Salt Float Center — Attraction in Montclair

Before I give my review, I thought it might be helpful to give a little info about myself so people understand my perspective. I'm a single male, a big guy (~250lbs), who works as a cloud engineer (aka the IT guy), who isn't officially on-call around the clock but is on call around the clock. I'm a very anxious person :-). I wasn't familiar with float therapy until I saw it on an episode of Atlanta on FX. It looked interesting and after doing some research, I thought I'd give it a try to help deal with some of my anxiety. Here is my experience.

When I got there at 9AM, Sam (sp?), one of the center's team members, greeted me warmly and asked I take a seat in the waiting area and have some tea or a glass of water while the tank warms up. The waiting area atmosphere is very low key and there was only one other person. Awesome. When it was time to go in, Sam came over to the waiting area and told me it was time for a tour. I was impressed she knew this was my first visit. You acknowledge if it is your first time on the intake forms but intake forms are not always read. I appreciated that she took the time to read mine.

Sam gave me a tour of the facility and explained 'the float process.' She was really thorough and her patience really shined through when I asked her to repeat a couple of instructions she mentioned only seconds earlier. If I had to judge the facility on customer experience alone, 5 out of 5 stars.

I booked the 60 minute orb experience. My expectations going in was to fall asleep and let my worries melt away. I wouldn't say that happened but it was not due to the orb. The orb was great. Like I mentioned, I am a big guy so I was surprised how comfortable I was in in the orb (it's egg shaped) and how I floated like a lilypad on top of water, lol. The floating was really, really comfortable (e.g. very little bumping into the wall, no neck pain w/ or w/o the neck floating device) and I had control over the music (off or on), lighting (off or on), and the starry night (off or on). Complete sensory deprivation. My issue was shutting down my thoughts. I think I better understand why some people suggest first time floaters go for a 90 minute session versus 60 minutes. If you are like myself and have very little experience with meditation, it might be advice to consider, if within budget of course. I think it took me about forty five minutes to quiet my thoughts and just experience the moment. Once I did, I felt like I was floating in a lake which was strange because I didn't bump into the walls of the orb. It was as if I shrunk down to miniature size or something like that. Very neat. What was immediately evident was the therapeutic benefits from a physical standpoint. I have a knee issue and my knee felt great after the session.

After the session, I got dressed, cleaned up and left. When I entered the waiting area, Sam asked me about my experience but I froze as I was still processing it so I think I said something generic and headed back to my car. Please note: you do have the option to stick around and hang out for a bit. I saw a journal in the waiting area where people wrote down their thoughts. I never felt rushed to leave or pressured to stick around, which I really liked. Again, the customer service experience - 5 out of 5 w/o hesitation.

I will be returning to the Salt Float Center and not just because I already paid for the next session, lol. I did not get everything out of the experience that I was hoping for but I learned enough to appreciate the therapeutic effects and what I could/should do differently when visiting. Next time, I may go at the end of the work day when I am probably most stressed so I force myself to unwind mentally a bit quicker.

Oh - FYI, they do provide silicone ear plugs. That might seem like a minor tidbit but the little things do add up and the Salt Float Center really met or exceeded a lot of my minor expectations that it's...

First time floater here. But not a first time meditator. I’ve been doing meditation since I was 15 and experience that weightlessness and physical dissociation without a liquid aid. But the stars aligned and the opportunity presented itself to have this unique experience and I had seen so much info on this over the years that I felt the desire to finally give it a try.

I booked an early morning appointment and was greeted and given a thorough tour of the facility and really appreciated the custom tips and recommendations for having an easier experience. I felt like the attendant (it was a male; sorry I forgot to get your name!) was personable and calming..I felt at ease with his communication style and vibe.

After the tour and tips I put in the ear plugs and used the shower to pre-soak. My clothes, bag, and phone were off to one side that stayed dry.

Since it was my first time I followed the advice and took it slow, first standing in the water, then gradually sitting while holding to the side of the orb. They have this head rest that will keep your head a little higher out of the water; I recommend it since it felt comfortable. After that I slowly laid back until I was floating but still waited a bit and held onto the edge with one hand..once I was comfortable I let go and began to float! It wasn’t sudden or jarring at all ~

Going at my own pace I eventually turned off the light that illuminates the water and then turned the music off and then lastly turned off the star light on the float orb ceiling. I gave a few mins before making each change.

I had a very peaceful and enriching experience; lots of kaleidoscopic imagery, some aquatic sounds and other non ordinary mental phenomena which gave the experience a magical component aside from the healing and wonder of being supported by the detoxing waters of epsom and zero gravity.

One concern I had initially was that the salt water might get into my nether regions and burn the life out of every orifice..I’m happy to say for the hour I spent in there, no such thing occurred. And the water is truly room temperature so it feels like skin.

When I found my sweet spot, I did not want to move..I didn’t even want to breathe 😆 The feeling of just being a floating brain is extremely pleasant. If you make movements with your legs your body will move from its position in the pool so try to hold still and relax in one space or else you might disturb the moment

I could hear and feel every single beat of my heart which brought its own experience and reflections and also learned that my head is heavy and I hold a lot of tension in my shoulders and neck..the float definitely eased that tension

The facility is spotless and smells great

I left feeling very calm, balanced, peaceful and nourished. This is a great form of self care and I will be making this a...

Horrible experience I booked online and for a specific date and time which I double and triple checked before leaving for the appointment it was indeed for today. When I arrived I was greeted and told I did not have an appointment and my appointment was magically a month later even though 2 hours prior online it said it was for today. After asking if anything could be done trying to stay calm and be understanding thinking maybe something in the computer system just messed up something. The front desk attendant became extremely rude and defensive offered no help said they were fully booked so pretty much too bad just leave and tried to blame it on me. Then said they had one appointment the following day which I couldn't take as I have a extremely busy schedule that's why I'm so intentional with when I book appointments and triple check they are still on. I requested a refund because I do not know when and if I'll be able to rebook. Which in turn this women refused and became even more hostile and rude. I was really excited about my first Float experience as ive done so much research and genuinely thought it would benefit me and it has been totally ruined and overshadowed by a faulty system and the worst customer service I've ever experienced.

Edit

I appreciate your response but this is still entirely unacceptable. If I was incorrectly booked it's your websites fault because it clearly stated on my profile February 22nd this AM and when I booked. So something is wrong with your system. No matter what you believe and I am not discrediting this may be a typically professional staff member but she certainly was not today she was extremely rude and harsh.

I always book appointments online due to my schedule and when I work I cannot call during business hours.

I wish to be refunded for the inconvenience of the system failure, rude treatment and the loss of my time today as I spend well over an hour in wasted drive time.

I will not remove this review unless this situation is resolved promptly and properly.

Please understand I do not mean to come off badly but I do want to have you know what happened and I don't have mich extra time or money to spare so it's especially upsetting when something of this...