Inside Hawthorn East's Elevation Floatation and Yoga studio, the hustle and bustle of Camberwell Rd almost completely disappears in the waiting room, where clients are asked to wait before they are taken to private rooms where the floatation tanks are held.
The studio's coccoon-like sensory deprivation tanks, are completely sound and light proof and is filled up with lukewarm water which has been heated to about skin temperature and mixed with 600kg of Epsom salts, creating an almost weightless environment. Clients can opt for a one-hour or two-hour session in the spaceship pod-like tanks. If the prospect of floating on your back stark naked in completely darkness is not for you, clients have the option of keeping the relaxing mood lighting in.
The resurgence of floatation spa treatments is nothing to scoff at, the relaxation and meditation technique emerged at the height of the new age movement in the 1970s and the sensory depravation treatments has been touted as beneficial for those suffering from anything from insomnia to sports injuries. If nothing else, the sensory deprivation experience is a refreshing break from the daily grind when our lives are so often bombarded with outside pressures.
Still curious? Find out more about floatation tanks and read Time Out Melbourne editor Rose Johnstone's article on her personal experience in another Melbourne sensory deprivation tank.