Ever had a float? What's a float? It's... well, a float!

Had my first float on my last trip to Seattle. 

What's a float, you may ask. I couldn't have told you before now, but wow!, floating therapy is a great experience in sensual deprivation, uniquely yours for an introductory $37 price tag, Don't be surprised if you fall in love with the most quiet and calming sensation you will ever experience.

A little more information: My Seattle daughter had two tickets for one-hour sessions at Lifefloat, Seattle's premier float spa, offering a world class sensory deprivation experience in private expansive pools as the photo shows. So we did that... and it was wonderful. What it does for mind, body and spirit can only be felt by experience but the sensation and well-feeling is 'a keeper.'

Why is it called a float? Well, because you do. You can't help it. The freshly drawn water for every

To your health!

client is blended with Epsom Salts to the point of making you buoyant in about a foot of water. You  can't sink, even if you tried. Yes, it is weird... in a strange and satisfying way. You are offered something for a head rest if you choose so you don't consciously have to worry about water in your face or up your nose, and earplugs if you don't want water in your ears. And that's it. Some floaters, I was told, even fall asleep during the experience.  I could have.

At Lifefloat, you arrive 15-minutes before your session and are shown to your private, lockable, neatly tiled and immaculately clean room, one of a number of rooms off a larger hall, and told everything you need to know.  Your room has your own shower, toilet and dressing/undressing area plus an 8x6' float pool as the photo shows. Best advise for first timers is to learn to relax... and trust the experience. That may take a few minutes but it does work.

Many float sans clothes but that's up to you. Since the water is at body temperature, some say it is akin to being in the womb again... and would you have clothes on in your mom's womb? Nah!

You take a quick pre-soak shower before entering your pool where you will control your lights, or no lights, and sound--soft music, background sound or no sound at all--as you begin your 60 minute session. I floated with soft music in total darkness for a while, then turned off the music. There is no clock or timer but when your time is up, the lights will gently come on.

After, you shower again and dress. There is a lounge area for tea and soft music if you choose to help you transition to the world again.

Seattle has a modest number of these float companies, some not as nicely done as this one but with the same float experience. All have fresh water, recycled and filtered 4 times, shower soap, hair dryer, etc. for each client. Other cities have similar venues, in some places as part of a larger spa. Lifefloat even has pool access for those with mobility and/or special needs.

Float therapy has been around since the 1950s and touted for its benefits in such diverse magazines as Vogue and Forbes. It has a considerable reputation as mindfulness has grown as a great adjunct to a more peaceful inner-self. It's worth a try if you are intrigued.