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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Sean Murphy & Angus Hyde

We tried Edinburgh's futuristic floating pod therapy and it was a revelation

If you haven't heard, Float Scotland, which has wellness centres in Bathgate and West Lothian, has just opened its new purpose-built facility in Ratho offering everything you need to look after your "mind, body and soul in complete luxury".

When we first heard of this, we were intrigued, especially when we were shown images of their futuristic float pods which allow you to float effortlessly in complete sensory silence in what's been described as the ultimate form of relaxation.

And in a world filled with constant attachment to technology and where stress has become an almost constant companion, it seemed like something Edinburgh Live had to try to see just how effective it is.

Heading along we were greeted by our guide for the day, the very welcoming general manager Sophie Howarth, who guided us through the centre and how everything works.

The relaxing lounge for before and after the Float therapy (Float)

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First taking us to the relaxation room where we could chill before and after the treatment with relaxing music, we chatted about how the float tanks actually work.

With more than 525kg of the highest-grade Epsom Salt added to the water, we were informed we would float effortlessly in the state-of-the-art float pods for the express 30 minutes (ironically due to work commitments we couldn't do the recommended 60-minute session).

The very knowledgeable Sophie put our mind at ease in terms of what we could expect as the idea of being in complete sensory deprivation left us feeling a little nervous, adding that we would be in complete control of our float, with the lights able to be left on or off to ensure we were relaxed as possible.

Apparently, floating helps to relieve tension created by external life pressures, refreshing your mind, calming your nervous system and reducing sensory overload.

She added that the float would, hopefully, reset our bodies and restore our health to new levels.

And with that, we headed into our individual pod rooms, where we showered and got ready as the pod began to fill with the salt water.

Though the egg-shaped pods looked like something out of Doctor Who they were fairly easy to use and we were soon getting ready to close the door behind us as we climbed in.

Though we were a little nervous of being alone with our thoughts in complete darkness for so long, when the lights did go out it allowed us to clear our mind and actually switch off. In the darkness, there is no difference between closing your eyes and opening them which takes a moment to get used to, especially with your head partially submerged in the water.

We were soon emptying our mind and chilling out, even better our back felt great for the first time in a while, as we found out afterwards that because you are floating for so long it helps to allow your spine to return to its natural posture.

All too soon the lights finally came back on and what was half an hour had flown by.

Overall, it was a refreshing experience which we would try again, and recommend to those looking for an escape from life pressures for a wee while.

Just don’t do what we did and get the salt in your mouth or eyes.

You can find out more and book Float Scotland on their website.

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