Happy New Year to you! We've successfully ushered out 2020 - The year we pivoted, showed our resiliency, and gathered around us the things and people that actually matter. I think we can agree that we all have so much hope for what 2021 can bring.
In the spirit of closing out The-Strangest-Year-Yet, I decided to quarantine with immediate family a little off the grid in Maine for the month of December. (I won't be dramatic - its right next to the grid). I'm still here now, so I'm taking a page out of resident Stephen King's book and allowing myself to be inspired into writing. Maine is one of the states that has really handled COVID safety and precautions well, so I've spent the last month distancing very seriously. The holidays have been quiet, but with family, good books, a roaring fireplace, and a fluffy Great Pyrenees (photo below for effect), there's plenty of enjoyment to be had!
She honestly thinks she's a polar bear.
No one has bothered to correct her.
Running and journaling have gone a long way to keep me grounded and happy, but I knew I wouldn't want to go all this time without floating. Plus, there's such a cool vibe up here. Between the crisp air and the water, I knew I'd love to tap into the beautiful, natural rhythm of this area somehow.
Float 207 in Hermon (near Bangor) is within a couple hour drive. A quick search easily gave me all of their info, and I could tell by their site that they were incredibly serious about limiting interaction, proper increased COVID sanitation protocols, and the utmost care given to safety and hygiene.
I decided to check them out. Here's how it went!
The storefront is unassuming, but I was pleasantly surprised with how warm and friendly the atmosphere felt -- especially walking in from the chilly, damp weather outside.
Cassidy, the manager, was quick to greet and welcome me. Float 207 offers three beautiful float rooms (one deluxe), and two infrared saunas. They schedule floats at 90-minute intervals (currently running at 80-minutes to give the staff that extra 10 for increased cleaning practices).
Some of the coolest features I found out about right away were the customizable color & sound options. How awesome is that? As soon as I got checked in and removed my shoes, Cassidy asked me to choose my favorite color. I went with Aqua (reminiscent of #floatgirlgreen). Then she helped me select my sound preference. I love options :) Here are the audio choices they had available (samples courtesy of Float207.com):
7.83Hz -- °My choice, courtesy of a recommendation from Cassidy
Dark Side of the Moon (Instrumental) -- °I want to be friends with THIS type of person!
Meditation -- °Sample not available, but I hope it 'sounds' like a warm golden glow...
Once in my room, I found a thoughtful amenity tray with makeup removal sheets, two different types of ear plugs, some A&D to apply to any cuts or scrapes, and solution in case I got water in my ears. Not pictured is the awesome rain-spout shower head (love) and shampoo / conditioner / body wash setup.
The float room itself was beautiful and spacious. It seemed to be a Superior Float Room, with lovely, high & rounded ceilings inside. So much space! There were these funky, big, modern buttons inside that allowed me to control the intensity of my own light and sound. I'm so grateful to Cassidy for suggesting the 7.83 Hz. I'm usually a "purist" when it comes to the tank - typically preferring to lie in complete darkness and silence. But I really wanted to take advantage of one of the things that makes this place special, and the results did not disappoint! Even with the soft aqua glow lighting the inside of the room, I was able to drift off into some wonderful meditation. The tones of the music echoing inside my cabin produced the feeling of a particularly pleasant sound bath over my skin.
A little quick info on the frequency of the music and how it can relate to your brain wave state:
Tones in the Theta Range (4-8 Hz) promote a meditative state. 7.83 Hz specifically is known as the Schumann Resonance, and is the natural electromagnetic frequency at which the Earth resonates¹. There is suggestion that our body and mind can be positively impacted by re-aligning with these tones,
¹Schumann Resonance - Alexander Nickolaenko; Image- www.healthline.com
I emerged feeling ready to take on the day, and totally refreshed. I was even able to brainstorm some upcoming blog post topics in there. (Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any topics you'd like to see discussed or spas you'd want featured!)
Due to COVID precautions, the spa has had to restrict any potential client exposure, so unfortunately I wasn't able to check out their post-float lounge, but look forward to visiting again in the future when all of the additional free special touches (journals, tea, and comfy chill-out furniture) are available.
One final note on Float 207: This team is a big supporter of the local veteran community.
Past promotions have included "Buy a Float & a Veteran Receives a Free Float". It's really cool to see how appreciative they are for all that vets have done for us, and how much this group deserves to experience floatation therapy. This is attributed to the float benefits such as relief from chronic pain and combating the effects of PTSD. Go check them out when you're in the Bangor area!
Spa At A Glance
Owner:
Roscoe Witham
Location:
1723 Hammond St. Hermon, ME 04401
Contact:
www.float207.com // 207-605-0146 stayafloat@float207.com // @float207
Current Offerings:
• One Deluxe 1-2 person Superior Float Room with optional color / sound / starlight ceiling
• Two 1-person Superior Float Rooms with optional color & sound
• Two Infrared Saunas with color lighting
• ONNIT // EPSOAK // Host Defense // Northern Hemp Co CBD // etc. retail products for sale
Thanks for reading!
A
Nice review of what sounds like a great spa. Also, the Great Pyrennes (or is it Pyrenne (singular)) IS a Polar Bear, but a very nice one.