True Rest Float Spa

AT A GLANCE TRUE REST FLOAT SPA WHAT: The industry’s largest float spa brand WHERE: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida WEBSITE: www.truerest.com TRUE REST FLOAT SPA T he invention of the sensory deprivation tank, also called an isolation tank or flotation tank, is attributed to John C. Lilly, an American physician and neuroscientist who designed his first tank in 1954, while working for the National Institute of Mental Health. His desire was to study the origins of consciousness by cutting off all external stimuli. Today, flotation tanks are used for Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST). A REST tank is filled with about ten inches of water, exactly at body temperature, into which a thousand pounds of Epsom salts have been dissolved, making the body totally buoyant. When one floats in a flotation tank, the body absorbs these minerals and its magnesium and sulfate levels increase, which its proponents claim helps to calm the nervous system and enhance the body’s natural ability to heal. In addition, the deep relaxation state that one can enter while floating helps to reduce stress by lowering the body’s blood pressure and cortisol levels. Studies have shown that REST has also been found to reduce anxiety, depression, sleep difficulties, irritability, fatigue, tension headaches, and pain. And there are many F LOAT I NG FOR HE A L H AND R E L AXAT I ON