Ovarium's floating baths make believers out of spa sceptics
by Deborah Ostrovsky
I'm sitting on a plush leather armchair in the waiting area of Montreal's Ovarium. Nothing suggests from the building's façade, which resembles an art deco bank, that this place could be so serene and airy. The waiting room reminds me of a giant aquarium against a backdrop of calming, earthy tones.
Most of my friends enjoy spas and keep monthly massage appointments. Lately, however, the idea of relaxation as a recreational activity seems to be causing more stress. In our fanatical pursuit to be healthy, relaxation these days has become an increasingly neurotic activity, causing yet another dent in the pocket book for a few hours of relief plastered in mud, chocolate or algae while being poked and prodded by a stranger. Until today, I had decided that it was simply more convenient-and economical-to run a hot bath christened with a few drops of essential oils in the privacy of my own home.
For the uninitiated, relaxation at Montreal's Ovarium might be even harder to imagine. For an hour and a half, you float in an egg-shaped pod filled with temperature controlled water and over 2000 cups of Epsom salts: enough to make you completely buoyant. It's like spending part of your afternoon immersed in a mini-Dead Sea on St. Denis.
A visit to the Ovarium starts by removing your shoes and then being guided to your own private room equipped with an egg-shaped floatation tank and shower. After showering, you ease yourself into the tank (which is comfortably sized, even for those who are mildly claustrophobic like me). What follows is 60 minutes of tranquility in water at homeostatic body temperature that is chlorine- and bacteria-free. The tank is lit inside, but you can turn off the lights if you like. Soft music also floats into the tank, but you also have the option of floating in complete silence.
It's like spending part of your afternoon immersed
in a mini-Dead Sea on St. Denis.
Ovarium claims in their promotional literature that floating in a weightless environment can free up to 90 percent of the nervous system's potential energy. The purported beneficial effects include allowing your body to enter a state of profound relaxation and subsequently causing relief of stress. Whatever the claims may be, after an appointment at Ovarium I had one of the best night's sleep I have had in months.
As I watch clients come and go at Ovarium, I notice that they come from all walks of life: athletes, middle-aged adults and seniors. I see couples in their fifties, chatting quietly while sipping almond tea in the salon where you sit after your floating bath time is over. Most are clearly regulars. All of them seem to know that Ovarium is probably one of the best ways to spend a relaxing afternoon without breaking the bank or leaving the city.
Information
60 minute session, $55.00
Floating bath packages with massage also available.
Ovarium
400, rue Beaubien est
Montréal (Québec) H2S 1S3 (corner of St-Denis, métro Beaubien)
Tel: (514) 271-7515; 1-877-FLOTTER (356-8837)
www.ovarium.com
History of the floatation tank
The history of the floatation tank has strange almost sci-fi origins, starting with the work of Dr. John C. Lilly, a neuroscientist and writer. In 1954, Lilly designed experiments on sensory deprivation using what he called 'isolation tanks', an enclosed saline bath. Often floating for hours, and sometimes with the help of hallucinogenic drugs, Lilly tried to examine the inner workings of the human brain unhindered by all outside stimuli. His experiments were the inspiration behind the 1980 film "Altered States" starring William Hurt, in which a brilliant but eccentric researcher uses the isolation tank to explore inner consciousness. website: www.johnclilly.com |
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