Where to try float tanks in Melbourne

Have you ever felt truly, and absolutely, weightless? When staying afloat takes no effort at all, to the point that you begin to lose any sense of your own body? If you’ve visited the Dead Sea, then these feelings might be familiar. But add total darkness, silence and stillness into the equation and things start to get a little more… interesting. This is what it was like trying floatation therapy for the first time.

At Rest House Float Centre the feeling of calm permeates the entire experience, from the moment you step into the lounge-like waiting room and become ensconced in soothing ocean noises and the sweet smell of herbal tea brewing. Left alone in the room, I step into the pod and close the lid. I close my eyes, lie back, and start to enjoy the feeling of floating. With nothing to distract me, I quickly sink into a dream-like state – not quite awake, not quite asleep – enjoying the feeling of suspension. It’s bliss.

Gravity Floatation Centre was one of the first floatation therapy centres to open in Melbourne. It was co-founded by Nitel Mimi, who left the corporate world after discovering the stress-relieving benefits of floating. Both the Northcote and Armadale locations are chilled-out, welcoming spaces, complete with tea on arrival, individual rooms for each tank and high-quality hair and body products for showering.