Intimate and Relaxing – Couple Floating may be the best date night idea you’ll ever experience!
Something I’d always been curious to try was floating in a sensory deprivation salt tank. My partner had been bugging me to go along and try a couples float at Horizen Floatation for weeks, but I’d been busy at work and didn’t think it would be a useful experience. However, once he told me it was the perfect remedy for jetlag and helped soothed sore muscles – I was sold! We booked in for a sauna and float package.
“We’re always joking around and having a laugh when we’re together – so could we really spend an hour together with nothing but ourselves and utter darkness? We were about to find out.”
Once we arrived at Horizen, we were briefed on how to use the sauna and float tank by the lovely technicians. They explained the in and outs of the infrared sauna, and the best way to prep for the float tank. We were told that it’s very important to avoid getting the ultra salty water from the float tank in your eyes – even one little drop will hurt like nobody’s business. Luckily, there was a handy little spray bottle of fresh water to flush your eyes if you had an accident during your float. I was okay… but my partner wasn’t so lucky and the fresh water really came in handy! It’s also best to avoid shaving 24 hours before your float and be careful of any open wounds – the salt will irritate broken skin just like the eyes.
Things were about to heat up!
First up, the sauna. I found the infrared sauna to be much more pleasant than other saunas I’ve visited. Since it used infrared technology to heat the space rather than the usual physical heat/steam mechanism, I found it to be less stuffy and easier to breathe. Normally I can only last 5-10 minutes in a sauna, but I could easy stay in the sauna at Horizen for 30 minutes with no problems. The touch screen controls and Bluetooth sound speaker also made for an easy and relaxing experience. We came out dripping in sweat after our sauna session
We went straight from the sauna to the couples float tank – a big, salty pool of water in our own private room. We had a quick shower, popped in our earplugs and slid straight into the tank.
As soon as we leaned back, our legs sprung up to the surface and we were be floating like buoys out at sea. Be prepared for a few laughs as you cling onto your partner for dear life at the initial shock of being totally weightless! The saltiness of the water made us feel like slippery seals, which caused even more laughter. So all in all, the first 5 minutes was a bit like a slapstick comedy routine.
After the giggling was over, we finally settled in the tank and let ourselves get into the zone. We popped on the neck supports provided and cycled through the lighting options – colouful mood lighting, gentle starlight or complete darkness. I think I preferred total darkness as it was a unique sensory experience you can’t get in day-to-day life, but it was nice to have all the options.
It was our first experience floating in a sensory deprivation tank so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. The only reference points I had for floating was what I’d seen on Instagram and holiday pictures of relatives in the Dead Sea. You truely feel like you are in a vacuum – no sound, no light, and no gravity. In this weightless state, it’s very easy to forget your significant other is centimetres away from you. Unless of course, they reach out and touch you!
We were pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to relax and
achieve that zen-like feeling of both nothing and everything all at once. We also didn’t feel claustrophobic since Horizen has open-air float tanks, unlike the majority of tanks in Sydney which are enclosed capsules. There was enough room in the float tank for both of us to float comfortably without touching each other.
The team at Horizen provide everything for your experience – towels, private showers, earplugs, drinking water, soap, shampoo/conditioner – all you need to bring is yourself.
Overall, we found the experience to be totally worth it. As a couples activity, It’s a perfect date night idea with just the right amounts of fun and relaxation. It’s definitely something I would recommend to others and do again myself. I can’t wait to go back!
Poppy Bling
Travel and Food Blogger
Professional traveller and food blogger, Poppy travels the world seeking out new adventures and memorable moments. To see lifestyle and travel photography check out her website poppybling.com
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