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Business & Tech

Floating on Main

A new spa offers a unique means of relaxing.

It's the lastest and greatest spa treatment to hit the town. And it's most likely the weirdest.  It's probably not like anything you've ever tried: floating.

Ifloat is a spa that offers just such a seemingly simple experience. Owner Sean Morton, who grew up in Westport, opened his high-end facility at 163 Main Street last September. A former contractor, Morton has been a long-time fan of the floating experience and toyed with the idea of opening his own place since he was first introduced to the concept 25 years ago.

The floatation practice itself has been around for 50 years and has been thoroughly studied by scientists. While the concept seems too simple to be any more beneficial than a hot tub, there's a lot to it.

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In addition to a massage room, Ifloat features four floatation tanks, each of which is four feet wide, eight feet long and seven feet tall. Inside the tank is just ten inches of water which contains 800 pounds of dissolved Epsom salts. The Epsom -- magnesium sulfate -- is the magic ingredient. Not only does it make floating utterly effortless, it also does wonders for the body – easing aches and pains, detoxifying, and healing.

The other significant component to the floating is the sensory deprivation. While spa-goers can opt to leave on a very dim blue light while in the tank, it's meant to be experienced in darkness. Soft music plays for the first few minute of the hour. Afterwards, it's utterly silent and dark. After a few minutes, it's impossible to feel the difference between the water, which is the same temperature as the skin, and the air in the tank. The result is that the mind is completely free from processing sensory information.

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"We're usually so full of thoughts. During a float, the mind calms down. The brain goes into the theta state, which is that dreamy phase just before you fall asleep," says Sean Morton. "It's a wonderfully relaxing place to be." 

The relaxation response also triggers the release of endorphins and seratonin which are responsible for feeling a sense of well-being and even feelings of euphoria. After floating, says Morton, guests feel relaxed, distressed, pain-free and calm. "People walk out and just melt into the couch," he said. 

Those who want to go for a double whammy have a massage first with the on-site therapist before their float. Morton says that indulging regularly makes the benefits of the treatment accumulate and last longer. Floaters are able to stay relaxed even while out of the tank and experience a re-setting of their baseline stress point. 

Joe Grushkin, a small business owner in Westport says it's done exactly that for him. "It's like a silver bullet. I feel mellower afterwards. None of my old injuries hurt and there's a new clarity in my thoughts," said Grushkin. "It's strange, but very cool."

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Ifloat

203/226-7378

www.ifloatspa.com

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