Quantum Clinic — Attraction in Los Angeles

I don’t normally write reviews but here goes.

I am an avid and very experienced floater. I love how the practice has radically changed my life. With that in mind, it pains me to write a constructive review like this, as I really would love to see this place be what it could be. As it is now though, the pseudo science and the rigid rhetoric feels like stepping into a cult. Bottom line, they are not float fans here, they are into “coherence.”

I have floated 6 times at Quantum Clinic and there was an issue, big or small, every single time. Clearly after 6 times I was trying to make it work.

They force you to do a short several minute guided meditation before each session that is really awkward. One time in particular I was pressured to share my reason for floating that day even though it was very personal. The meditation that followed included some comments and judgements on my situation that made me think…Wait a second, you’re not my therapist, you don’t even know me. Did I even sign anything HIPA related? I heard a similar observation from my good friend who floated there the week after who said it felt intrusive rather than supportive.

So I started calmly and kindly asking to just skip the meditation and every time have been met with a very odd low-key aggression. Today I was told that the meditation would be mandatory from for me from now on because they have to take “Notes” on us. I replied, “So you won’t let me float if I don’t meditate before?” “Yes.” And so I canceled my monthly membership.

Honestly, they are VERY defensive anytime I would bring up ANY issue. And there were many issues.

Today when I floated there were very small black pebbles or grit in the bottom of the tank and a few other bits floating on top. I have video of this. The “Clinician” today turned on the float protocol immediately after I shut the door. So undressing, showering, turning my phone off, and putting ear plugs in all counted against my time in the tank which was under an hour already.

The first float I did at Quantum Clinic, the pump turned on mid-float recirculating water while in the tank. When bringing that up when they asked for feedback, they snapped at me. “DON’T JUDGE US TOO HARSHLY.”

There are lots of other things as well. I like to float in silence but the tanks are not as soundproof as much as other float places so you can hear people walking or talking in the hallway. The tile floors are very slippery and I have caught myself before falling twice. The lights are on the other side of the room and don’t turn off automatically when the float starts so you have to turn them off then walk in the dark on the now wet floor post shower to turn them on. Then after floating you have to walk back over in the dark to turn them on while disoriented. This seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

I could go on and on about the odd little inconsistencies and problems I had with their website, their membership and how credits don’t roll over month to month, and the general attitude of MOST, but not everyone there.

I just restarted a membership at the float center in Pasadena...

My husband and I just tried Quantum clinic for the first time, although it wasn't our first time experiencing a float tank. (This is more like a cabin than a tank, but I'm going to refer to it as a tank throughout this review!)

We had a really positive experience. They have larger two-person accommodations which we used, and smaller one-person tanks. The difference between this and some other places that offers saltwater floating experiences is that this isn't exactly sensory deprivation. This is more like a sensory experience. You are floating, there is red light or twinkle lights, (or no lights if you choose to turn them off) as well as sound therapy through vibration and ambient music. If you choose to turn all of this off it will be a little bit more like a sensory deprivation experience, although it doesn't get completely pitch black like in some places. (At least not in our room.)

That said, I think this was a more positive experience than my sensory deprivation experiences. Maybe it's because I suffer from a neurological condition, or maybe it's because I love having my husband next to me, but this seemed to offer a more transcendent experience for me, especially once I get the hang of this meditation thing.

They have at least one licensed therapist there who starts off your experience with a 10-minute meditation. This was really wonderful and added to the overall experience. We love the energy in this place, as it was very peaceful and positive in an authentic way. Jimmy gets credit for this, as he is the one who guided our meditation, gave us our tour, and checked on us after. Our pre-float meditation was done with one other couple and it was natural to just be open with each other about our experiences.

After you are done floating, there is a light-filled room where you can do art therapy. They have, I believe, 4 different stations with different kinds of meditative art therapy you can try as you come back from your float experience. This is all included in your session as well.

My only complaint (which isn't really a complaint) is that it did get humid/stuffy in the tank, which is inevitable because humidity is guaranteed in a sealed off small room filled with water. This is hard for me, but I noticed there are four small vents at the top of the float room, and maybe there's an option to turn on a fan or air conditioning next time which I will ask about!

The sessions are 1 hour but they give you some extra at the beginning to get situated, and at the end to shower in your private shower. You can always book two sessions in a row if you want more time which is what we did since we were using it for actual spinal wound healing purposes, but for the sake of meditation, we heard that 1 hour is usually enough for people.

We will definitely be returning to...

Pseudo-science. All of the "research" backing the treatments at this facility was done exclusively by the 501c3 they are linked to, the long-debunked HeartMath Institute. Below, I detail the workings of the deception:

Faulty claims of both HearthMath Institute and Quantum Clinic:

HeartMath Institute promotes a form of energy-medicine which claims that the heart sends out "energy" waves that regulate the body, including the brain. They claim the heart has its own memory and emotion, and the health and functioning of the body depend upon the energy rhythms generated by the heart. They go on to claim there is an optimal heart rate variability (HRV) for mental and physical health they call "coherence" (Quantum Clinic references coherence in their FAQs page). They infer negative emotions cause chaotic HRV, which then negatively affects the brain and rest of the body, while happy emotions result in HRV coherence and health.

The reality:

There are no published peer-reviewed studies that establish any of these premises. The kernel of truth here is heart rate variability (HRV) - the beat-to-beat variability in the time between successive heartbeats. It is true that the heart muscles put out large amounts of electrical signals. But this has nothing to do with the claims of HeartMath and coherence - it's just a science factoid used to make it seem as if the energy medicine claims are based on science when they aren't. Research suggests that any HRV intervention or techniques used at the Quantum Clinic likely results in a degree of relaxation and stress reduction. HeartMath assures us (without evidence) that coherence is not simply relaxation.

Deceptive Credentials:

Quantum Clinic presents itself as legitimate by touting Ph.Ds in Clinical Psychology and Psy.Ds between their founders; these are not real MEDICAL doctors or medical researchers in neurocardiology (a real medical specialization that explores the interaction between the nervous system and the cardiovascular system, aka brain-heart interactions). In essence, their expertise is unrelated to neurocardiology and they are playing on expert bias (one field of expertise does not infer expertise in another). These deceptive credentials are used to legitimize the practices at the clinic. They do not.

This predatory pseudo-science goes after desperate people who are looking for alternative/"cutting-edge" modalities to address real health concerns. The reality is that the science is not there and relies on a basic misunderstanding of how the human body works. They manipulate the kernel of truth that exists in real medicine to push treatments that are soothing placebos at best.

The Quantum Clinic should drop the science spiel and stick to the spa elements of...