Those of you who follow the blog regularly will know how seriously I take my ‘me time,’ so you can imagine my excitement when I was invited to try out a new floatation spa in the Jewellery Quarter at the weekend.

The Floating Spa is the brainchild (and obvious passion) of Naveed Ladha, the owner and manager. It officially opened it’s doors on Saturday, but I was lucky enough to attend the launch party on Friday evening, where I was warmly welcomed and given a tour of the facilities.

It’s a clean, well-designed space. There’s a reception area, a relaxation lounge for use before and after a floatation session (complete with chalkboards to write messages on), a massage room, a chiropractic room, lovely changing facilities and in two specially-designed, private wet-rooms are the floatation pods.

These pods are fantastic (and look rather space-age too!). They’re used as Restricted Environmental Stimulus Therapy (R.E.S.T), allowing the user to float weightlessly. They’re filled with Epsom Salt water, heated to 35.5 degrees to match the skin temperature perfectly, and there are options of lights or darkness (you can completely close the lid of you choose), music or silence during a session. Each experience is unique to every individual – by cutting off the senses and allowing complete relaxation, the mind and body has a chance to de-stress.

Perfect.

I booked a session for Saturday morning (each session is about an hour-and-a-half in total, with the actual floatation lasting an hour) and was so excited that I arrived half an hour early. However, Nav (who must have been exhausted from the launch party the night before) greeted me with the same warm smile and graciously took the time to show me all the facilities again, explaining in detail how to work the showers and pod. He then gave me a set of earplugs, showed me how to contact him should I need to, and then left me alone for my session. I had been advised to wear light swimwear or, if I felt brave enough, nothing at all. I wore a bikini, and felt comfortable in doing so – the room is able to be locked from the inside and there is an intercom system directly linked to reception in the pod, but I left the door unlocked, simply because it was my first session and I wasn’t sure how my body would react to it.

I needn’t have worried – I was perfectly fine all the way through.

However, during the first twenty minutes I made several rookie mistakes, forgetting that it was salt water and ending up with some in my eyes (ouch) and not putting in my earplug properly which meant that I had to find it in the pod and redo it. Luckily, I had been given a freshwater spray to rinse my eyes out.

The pod with the lid closed

A beautiful blue light with the lid open – my picture doesn’t do it justice

The changing room

Some of the Faith in Nature products available

The relaxation lounge

I decided to start again, and I switched all the lights and music off and made serious attempts to just allow myself to relax and float. Nav had warned me that it may take a while for my mind and body to switch off, and he was right (at one point I was singing a random song to myself) so I followed his advice and focused on my breathing and heartbeat.

And then… bliss.

After a while it didn’t feel like I was in water. I was warm and comfortable, and at one point I think I drifted off to sleep. For a time, there was nothing – it was the most relaxed I have been in a while. Amazing.

The music then came on to signify five minutes before the end of the session, and I was genuinely disappointed. I could have spent all day in there. I got out and had a shower (with vegan shampoo, conditioner and shower gel already supplied), during which the cleaning system began (there’s a three-tier cleaning system before and after each session), then got changed, and then I took myself off to the other changing room (fully equipped with hair dryers, organic products and things that I always forget to bring with me, such as cotton buds and face wipes. It’s a good job they were there too – I managed to sneeze and get mascara halfway up my face).

What I particularly loved about the session was that it was a completely private experience, both during and after the floatation had finished. I was given unlimited time to use the changing and relaxation facilities, and while I knew that assistance was available at any point, I didn’t feel under any pressure to leave, and I wasn’t given the ‘hard-sell’ to purchase products that I often experience at spas.

Absolutely one of the best experiences I’ve had in a long time, and it’s a completely unique experience in Birmingham – there’s nothing else like it in the city.

And do you know what? I slept like a baby on Saturday night!

Want to know more?

Singular sessions are £55.00, but three sessions can be purchased for £120.00 for a limited time only. They can be given as gifts, and there are gift cards available for the three sessions. Toiletries and clean, fluffy towels are provided for each session. It’s also possible to purchase kilogram bags of Epsom Salts and the Faith in Nature products from reception to use at home. Massage and chiropractic services are charged separately.

Products available in reception

Gift vouchers available

Worth every penny.

You can find The Floating Spa via:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thefloatingspa
Twitter: @TheFloatingSpa
Website: http://thefloatingspa.com/

Disclaimer: I was very kindly given a free floating session, but was under no obligation to provide a positive review. It’s a tough life, but someone has to do it!