Relax, Unwind, Float Milwaukee.

Quietly tucked next to purple door ice cream is Float Milwaukee, a quaint business offering residents the opportunity to give their brain a break by floating in a sensory deprivation tank. This tank is a soundproof pod filled with 10 inches of water and 800lb. of epsom salt, completely depriving the floater of bodily senses.

Knowing very little about the actual floating experience, just that it is supposed to be relaxing, I decided to test it out as a preventative “destress” measure for a few hectic weeks. Not seem too overzealous, but I will say that it was definitely worth it. The actual floating experience itself is whatever you make it. You are in the pod for an hour with nothing else but your thoughts. That may seem daunting or overwhelming, but I think that it is critical to the relaxation process. On top of my mind being clear, it also felt more loose and relaxed, similar to how my physical body felt.

Being a health sciences major, I know that, simplistically speaking, muscles are what supports your bones and keeps your upright. For the most part, there is always some muscles in your body that are working to keep you upright. Being able to float freely in the water really gives those muscles the time they need to rest and relax. If anyone has ever done hot yoga or gotten a massage, that feeling of muscle relaxation is something similar to the physical effects that I felt after floating. The coolest physical effect was feeling the muscles on my head (muscles I didn’t even know existed) relax.

I’m sure that there may be one or two college students (or adults) out there who could use some deep rest and relaxation, and I think that floatation tanks can provide just that. A company in Chicago, Spacetime Tanks, states on their website that 2 hours of floating is equivalent to 8 hours of sleeping. I don’t know how true that is, but I definitely felt more well rested after my hour float than I did after 6 hours of sleeping the night before.

• Eric Szczenienski, Wellness Peer Educator for Marquette University
• MUMedicalClinic