So this Friday I finally got to try out Float Boston, the new float-tank place that opened up in Somerville.

So this Friday I finally got to try out Float Boston, the new float-tank place that opened up in Somerville.  I'd picked up a two-pack of 90-minute sessions during their funding campaign.  I've been curious to spend some time in one of these for years --  even before that Simpson's episode where Homer and Lisa both try it out.

  It was not as the Simpson's episode depicted.

  It was...interesting.  I'd like to do it again, but I was expecting something a little more overt (even after adjusting for hyperbole) and this was fairly subtle.

  Also, I may have cut myself getting into the tank.  I'm not 100% certain but I did feel a stinging sensation and later found a small wound on the back of my calf I'm pretty sure I didn't have before getting in so...

  The upshot here is that getting into the tank could be better explained/designed.  The problem is that the lid is unwieldy so you push it all the way open.  Then you get in.  Now you have to close the lid behind you but that's difficult because pulling that down pushes you into the water which is eagerly trying to float you so it's hard not to slip but then the lid is out of reach....it's a bit of a trial.

  Also, they give you earplugs. I found them tricky to install. They're this waxy seal you're supposed to pancake over your ears (but not into them).  I did ok but I had to fiddle with it a bit.   

  Finally, if I just rest in the water with my hands by my sides and totally relax and go limp, my head rolls back (like in a backfloat) and my arms and shoulders are shoved up.  I store a lot of tension in my shoulders so this is actually not the most comfortable thing.  I had to shift positions around a bit -- but my range was a limited because I'm about the largest person you can fit in that tank.

  So I mention a lot of hassles but despite all of this, I really did think it was interesting.  Once you get settled and floating...my brain didn't turn off exactly but it did seem to slow down.  The time passed more quickly than I thought.  Certainly when you're out of the tank and sitting in the post-float room you're amazed at how much stuff there is in they physical universe.  I'd recommend it to people and I do want to give it another shot.

  Oh and I should mention that Float Boston offers these membership packs where you pre-pay for a set number of floats per month.  The trick here is that a membership can be shared by up to three people so if folks wanted to go in together, they could make the cost per float pretty reasonable.
http://www.floatboston.com/