What 900 Pounds of Salt Actually Does

Every one of our tanks holds 900 pounds of Epsom salt dissolved into about eleven inches of water. People hear that and assume it is a boast. It is closer to a specification.

Density, not depth

At that concentration the solution becomes considerably denser than a human body. You do not float because you are doing something right; you float because the water is heavier than you are. Lie back and you rise. There is no technique.

Which is why it works for everybody

Buoyancy comes from the water, not from your build, your weight or whether you can swim. There is no weight limit on a float tank, and somebody who has never been comfortable in a pool floats exactly as well as a swimmer.

Eleven inches is the other half

The water is shallow enough that you are lying on the surface rather than suspended in depth. Combined with the density, that is why falling asleep in a float tank is uneventful rather than alarming.

One practical consequence

Salt that concentrated finds every scratch. Avoid shaving in the twelve hours beforehand, and use the barrier ointment in the suite on anything fresh. It is the single most common first-float regret, and it is entirely avoidable.