It is so difficult to find peace within ourselves — real peace, the kind that allows your body to truly relax, that allows your mind to release anxiety and stress, that allows you to explore your own creativity and unlock the truths that dwell deep inside you. To return to you.
Floatation therapy gives us the unique experience of removing sensory input like light and sound and allows us to just drift — mentally and physically — in an antigravity environment, alone with just our thoughts, letting the world melt away and our bodies decompress.
The technique originated in the mid-1950s, developed by neuroscientist John C. Lilly as an alternative therapy.“Floating is known to relieve anxiety, reduce pain, support recovery and promote better sleep. When environmental stimuli are removed, our brains relax, allowing us to reach optimal rest and rejuvenation and allow our minds to explore unfettered. In this state, it can assist people with managing ADHD, anxiety and depression,” says Ken Kaplan, owner of Quantum Wellness in Bedminster, which offers five flotation cabins, in addition to other wellness services, such as massage, holistic facials, reiki, cryotherapy and an infrared sauna.
The float cabins at Quantum Wellness are set in their own private rooms with a shower, towels, toiletries, hair care products and ear plugs. They are filled with ten inches of water, which is kept at the same temperature as your skin, and anti-microbial magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt), which makes the water buoyant and allows you to float upon the surface. The Epsom salt is absorbed through the skin, where it draws toxins from the body, softens skin, reduces swelling and relaxes muscles. “Our float cabins are one of the only ones in the industry that have filtration systems that continuously sterilize the water,” Kaplan says.
As the zero-gravity float cabin allows your body to decompress, it reduces joint and muscle pain, increases blood circulation, stimulates tissue repair and promotes circulation.
“People come here and say they are frustrated and stressed but they don’t really realize why,” Kaplan says. “I was that way, too. I tried massage, meditation and yoga, but I found that was more work for me because I was fighting my mind. In the chamber, you don’t have to fight anything.”
Katelyn Von Bargen, Quantum Kids Academy Director, says the goal is to bring people back to their natural state. “Every day, our bodies are fighting gravity; our spinal discs and our spinal cord gets compressed,” she explains.
The more relaxed you become, your brain begins to access the Alpha, Theta and Delta waves, which are produced during sleep. “Slower brain waves produce a deeply relaxed state that can reduce stress and anxiety, allow the body to better heal from injuries and allow the mind to find creative ways to achieve the goals we are pursuing,” Von Bargen notes.
Quantum Wellness offers one-hour, 90-minute and three-hour sessions. “We recommend clients float regularly,” Kaplan says. “It takes a few times to get acclimated to the environment, really let go and get down into that subconscious and meditative state.”
Learn more at quantumwellnessnj.com.
Quantum Kids Academy
This weekly program teaches kids techniques such as meditation, breathwork, coping skills, social skills, and goal setting to equip children with long-lasting life skills that they may be missing during traditional schooling.