Let's stay afloat

Imagine that you can float in water in a closed pod cutting away from the blazing horns and addictive mobile phones for an hour or two... Sounds blissful, isn’t it? Well, Chennai Floats, the brain child of four Chennaiites Rohan Ajit, Rajdeep Madanawat, Prajeev TK and Vishnu, aims to de-stress your pressurised body and mind.

Isolation/floatation pod is an enclosed pod, filled with dissolved Epsom salt water. There are currently three pods (including the salt) in Chennai Floats sourced from Singapore. The pod is designed in such a way that it blacks out distractions from outside world to enjoy a peaceful time. When you’re inside the pod, you lose track of time and your body is disengaged — which is a major source of relaxation.

On discovering the concept of floatation tanks, Rohan says, “I’ve been living in Canada for 10 years and I tried it out there. Last year, I decided to start this off in Chennai and spoke to three of my friends. I was working at a bank and it wasn’t promising or fulfilling. That is when I decided to quit and came to Chennai. Also, the city needs something new and people here are stressed out about life and work. There is nothing that gives instant relief. Massages do that, but floating will help your body and mind at the same time.”

The long-term goal is to get this concept popular in the city and open new branches, he says, adding, “We’ve done a soft launch on September 30 and we will have a grand launch in two to three weeks.”

“The tank is made of carbon fibre filled with 500 litres of water and 500 pounds of Epsom salt. As we know, salt has many benefits and one of the major benefits is that it helps you float. When you’re highly stressed out, your body is depleted of magnesium. When you are floating in the water, your body absorbs magnesium, which eases you out, opens up your pores and acts as a detox. Muscle spasm and any inflammation can be healed quickly through this. The isolation is supposed to mirror the effects of meditation,” he explains.

Coming to the hygiene part of isolation tanks, Rohan shares, “We need to take a shower before and after the session to wash off all the dirt and the salt content. The UV light fitted inside the pod kills the bacteria and the particle filter in it will remove all the small particles in the water. Also, the water filtration system refills the water after every session and every night. The salt in itself is a disinfectant.”