks. Then I went further back into my childhood to see if I could remember something, anything, that had me feeling this way. And though I didn't receive an answer, I allowed myself the space to feel the sadness and I was actually able to release it.

After a few minutes of tears, I observed my mind as thoughts came and went and it became clear that there were a few pressing subconscious matters that I needed to reflect on.  At that point, more epiphanies started coming through, intuitively guiding me on what I should focus my energy on in the next few weeks: Continue to let go; Don’t allow other people’s energy to affect you; Help others develop an appreciation for life; You’re not defined by your successes or failures; Connect more to the earth; Make more time to just be.

Did you think it was possible that 10,000 pounds of salt could have led me to that?! Well, I did. 😉

It wasn't until the last 15 minutes or so of the 90-minute experience that I was able to fully relax. My mind had been consumed by so many things that I hadn’t allowed the space to come out beforehand.  I realized that I had been going non-stop in a super productive state for too long, and that even though I had been meditating periodically, I hadn't spent enough time going inward. For me, the float experience had it’s ups and downs, but it brought me back to myself. Sounds a bit like life, doesn’t it?? It even allowed me to release enough emotion and thought to get the tension out of my shoulders and back. Was it the salt? Or was it the meditative release? My guess is that it was a combination of both, and I undoubtedly will be scheduling another session soon.  

After my experience, there was one thing in particular that my meditative thoughts led me to act on: the creation of my Gratitude Circle workshops. It all starts on September 29th at 6:30pm Eastern Time. I’ll be offering these workshops once a month to create a space for community and to help others develop an appreciation for everything life has to offer.

Interested in adding more gratitude to your daily or monthly practice?

Registration is free —> You can sign up here!