Relax in a Sensory Deprivation Tank

“Then my eye itched, so I scratched it. But my hand had been in the salt water obviously. That was a bad idea. My eye and face started burning like crazy and I had to get the towel from outside the tank to dry it. You don’t want this stuff on your face. Complete sensory deprivation, as in SHUT ALL THE LIGHTS, was definitely necessary. Because now stuff started to happen. I floated. And floated more. And I kept feeling I was drifting to the left. I was sure I had rotated 90 degrees to the left and my feet were now at the door. But I knew the tank was actually not that wide to fit. When I felt what was on my right, there was still the door as before. So it was just my body having no idea where it moved. That’s the sensory deprivation.”

“Before I got into the pod I checked the lid. It closed and opened with ease, proof that I would not be locked in this thing to starve or drown, whichever came first. I stepped in and closed the lid behind me. I laid down into the water (it's bathtub warm, not hot tub warm) and immediately floated to the surface. I waited a few minutes and finally got enough courage to switch off the tank light. I was now naked and alone in a white bean full of salt water with nothing but my thoughts. After convincing myself that the building probably wouldn't catch on fire while I was inside the pod, I took Jack's advice and started to stretch. I moved my arms and legs around as much as I could without hitting the pod walls and I felt all my joints cracking. After my stretching session I just stared into the dark. Had it been 10 minutes? An hour? You have no concept of time inside the bean.”

“I showered, and then stepped in to the tank fully naked. The first thing you feel is the salt burning on your skin. Especially parts where you have some small wounds or scratches. Somehow in my sleep sometimes I scratch my back really hard and I felt the salt burning there. Slowly that feeling subsides. I lied down and floated. My ears went under the water making me hear almost nothing except for the soft music playing in the background. My arms floated with my palms down on the water surface. It’s kind of a weird unnatural position the first time you do it. You need to force your head down lower than you think it can go because otherwise you’re actually still using your neck muscles to keep your head afloat. You need to let the water hold your head instead.”