Learn best practices for starting and running a float center:
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Checklist for Temporarily Closing Your Float Center

by | Float Tank Solutions, Operating

You got this

These are challenging times for all of us, and many float centers (ourselves included) have decided to temporarily shut down to help stop the spread of coronavirus. Our team got together yesterday to figure out what we need to do to put our shop into hibernation mode, and we thought we’d share the list we came up with to help out anyone else who is in a similar position.

Best of luck to everyone going through this. We know we’ve seen a wellspring of kind words and support from our community when we decided to shut down, and we’re sure you have too. It’s nice to know the float world will be supported when we’re all on the other end of this.

Of course, if there’s anything that you’ve done in your own closure that you don’t see here, please send it along and we’ll update this list as suggestions come in.

Float Tank Solutions

Float Tank Solutions
Shop Hibernation Checklist

After the last float
  • Do a full cleaning and disinfection pass across your center.
  • Deal with your mail and package deliveries. You may need to put up a sign for your mail person, stop your mail from being delivered, or attempt to cancel or reroute any packages that are already on their way.
  • Stop any automatic deliveries you have for any shop supplies.
  • Make sure your HVAC system is set to run the whole time.
  • Remove any food and beverages that can’t be stored for longer periods of time.
  • Remove cash and any other valuables.
  • Forward incoming calls and set up an appropriate voicemail (make a task to change the forwarding and voicemail when you re-open)
  • Put bleach into washer and dishwasher and run them, then leave doors slightly open
  • Consider putting out ant traps, if it’s appropriate for your area
Daily Ongoing Maintenance
  • If your float tank doesn’t automatically run your pumps, go in twice a day to run them. This will both provide your float solution with its cleaning cycle, and prevent any salt crystallization from happening inside of your pipes and filtration equipment. Make sure to open the doors on your float tanks to let them air out while you’re there.
  • Balance any levels of chemical treatment that you use (like hydrogen peroxide)
  • Run the showers once a day to prevent any sort of buildup in the pipes
  • Make sure to put water down all of your floor drains to keep your p-traps filled (so you don’t get sewer gas coming out)
  • Empty your dehumidifiers (if you have any)
  • Consider leaving some lobby lights on to deter vandalism
  • Clean up any garbage outside the shop. It’ll help keep your city looking nice, and will also help deter vandalism.
  • Answer voicemails
  • Answer emails
  • Answer social media inquires
  • Collect physical mail
  • Water any plants you may have (or take them to your house).
Weekly Ongoing Maintenance
  • Replenish any water in your tanks that has been lost to evaporation (you may need to add a little salt as well).
  • Do a disinfection pass on the inside of your tank walls and ceiling. It’s still a very hot and humid environment, and you want to make sure you’re preventing any mold growth.

There are, of course, other things to consider like communication with your customers and taking care of your members. You may be looking at laying off part, or all, of your staff temporarily so they can claim unemployment benefits. The next couple weeks are also going to be a good time to work on your marketing, to make sure that your customers are ready to float when you re-open.

We’re keeping the list above to just the operational side of things for now, but we’ll be releasing more over the coming days and weeks about what we’re doing at Float On to get through this.

Stay well,
Graham and Ashkahn

You got this

A New Year, a New Research List

A New Year, a New Research List

by | Jan 9, 2018 |

When we first released the floatation research list back in 2011, it was as close to a comprehensive list as we could create. It was put together in an effort to illustrate that sensory isolation was a thoroughly studied practice and there was scientific evidence for the health claims we were making.

Many float centers adopted this list for their own uses and put it on their sites, spreading the information and making it more available. 

In this post, you’ll learn about the updates made to our float research list.

Using test strips in your float tank – DSP 43

Tips to garner local media coverage – DSP 40

by | Jan 6, 2018 |

Everywhere we look these days it seems like there’s some media outlet doing a piece on float tanks. They also seem to always feature a float center. How do you get to be that center in the piece? Find out the process from start to finish as Graham gives out his secrets to getting a news piece published on you and your center.

Using test strips in your float tank – DSP 43

Role of UV in UV + H2O2 systems – DSP 39

by | Jan 5, 2018 |

Hydrogen Peroxide and UV are a popular combination for water treatment among float centers. What exactly does it do, though? Fortunately, Ashkahn is the wiz we need to explain the chemical reaction process that takes place when both these things are used to treat your water. 

Using test strips in your float tank – DSP 43

How long does it take to open a float center – DSP 38

by | Jan 4, 2018 |

This is one of the first things you’re going to want to know, and it’s a difficult subject to tackle. Everything from getting financing, to permits, to construction… It’s a lot to deal with. Fortunately, Graham and Ashkahn, beyond just dealing with this themselves when opening Float On, have worked closely with dozens of other centers going through this process and have a great insight into what to expect.