First off, you are probably wondering what I mean by a fully automated float tank center. Let’s start by looking at what a typical flotation center looks like. If you are unfamiliar with a float tank center imagine a tanning salon but instead of tanning beds there are float tanks in each room. If you are curious about what a float tank looks like check out the blog post here. Most of the float centers I’ve been to consist of a front desk where a person will help sign you in and will explain the process of how to use the tank. The process would go something like this:

  1. Walk into float center (usually after having made an appointment)
  2. Talk to the person at the front desk
  3. Typically they will explain how the process works (which might include taking a shower before/after, using ear plugs, and not getting water in your eye)
  4. Enter the room you are going to float in
  5. Then you shower/float/shower (the person will knock on the tank or you will hear music when float is over)
  6. You pay the person at the front desk
  7. After you've paid, you can relax in the waiting room or leave and enjoy the post float glow

Having a fully automated float center could substantially cut back on the overhead expenses of paying a person to run the front desk. The process would essentially be the same, except for speaking with a person you would go to the room you booked online. Keep in mind, this system is designed for people who have experience floating so they won’t need someone to explain details. This process might go something like this:

  1. Book a float online and pay with a credit card
  2. Visit the float center with an access card or a 4 digit PIN that will allow you to get into the building
  3. You can use the same access card/PIN to access the float room you booked
  4. Then you shower/float/shower (music will play in your tank when the time is up)
  5. After the float your free to leave and enjoy the post float glow

Now the major difference between these two types of float tank centers is that one has a person present during floats. Having an automated float center eliminates this extra cost which results in giving the customer access to cheaper floats. For this automated float tank center I believe the best pricing model would be subscription based. I could see this being extremely useful for a floating cooperative business so that after each person floats they might add a bit more salt into the tank, wipe the tank down, and put their dirty towel into a laundry basket. This could be a very sustainable business since a majority of the cost for running a float tank center comes from paying a staff to be there to check people in. Something to keep in mind is that this is a very high level overview of what I see in my ideal float center. In future posts I will break it down into exactly how the system will be setup.