Sponsored: Float towards your wellness goals

Owner of Float Marlborough, Tash Wakelin, remembers being blown away the first time she ‘floated’. “The experience was completely unique. After researching the many health benefits of floating, I knew I wanted to bring it to Blenheim,” she says. “As people all around the world look to find more natural ways to take care of themselves, floatation therapy has maintained steady growth as a practice for overall wellness and, although fairly new in New Zealand, is really taking off.”

The concept of Sensory Deprivation therapy was first tested in the Virgin Islands in 1954 and as float tanks were further developed to use commercially, word of the health benefits spread. It has since become a well-respected holistic wellness tool.

The spacious fibreglass float tank contains a solution of five hundred kilograms of Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulphate), dissolved in water which is heated to skin temperature. This provides the user with a feeling of weightlessness, as they float on the surface of the water due to its density.

“Living as we do in such a fast-paced world where we are relentlessly bombarded with external stimulation, we can easily become exhausted and stressed,” says Tash.

The environment in the float tank removes this external stimulus, and allows the mind to rest. When light, sound and gravity are removed, it allows the mind to drift into different brainwave states and rest a lot more efficiently, enhancing creativity and lowering cortisol levels. In addition to its popularity as a meditation aid, improved absorption of Magnesium Sulphate also achieves benefits such as improved sleep quality, reduced muscle and joint pain, and reduced blood pressure.

“Floating is the ultimate self-care experience,” says Tash. “Everyone takes something different from it whether it is help with muscle aches, trouble sleeping or just providing a time to be completely alone and close their eyes for an hour. It’s an opportunity to shut the world away and reset.”

Float Marlborough operates from Marlborough Lines Stadium 2000 by appointment and the staff along with other health-focused services onsite, have been supportive of a new wellness service in the building.

The space is convenient and welcoming. Everything is provided, so you can book online at a time that suits you and turn up without needing to bring anything.

“We are really enjoying meeting so many different people from all sorts of backgrounds, a lot of them trying a float for the first time,” says Tash. “The reaction to having this experience available in Marlborough has been extremely positive.”

floatmarlborough.co.nz