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Float Your Worries Away

Light Side Floats Offers Ultimate Relaxation with Floatation Therapy

Article by Emily Dickey

Photography by Marie Rose Photography

Originally published in Frederick Lifestyle

Eighty pounds of salt dissolved into 200 gallons of water isn’t just the secret formula for Eleven to tap into her telekinetic powers in Stranger Things—it may also be the secret formula for the ultimate relaxation. 

“I call it the Magic Eraser,” said Tom Palermo of Light Side Floats, which has been located on Gas House Pike for the past seven years. “We don’t realize how much we put on ourselves in our daily lives. It’s important to take the burdens off regularly.”

With its ocean-color paint and quiet atmosphere, customers soon realize a visit to Light Side Floats is a step away from reality. “This involves your mind and body working together in an effort to take away the clutter while you are here. We help people clean up the ‘mess’ and chaos left by hectic, everyday lives and stress,” Palermo said. 

The optimum relaxation session, according to Palermo, is a 30-minute hydro massage, followed by a 30-minute stop in their infrared sauna, and ending with a 60-minute float. Afterward, customers relax in the “whisper room” - a quiet room where visitors can journal, read, use foam rollers, meditate, drink tea or just enjoy silence. This final stop serves as a transition between the tour of relaxation activities and stepping back into the real world. 

“I want people to leave feeling euphoric, awake and excited. Many of us live our lives on autopilot. Taking the time to care for ourselves and fully relax helps us regroup and recharge.”

A former police officer, Palermo left the Virginia Beach Police Force in 2009. He was looking for a way to work closer to home and family while still helping others and contemplated, “what’s next?”

Excruciating back pain that would not subside took him to a physical therapist who asked Palermo if he had ever suffered an ankle injury. His answer was “yes”—a badly sprained ankle during his senior year of high school. “The PT attributed my back pain to the way I have unconsciously compensated for that ankle injury over the years.”

In an effort to ease his back pain, Palermo tried flotation therapy. “I personally don’t want to take medication or pain killers. I would rather use the natural route. That first float put me on the road to recovery.” Before he knew it, Palermo found himself investigating his own path to opening a floatation therapy facility. 

Instead of the “pod-type” he had tried, Palermo decided on “cabin-style” floatation suites for his business. “Pods often have a claustrophobic feel. Our cabin-style units allow for lots of open air when guests are floating in their private rooms.” 

Privacy and peace are two of the foundations of Palermo’s place. “Once we get you started on your relaxation visit, we leave you alone.” Light Side Floats is a family-run business with Palermo’s wife, daughter and son often helping. 

“I started my career [in law enforcement] to help people, now I am still able to help people but in a different way.”

Services & Benefits

Hydromassage Bed  

Similar to a warm 103-degree waterbed with jets, it prepares for relaxation, increases circulation and loosens tension.

Infrared Sauna

Operating between 110 to 130 degrees, it aids in relaxation, encourages pain relief and soothes sore muscles. 

Floatation

The Cabin-Style units house 9-10 inches of water with a specific gravity of 1.24-1.29 due to salt content. Customers float easily allowing complete relaxation while there, but also better sleep, decreased stress and alleviation of pain. Palermo adds, “It won’t cure the cause, but floatation really does help to rid your body of pain.”

LightSideFloats.com

“I want people to leave feeling euphoric, awake and excited. Many of us live our lives on autopilot. Taking the time to care for ourselves and fully relax helps us regroup and recharge.” - Tom Palermo