Leave your worries behind; rest and rejuvenate

Some scientists say man’s evolutionary journey has taken us from our beginnings in the primordial soup of early earth to the age of high technology and increasing societal pressure. Some people seek relief from all of it by returning to the primordial medium, or more specifically, water, through flotation therapy.

Joseph Griffith is the owner of Float Shreveport, and he experienced flotation therapy on a trip and decided to bring the experience home to Shreveport. He said people need it, especially now.

When you float, you enter a flotation room where a pool of pharmaceutical-grade magnesium sulfate – i.e., a huge Epsom salt tub – awaits.

For the next hour, you literally float in near-zero gravity and relax. “We produce zero gravity with all the salt. A bowling ball just levitates in the water, so you don’t sink because of the laws of buoyancy,” Griffith explained. “You restore your magnesium levels. It decompresses your spine, your hips and your body. Reduces inflammation, it’s like a laundry list of benefits. It’s just relaxing. That’s just one of the hundred benefits. It’s a detox from your cell phone. But people need to realize you need that.”

Float Shreveport clients enter a soundproof environment with no sound, no sense of touch, and little gravity. You can even turn out the lights for an experience of total sensory deprivation.

According to Griffith, the brain enters the theta brainwave state, which occurs naturally between waking and sleeping. In this environment of no external stimuli, your mind can “check out” from the day-to-day and experience complete rest.

Physicians, athletes and celebrities have used floating since the mid-1950s. Some reported flotation benefits include stress and anxiety relief, decreased depression symptoms, mitigation of muscle tension and pain, reduced blood pressure and better sleep quality.

“And we use Dead Sea salt,” Griffith added. “So, while you’re floating, it comes transdermally through your skin, acts as a natural muscle relaxer, and also restoring your magnesium levels. It’s very good for your skin.

“You’re basically ushered into the theta brainwave,” Griffith said, “which is like sleep cycles, like hypnosis. A good float for me is like the times between snooze buttons in the morning without the anxiety of being late for work.”

The first session costs $55, and memberships are available at several levels. For more information: www.floatshreveport.com