If your only knowledge of float tanks is Eleven from Stranger Things experiencing sensory deprivation, fear not. Floating offers an abundance of benefits for both body and mind.

“It’s a collective physical and mental release,” says Jesse Ratner-Decle, co-founder of Float Toronto. “It decompresses your joints, and all of your muscles relax.” Then your brain shifts into a resting state – the theta state of intense relaxation (which is present during REM sleep and hypnosis). “It’s like deep meditation without having to try,” he adds.

 

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Ratner-Decle says that floating cultivates fans from varying fields: Athletes love it for recovery (it allows for the quicker repair of muscle tears), artists use it to enhance creativity and actors appreciate the solitude for memorizing scripts. Even chronic-pain sufferers (such as those with fibromyalgia) have felt relief after climbing out of the tank, which is set at a comfy 34.5ºC. The art of unplugging is real: “When you remove all stimuli, it gives you an opportunity to process everything in your life without distraction,” says Ratner-Decle. There’s also a beauty bonus: Each float tank is laced with 450 kilograms of German magnesium, which nourishes the skin and leaves it soft and smooth. No wonder supe Elle Macpherson is a fan. ($65 per hour, float-toronto.com).