Float Valley — Attraction in Markham

I’d heard a lot about the positive experience of floating from a handful of friends and family– all who prioritize their health and self-care in a way I admire. I have little experience with meditation, but I knew I wanted a way to relax and clear my mind, if only for an hour. So I decided to give Float Valley a shot.

As soon as I removed my shoes and was greeted at reception, I instantly felt reassured in my choice– if there was a place I’d go to treat myself, this would be it. It’s the same kind of vibe I get at fancy yoga studios. Everything feels so clean, modern, and beautiful (I admired the particularly stunning wall treatment to the left of reception). The person who greeted me and showed me around was very thorough and definitely made me feel at ease with the space. He even let me try a complimentary herbal drink that is geared toward enhancing the float experience, which I really appreciated!

As for the floating experience, perhaps it was naive of me to expect to transcend time and space right off the bat. I found myself distracted by a few things while in the tank– I wasn’t sure whether I’d put my earplugs in properly so that made me a little anxious. I did put vaseline on some of my eczema-prone areas but I still was distracted by the burning sensation of that and my scalp for the first probably 20 minutes. I also went in knowing I was bad at independent meditation and I did end up being lost in my thoughts most of the time (which is kind of torturous considering I use distractions all day to avoid that). I did have a good 5 minutes of bliss that I’ll forever try to replicate, where I was able to slow my breathing and embrace the experience, but my racing thoughts unfortunately took over the majority of the time.

The shower afterward as you get to wash all the salt off is so satisfying with great water pressure and temperature. My skin felt incredibly smooth afterward, which is really valuable for someone with dry skin like me. However I forgot to bring my body and face lotion and felt extra dry after I got dressed. I definitely remembered to bring my toiletries for my second float.

I’ve been to spas in the past that have new, modern decor but still feel a little grungy. I was glad that this wasn’t the case here. Everything I came into contact with seemed clean, which is obviously really important for a facility like this. I personally loved the grooming area with the provided hair dryers and styling products. It felt like an extra treat because I never take the time to style my hair. I also enjoyed having some sleepytime tea and did some colouring in the common area afterward.

Determined to zone out, I purchased the 3-float intro package, and accidentally upgraded to the larger room the second time (when booking, “Oasis” sounded larger than “Ocean” to me at the time for some reason!). It didn’t make much of a difference for me to be honest– tried out the lights too and they were pretty but ultimately distracting. Somehow I was even less focused the second time around, but I do plan to try out their guided meditation class prior to my next float as I’ve had some success with guided meditation apps.

Overall the facility is really impressive. It's a great place to escape and just enjoy some quiet. And I do recommend trying out the experience of floating. The biggest benefit I noticed was that my usually dry scalp felt way less tight and my eczema-prone spots were a lot calmer afterward which made the whole experience, even the burning sensation, ultimately...

Beautiful facility run by wonderful people. I’ve tried every service provided here and enjoyed all of them. The Ocean float tanks are spacious with gorgeous overhead and underwater lighting. You’re woken up gently and given plenty of time to rinse off. There’s even a spacious area for drying your hair and applying makeup after your session. Shampoo, conditioner, and body wash is always replenished in every room, there’s a nice selection of teas for your enjoyment as well.

The staff is super sweet! Willing to go above and beyond to make sure you get the best experience from your sessions.

If you’re new to sauna and cold plunges, there are 2 different temperature cold baths to choose from. A gentler one and a cooler one for the pros. The saunas are all different, there is a traditional sauna, hybrid with both steam and infrared (I think) lol, and a pure infrared red light sauna. Red lights are in all the sauna rooms, these are amazing.

The yoga studio is tidy, spacious and welcoming. I’ve not yet tried yoga here because of my schedule but I’m hoping to. I’ve been in the yoga rooms for the Lucia light session. Very cool, I didn’t expect to see so many different visualizations and depending on where I focused my eyes, they’d change. A must try, there are 10 minute demos I believe but I went straight for the 30 minute the first time and loved it.

The owners of the establishment are dedicated and obsessed with health and wellness, they put your needs first. You can see their passion when they speak about bio hacking. I received many wonderful tips from Nadeem. He’s knowledgeable and super approachable. It’s a breath of fresh air to support establishments that put their clients’ needs above profit and anything else. Rarely do I leave such a long winded review, but praise needs to be given where...

I went for my first float last night after hearing many good things about it's effects and benefits. I was in the area and decided to pop in without an appointment. Luckily, they were able to accommodate my unexpected arrival and gave me the 5 star treatment.

The facilities are top notch. Super clean, well lit, tranquil and contemporary. The overall vibe as soon as you walk in was very calming.

I was shown around by Nadeem's sister (I never caught her name!) and was given the orientation walk-through of the facility and the instructions of what to do and what to expect.

When I first got into the tank, my mind was racing. I felt like I was thinking about a million things at once, so I decided to focus on my breathing. After what felt like 5 mins, my mind started to clear and I thought I fell asleep, however I think I fell into a state of deep meditation because I then realized my eyes were still open! While in the tank you feel like you're flying in space. Your body is weightless! The hour seemed to fly by and before I knew it, my session was over. I must have fell into that deep state at least 4 times throughout my session. It really helped to disconnect from my stresses and put a lot of things into perspective.

After my session and shower, I felt a crazy rush of endorphin. I felt like I was on top of the world! I was then greeted by Nadeem and Alex who asked questions about my experience were very pleasant to chat with.

It was a surreal experience and I recommend it to anyone! Whether you need to detach from a stressful situation or job or just need some time for yourself...give this a try.

Thanks to everyone at Float Valley...I'll be seeing you all...