Vanilla Float
by Serene Helps

Sensory deprivation tanks, Isolation tanks, Womb Room, Rest tanks (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique) - all of these names have been used to describe what we know as the Floatation tank.

Vanilla Float, in Hatfield Street, Gardens is an oasis of tranquillity. For the past 4 years it has been located in a trendy bohemian-style courtyard only a stone's throw away from the hustle and bustle of Cape Town city centre.
 
The owner, Gillian Goodwin, discovered that by combining traditional body treatments with floatation her clients were able to relax completely, both physically and mentally, greatly increasing the benefits of the experience.

Floating can be described as a way of achieving the deepest state of relaxation that we can ever experience. It can be compared to a deep state of meditation. Lying suspended in a 25cm deep, warm, dense solution of Epsom salt ensures that the body can float effortlessly.

When floating, we lie with our face above the water. As the ears are submerged, earplugs are used, resulting in surrounding noise being completely reduced. The arms float to the side, and as the air and water are the same temperature as the skin the feeling of a body boundary fades. The sense of smell is also reduced, especially if the water has not been treated with chlorine. Gillian explained that the water is purified by using an ozone filter after each session.

The feeling of floating effortlessly eliminates the effects of gravity on the body. Gravity, which is estimated to occupy 90 percent of all central nervous system activity, is probably the single largest factor in human health problems - backache, aching feet, painful joints, and muscular tension that result from our unnatural upright posture. In the gravity free environment the body balances and heals internally as all the senses are rested. By freeing our brain and skeletal system from gravity, floating liberates vast amounts of energies and large areas of the brain to deal with matter of mind, spirit, and enhanced awareness of internal states.

For people who suffer from claustrophobia there is no feeling of being confined as the tank is spacious and has an internal light. The door of the tank works on a hydraulic system and can be left ajar or open, to ensure that the client is always at ease.

Vanilla Float additionally offers a full range of beauty treatments and holistic body treatments including Crystal Massage therapy, Traditional Thai massage and Hydrothermie massage. To compliment the relaxed atmosphere, Sage Café, located in the Vanilla Float courtyard, is a totally organic vegetarian delicatessen offering a lunchtime buffet, fresh juices and organic produce.

For more information contact: Vanilla Float on 021 461 6982