What are the opening hours?

Monday 5:30pm - 1:30am Tuesday 8am - 1:30am Wednesday 8am - 1:30am Thursday 8am - 1:30am Friday 8am - 5am Saturday 8am - 1:30am Sunday 8am - 1:30am

Float On

Being in a float tank is like relaxing in outer space. WHAT IS FLOATING? History of Floating

So where did these crazy tanks come from? Did we invent them? Yes.
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Well, no. What actually happened is that in 1954 a neuroscientist named John C. Lilly needed to eliminate incoming sensory information to create a control group for his experiments. He ended up discovering that sensory deprivation has a load of benefits that far superseded whatever wild experiments he was doing. By the 1970’s, the tank’s design had evolved from Lilly’s original laboratory chambers to the comfortable commercial tanks that we have now. This means you’re not submerged in the water with air tubes, you don’t have to wear a diver’s helmet with a black faceplate, and you don’t have to have experiments run on you. Benefits of Floating

Getting rid of all sensory input allows the ‘constantly-make-sure-you’re-not-dying’ part of your brain to chill out for a second, allowing the creative, relaxed part of your brain to come out and play. Without the constant pressure of analyzing the world around you, your body lowers its levels of cortisol, the main chemical component of stress. Your brain also releases elevated levels of dopamine and endorphins, the neurotransmitters of happiness. Not having to fight gravity lets your muscles, joints, and bones take a well-deserved break. Your body suddenly has loads of extra resources (usually spent supporting your weight, regulating temperature, and trying not to get speeding tickets), which it gets to focus on things like healing and resting. Without old-man gravity pushing you down all the time, your spine lengthens an inch, chronic pain is relieved, and your muscles get to fully rest. Unlike lying on a mattress, lying in water allows blood to flow freely all throughout your body. There’s no need to readjust your position to get comfortable. About 40 minutes into your float your brain stops producing its normal Alpha waves and starts churning out Theta waves. These are responsible for that ‘between-waking-and-sleeping’ state, and you make them naturally every night before you conk out. While it only lasts for a few sparse moments in your bed, you can achieve a prolonged Theta state in the tank, a state of consciousness that is usually only seen in children and people who have spent years practicing meditation. Even the magnesium-based Epsom salts we use in the tank are good for you. They soften and replenish your skin, and help counteract the magnesium deficiency that most of us have due to depleted magnesium levels in our soil. They’re also kosher, just in case you want to float in water that has been blessed by a Rabbi.

10/03/2025

These guys sound like they’d enjoy some time floating...

Despite losing themselves at sea for nearly a month, two men from the Solomon Islands have returned with a remarkably positive outlook.

10/01/2025

It’s also common to incorporate 3 seconds of holding your breath into this pattern, so it goes: breath (3 sec) - hold (3 sec) - exhale (3 sec).

09/29/2025

The positive ripples from a single float session continue to expand well after you get out of the tank.

09/26/2025

We can’t emphasize enough how much people who think that they’ll be claustrophobic in a float tank find the environment completely comfortable (probably because you’re in complete control, and can leave anytime).

09/24/2025

The deepest waters can still be navigated by floating on the surface.

09/23/2025

“I developed, in the dark, a kind of entitlement to sensationlessness. At one point, I felt genuinely affronted when the edge of my pinky brushed gently on the wall. And when the hour was up, some expanse of existence later, and an instrumental version of It’s a Wonderful Life drifted from an unseen speaker, it seemed a great intrusion on my mind, which was now my home.”

An hour of darkness, silence, and floating changed how I think about stillness

09/22/2025

That includes looking inwards... you, yourself, are inextricably bound with the whole of the universe.

09/19/2025

When you’re swishing around in a float tank, this is absolutely what it feels like.

09/17/2025

Curious how we keep our float tanks so clean? Check out our latest blog post to find out.

Floating has a wonderful habit of surprising us. One session might feel like drifting into a nap where time collapses, the next like a full-body massage. Some floats erupt in vibrant visuals, others drop you straight into a contemplative stillness that lingers for days.

09/15/2025

An informal survey: should our staff be required to wear Mister Salty outfits when working our float center?

09/12/2025

09/10/2025

“Take away sight, sound, and every single other human being and I’m just like: this is livin’ brother!”

Please go to a sensory deprivation tank. They will change your life. Also please comment and enjoy another snippet of amazing stand-up comedy.PLEASE COME SEE...

Address

4530 SE Hawthorne Boulevard
Portland, OR
97215

Opening Hours

Monday	5:30pm - 1:30am
Tuesday	8am - 1:30am
Wednesday	8am - 1:30am
Thursday	8am - 1:30am
Friday	8am - 5am
Saturday	8am - 1:30am
Sunday	8am - 1:30am

Website

http://floathq.com/

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