Objective Since the 1980s, flotation Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST) has gained international recognition, particularly with the advent of modern flotation tanks using Epsom salt for buoyancy. Concurrent clinical studies have demonstrated the efficacy of flotation REST in treating various conditions, including depression, anxiety, and pain. Despite its growing popularity, the motivations, experiences, and insights of regular flotation REST users remain underexplored. This study aims to investigate these aspects in detail.

Design Between 6th January and 30th April 2023, a comprehensive online questionnaire was administered. The 23 questions covered various aspects of flotation practices, such as frequency, average duration, and perceived benefits, including stress reduction, sleep improvement, and pain management. Demographic data, including gender, age, and occupation, were also collected. Additionally, participants were invited to suggest potential areas for future research into flotation-REST therapy.

Results In total 83 regular floating users provided an answer, stemming from the following countries, the UK (52), Canada (7), Australia (6), New Zealand (5), Ireland (4), Belgium, Serbia and Portugal (each 1) and 1 undeclared. The majority of participants were female (63.4%), with a significant number aged between 26 and 55 years. About 70% of participants reported they would prefer to float 1-7 times a week if not limited by time or money, though current usage was mostly 1-3 times a month, coinciding with typical membership plans at float centers. The survey revealed that about 65.1% of participants typically engage in flotation sessions lasting 30 to 60 minutes, while 28.9% opt for sessions between 61 to 90 minutes. In terms of experience with regular flotation, the largest group, accounting for 26.5% of respondents has been practicing for 3-5 years. The perceived benefits of floating were high levels of relaxation (91.6%), stress reduction (77.1%) and time without external stimulus (67.5%). Other significant benefits included mental clarity (56.6%), sleep improvement (55.4%), anxiety (47.0%), pain management (33.7%) and depression (21.7%). Furthermore benefits of personal growth were noted, for example a deeper connection to self (53.0%) and spiritual development (44.6%). The majority of participants (53.0%) experienced those benefits for 1 - 4 days, followed by 33.7% where the benefits lasted between 2 - 23 hours. The majority of participnats were very supportive of new research, for example, the majority of respondents (84.1%) recommended research on stress reduction in general. Other significant areas of interest include burn-out prevention, trauma/Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),each receiving 73.2% of responses, and anxiety (70.7%). Reported side effects (25.5%) were all very minor.

Conclusion Flotation therapy is shown to be highly valued by its regular users for its mental health benefits, notably in stress reduction and relaxation. The desire for more frequent sessions suggests that users perceive ongoing benefits that could be optimized through regular participation. The study underscores a significant interest in further research, particularly in enhancing the understanding of flotation therapy’s impacts on pain management, sleep quality, and mental health conditions like PTSD. These findings advocate for a broader public awareness and deeper scientific exploration to harness and expand the therapeutic potential of flotation therapy, making it a more accessible and recognized wellness tool.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

This study did not receive any funding

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

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The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

This study received a favourable ethical opinion from the St George's Research Ethics Committee. REC Reference Number: 2023.0012. St George's University of London (UK).

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All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors