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If you're stressed-out (and who isn't?), then you've got a lot in common with Sean Morton's regular customers. "I have a stockbroker who comes in every Friday," says Morton. "As soon as the market closes at 4 o'clock he calls me and says, 'I'm on my way!'"
What's Morton's business? Nope, he's not a bartender--he's the owner of ifloatspa on Main Street in Westport. That's where laden-down locals go to float their troubles away, literally. They drift in a tank filled with 10 inches of water containing about as much salt as the Dead Sea.
Floating-as-therapy isn't a new concept. There was a "big boom" of flotation spas in the late 70's and early 80's, which is when Sean first discovered the technique. But ifloatspa is the first to come to our neighborhood.
"It's all about sensory reduction--what Sean calls REST (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy). The premise is that when people float, they're not using any of their senses to capacity--giving those sections of their brain a much-needed rest. Every flotation tank has its own room with private dressing quarters and shower. You can call for a massage if floating alone doesn't do the trick.
"I'd heard it was a cool thing, then I found out it was a really cool thing," says Morton of his own initiation into floating as a college student in Boston. "I always thought it would be a fun business to go into." He started out as a furniture maker. An injury cut that career short and Morton finally got to follow his floating dream. Interested in a soak? Call 203-226-REST to make an appointment ($90 per session).
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