As We See It

Immersion therapy! Salt, subzero temps and sound are ready to treat you right

Image
Beatnik approved: Beat writer John C. Lilly invented the isolation tank.

Flotation Therapy If you can’t play football like Tom Brady, at least you can relax like he does, in the same model sensory deprivation tank. Joe Rogan digs them, too, and his praise is what led Travis McQueen and Raquel Martinez to dive into the isolation business. Coonskin cap-wearing writer/scientist John C. Lilly pioneered the tank therapy in the 1950s, and today it’s used to treat mental and physical ailments like PTSD and sports injuries, and is favored by expecting mothers and those looking to unwind. McQueen relates it to a reset button physically and mentally. “You’re in the pod, it’s dark, there’s no sound,” he says of the baths, which contain 1,200 pounds of Epsom salt for maximum buoyancy. “You’re giving your central nervous system a break for a whole hour.” McQueen and others report out-of-body experiences and visuals. “It’s like being high but not on drugs,” he says. Martinez adds, “It’s just like dreaming.” Float Centers of Nevada, 5875 S. Rainbow Blvd., floatcentersnv.com.Kristy Totten

Cryotherapy Imagine standing in a tanning booth-like structure with nothing but a robe, gloves and socks, then dropping trou as puffs of liquid nitrogen surround you. There, in your birthday suit, temperatures will fall to -220 degrees, only your head and hands above the doors as your body is exposed to the freezing cold for up to three minutes. It sounds like a device straight out of Austin Powers, but ever since Floyd Mayweather Jr. heralded the futuristic treatment as a way to recover from intense workouts, cryotherapy centers have popped up all over the U.S. In Vegas, B-Fit Training co-owner and personal trainer Byron Ross subjects himself to cryo sessions at SubZero Recovery to relieve muscle soreness, increase metabolism and decrease inflammation. It’s more effective than an ice bath and purportedly safe—and once you’re out, you may find a new appreciation for living in the desert. SubZero Recovery, 5031 Wagon Trail Ave. #110, subzerorecoverylv.com.Leslie Ventura

Sound Bath Drive three hours south of Las Vegas to Landers, California, and you’ll find the Integratron—a 38-foot-tall wooden dome and “rejuvenation machine” constructed by aeronautical engineer and self-proclaimed alien contactee George Van Tassel. Created in the ’50s, the Integratron is “based on the design of Moses’ Tabernacle, the writings of Nikola Tesla and telepathic directions from extraterrestrials,” according to the website. During a 60-minute sound bath, relaxation seekers are supplied with mats, blankets and pillows before lying down inside the Integratron as crystal bowls are played in the “multi-wave sound chamber.” The experience is said to help people balance their chakras and find deep “relaxation, rejuvenation and introspection.” Integratron, 2477 Belfield Blvd., Landers, California, integratron.com.—LV

Tags: Health
Share
Photo of Leslie Ventura

Leslie Ventura

Get more Leslie Ventura
Top of Story