Welcome to the Neighbourhood – Float Toronto Now Open in West Queen West

Float Toronto Just this week a new self-care service opened in Toronto – and they can’t wait to see you.

Located on the south side of Queen Street West between the Gladstone and Drake Hotels, Float Toronto is the newest addition to the Toronto holistic health scene and it is already seeing their 5 deprivation tanks filling up with appointments daily.

Note: When Trish first told me about Float and the tanks I immediately thought about Homer and Lisa and their misadventures in the tanks on The Simpsons. So if that’s what you were thinking, you’re not alone!

We chatted with Jesse Ratner-Decle about Float Toronto, what made them open up shop, how it all works and why floating is so good for everyone.

For Jesse it all started in 2011 with his first float. Living in Vancouver (his hometown) at the time he and his step-brother drove an hour and a half to a home operated Chinese massage and holistic medicine shop with a tank in the basement. And as it says on the Float website – “Many people fall in love with floating after just one experience in the tank – we’re no exception to that rule.”

Fast forward to summer 2014, the opening of Jesse and co-owner Sean Lavery’s own shop, which just happens to be one of the largest on the entire east coast.

Yes, Float Toronto was slated to open 2 months ago but, as they do, things happened. We pointed out that they have already built a great community in social media using Instagram, Twitter and especially Facebook to spread the word. Jesse told us that Facebook has become an important tool to share information about the center as well as floating and the benefits that it provides to people.

Note: Jesse also wanted to pass on a big thank you to everyone who has supported Float Toronto as they have prepared to open the center and bring floating to the people of Toronto at their new Queen West home. He also wanted to extend a thanks to Bolt Fresh Bar for being awesome neighbours (across the street) and for being extremely helpful in every aspect of opening up the center. A quick look at Float Toronto’s social media will show you that there’s a lot of love between these 2 local businesses. They’ve also had great support from other floating centres and the floating community, especially Float On in Portland who have been a great resource for Jesse and Sean.

So, what is floating and what’s going on at Float Toronto?

Floating takes place in a sensory deprivation tank filled with salt water. With no distractions, music, people, conversations, phones, tablets or anything else that we’re so used to being part of our every waking hour, floating gives you the chance to stop and reset – it’s the ultimate disconnect.

Here’s the breakdown of a 90 minute session at Float Toronto.

Sessions are split into 3 sections…
1) 10 minute shower and prep period.
2) 60 minute float.
3) 20 minute shower and wrap time.

Rooms are supplied with fresh towels for every session and showers are stocked with body wash, shampoo and conditioner. Jesse pointed out that in the pre-float shower it is best to use a fragrance free product, and then in the post-float shower you can go ahead and use something that makes you smell pretty and feel fresh. Float Toronto is currently using Dr. Bonner’s products, which are cruelty free – and will make you feel fresh and pretty.

And to answer ours (and probably your) next question – yes Float Toronto is very sanitary.

After a session the room and tank are out of order for a full 30 minutes while the room, tank and shower are wiped down with a cleanser and the water is filtered from the tank.

Here’s how it works: The water is drained completely out of the tank and through a particle filter, then through a UV light that kills all bacteria that could even think about being in the water. The water is also treated with hydrogen peroxide to ensure that it is clean and safe and healthy for every floater who enters a tank. Each tank goes through 3 to 5 filtration cycles in the 30 minute break and is primed and ready to go at 93.5F for the next session.

We asked Jesse about floating and how often people should float and if there’s a too much. The short answer to that last part – no. He told us that it really is like practicing anything else, the more you float, the better you’ll get at it. You will find positions that you like. You’ll be able to get into the frame of mind you want to be in. The relaxation and calm will come easier. And you will enjoy your float more and more.

Note: Trish floated on opening night Monday and has already booked her 2nd float. She can’t say enough good things about the experience of being in the tank and told Jesse that it exceeded her expectations.

Speaking with Jesse it’s easy to see that he loves floating and everything that goes with it. In his own words, “We want to share floating with people and we really mean that.” He also told us that one of his favorite things is seeing the looks on people’s faces when they come out of the room after their float. He knows how well this works for the people who choose to make it part of their life, and he wants to spread the word that it can work for anyone who is interested.

Float Toronto is currently open 5pm to 1am Monday – Friday and 11am to 1am Saturday & Sunday – and if you think that floating is for you… you should probably call or pull up the online schedule now because slots will be filling up fast and if the early returns are any indication – it’s going to be like that for quite some time. Weekday hours will be extending in the future, stay tuned to Float Toronto’s Facebook for details.

Thanks again to Jesse for the chat and for being so cool with Trish and I when we stopped by.

Check out Float Toronto online at these links…

Website: float-toronto.com
Online Schedule: floattoronto.floathelm.com/booking
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FloatToronto
Twitter: twitter.com/float_toronto
Instragram: instagram.com/float_toronto