IS THE WATER CLEAN???

These are questions we get quite often.  These are great questions! 

Float Robins is regulated by the North Central Department of Public Health.  We worked very closely with the state and local agencies before opening our float center to ensure the highest levels of safety for our clients. 

We do not empty the tank between clients.  This is how we make sure our water, and you, are safe:

1) The tank solution is comprised of approximately 1000 pounds of magnesium sulfate (Epsom Salt) and 150 gallons of water.  This creates an environment in which biological entities cannot proliferate.  Think of the Dead Sea.  It's called the Dead Sea for a reason.  Nothing can live in it.  The solution in our tanks is 3.5-4 times "saltier" than the Dead Sea.

2) Our tanks have a self-contained filtration system  that employs UV light and ozone gas to sanitize the solution.

 How does ultraviolet light sanitize water?  

Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) is a disinfection method that uses short-wavelength ultraviolet (UV-C) light to kill or inactivate microorganisms by destroying nucleic acids and disrupting their DNA, leaving them unable to perform vital cellular functions. 

How does ozone gas sanitize water? 

According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), " As an oxidizing agent ozone is 51% stronger than chlorine and has a kill rate of 3.125 times faster. Ozone owes its biocidal effectiveness to its ability to oxidize organic material in bacterial membranes, which weakens the cell wall and leads to cell rupture causing immediate death of the cell. 

3) Float Robins also regularly adds vinegar to the float tank solution to break down any biofilms that may have developed along the surface and water line in the tanks.   Once the biofilms have been depleted, we add a 35% hydrogen peroxide to the solution to kill any "germs" that may be trying to hide along the water line. Think of it as stripping the armor off of germs then blasting them with a ray gun!

4) When we clean our rooms between clients, we also sanitize, using hospital grade hydrogen peroxide, the surfaces that people are likely to have touched. These surfaces include shower handles, soap/shampoo dispensers, light switches, buttons inside the tank, the tank handle, door knobs, fresh water spray bottle in the tank, the "halo" neck support, and anywhere else in/on the pod where clients are likely to have touched. 

5) Our tanks have two skimmers for solids (like a strand of hair or a stray earplug) as well as a 10 micron cartridge filter.  If you were to take a strand of human hair and split it five ways (lengthwise like string cheese), one of those new strands would be about ten microns.  That's how  small ten microns is! One-fifth the diameter of a single human hair!

6) Each day we test the pH, alkalinity, specific gravity (how floaty the water is!), and the depth and temperature of the float tank solution.  We report our data to the local health department.

7) As part of our regulation agreement with the Department of Public Health, we submit water samples regularly to Aerobiology Labs, located in Atlanta, to test for pseudomonas and e. coli and make sure all the above steps for sanitation are working as they should. 

As you can see, we go to long lengths to ensure the safety and well-being of our clients. It is our number one priority now and always!