Review of Floatworks, London

Floatworks, London - 4 bubbles

Sensitive Spy, a floatation virgin, accepted the invitation to float at Floatworks with some trepidation. Would ten inches of water really make her feel weightless? Would her head sink? And what would happen if the twinkly music didn't wake her up? Luckily, all questions answered and reassured, she emerged deeply relaxed, and a fan. "Go float at Floatworks," she says. "You'll love it."

First impressions?

How did they welcome you?

What happens next?

Which treatments did you have?

What were the treatments like?

How did you feel afterwards?

What happens afterwards?

Was it worth it?

What else could you have?

What do you wish you'd known before you went?

Any special features?

Who do you think would like it?

Why did you give the spa this rating?

Would you go again?

First impressions?

Floatworks is a short walk from London Bridge station. It's tucked away down a side road off bustling Southwark Street. Easy to find, though, thanks to the detailed directions on their website. I had to buzz to enter. As I went through the discreet green door, I was greeted by a gentle waft of incense. Mmm... goodbye, busy London.

I followed the incense scent down the stairs to the Floatworks reception area. This was warm, hushed, and welcoming, with squashy brown leather sofas, and a big reception desk topped with an equally big, beautiful display of fresh flowers.

How did they welcome you?

The cheerful receptionist asked if I'd like a drink of water and then asked me to sit down and fill in a health form. She gave me a folder explaining what to expect during my floatation session, and a menu of ambient music so I could choose what sort of music I'd like to hear during my time in the floatation pod. Music chosen, I swapped my shoes for some spa slippers and handed in my health form. I was ready to float.

What happens next?

Tim, the owner of Floatworks, took me to my floatation room. He explained that there are nine floatation tanks at Floatworks, each in a private room with a shower. I was going to be floating in an I-sopod -- a floatation tank designed, and built, by Floatworks.

When we entered the floatation room, I actually gasped out loud at how beautiful the I-sopod floatation tank was. I was expecting a dark, box-shaped tank. Instead, the room was filled with a curvaceous white egg-shaped pod. The lid was open and an inviting blue glow shone from inside. The I-sopod looked like it had come straight off the set of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The floatation tank took up most of the room. I also had my own power shower, a white plastic garden chair (which looked strangely out of place next to the giant space egg) and a white, curved table unit, which looked it also housed part of the filtration process as well as doubling up as a dressing table. Now that's multi-tasking.

Tim ran me through the basics of floating. He explained that the floatation tank was filled with strongly salty water -- similar to the water in the Dead Sea. The salt water supports your body, so, as you float effortlessly on the surface, you experience total weightlessness. As your body is relaxed and supported, the "thinking" part of your brain has nothing to process, so it switches off, leaving you in a dream-like state, similar to what you'd hope to achieve during deep meditation.

Tim said that once I got into the tank, my hour-long session would begin with ten minutes of ambient music before I would be left floating in 50 minutes of silence. The music would play again at the end of the session, so I'd know it was time to leave the tank.

He showed me the two buttons in the tank. One turned the light on and off, and one was a help button to alert reception in case of spa emergency.

Floatworks provide you with earplugs (two different sizes) to stop the salty water getting into your ears, and sachets of Vaseline in case you have any cuts or grazes -- you don't want to get salt into a cut. Ouch! You can hire a big, fluffy blue towel for £1, or bring your own.

Which treatments did you have?

A 60-minute floatation session (£40).

What were the treatments like?

Amazing! Once Tim had left the room, I locked the door after him, undressed and had a shower. The water was pretty cold -- I couldn't work out how to make it any warmer. After that shock to the senses, it was utter bliss to don my earplugs and enter the warm cocoon of the floatation tank.

The water wasn't deep -- only ten inches or so. It was hard to imagine that I would be able to float in so little water. I shut the lid of the tank and sat down. The white lid of the tank curved up high, giving me plenty of headroom. Definitely more cosy than claustrophobic. I stretched my legs out in front of me and tried to find a comfortable position. It wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be! I could relax my legs fine, but found it hard to lie back and trust that my head wasn't going to sink below the water. I got round this by putting my hands behind my head. As I got more confident, I found that I could move my hands away from my head and let them hang at the side of my body a la Millais's Ophelia. The introductory ambient music had come and gone by the time I was happy with my position.

Once I was finally in a comfortable position, it felt amazing. I was floating in space! I'd assumed that I would need to use meditation techniques to still my mind, but I didn't need to. As my body relaxed, my mind followed. All I could hear was my heartbeat so I listened to that, for what felt like a few minutes and then I effortlessly drifted away to who-knows-where. I don't know where the time went. I thought that ten minutes had gone past when the twinkly music started up again to tell me that my hour was up. Shame! I was enjoying it so much.

How did you feel afterwards?

Very relaxed, alert, and a little thirsty -- exactly how I'd expect to feel after a good massage.

What happens afterwards?

After reluctantly stepping out of the floatation tank, I had a shower (warmer this time, thankfully) and got dressed. It would have been nice to have had a mirror in the floatation room so I could have checked my appearance before emerging, though. I made my way back to reception where a member of staff took me down a corridor, past therapy rooms and other floatation rooms, to "The Hairdrying Room". In fact, there are two hairdrying rooms at Floatworks. Each is equipped with large mirrors (at last!), comfy chairs and a powerful hairdryer. There was also some uninspiring-looking Sanex deodorant and a mysterious, unlabelled cream in a pump dispenser. The lighting was a bit too dim to apply make-up properly but I was able to stop my hair looking too mad after all that salt.

Hair dried, unlabelled cream pondered over, I wandered back to reception to hand back my spa slippers, reclaim my shoes and re-enter the real world.

Was it worth it?

Yes. £40 for an hour of precious me-time is good value -- especially in central London. You can also buy three floating sessions for £80 - that's a float for just under £27.

Regular floaters can sign up for Silver, Gold, or Platinum yearly membership, offering inclusive floats, free towel hire and other discounts. The £800 Platinum package gives you a float a week -- you'd be the calmest person in London after a year of that.

What else could you have?

The float is very much the star at Floatworks. Alongside the nine private floatation rooms there are two therapy suites offering complementary therapies and massage. The therapies on offer change depending on what day you visit, so check in advance for the full timetable. There are massages of all flavours: Shiatsu, pregnancy, foot, deep facial, lymphatic drainage, holistic. Therapies include Reiki, osteopathy, allergy testing, EFT and NLP.

What do you wish you'd known before you went?

Nothing. As a floatation virgin, I had a lot of questions about what to expect from a floatation session but they were all answered (bar one) on Floatwork's excellent, informative website. When you're having a therapy as unusual as this for the first time, that's deeply reassuring.

My only unanswered question was: "What would happen if I fell asleep and the ambient music at the end of the session didn't wake me up?" I speak as one who slept through the great storm of 1987, with trees being felled outside my window, so I didn't think that the twinkly music stood much chance of rousing me.

This was all covered in reassuring detail in the information folder. If the quiet, twinkly music doesn't wake you up, they'll crank the volume up to eleven. If that fails, as a last resort, they'll open the lid remotely from reception.

Any special features?

Floating in ten inches of water inside a white plastic egg is pretty special.

The other-worldly sensation of hanging in the water, perfectly supported and feeling like I was floating in space, was very special, too, and will stay with me for a long time.

Who do you think would like it?

Stress bunnies. Anyone who wants to meander happily around their inner landscape for an hour or so. Men -- Floatworks' smart, white and blue decor will appeal to both sexes. Single spa goers -- as floatation is a solitary therapy, it goes without saying that floatation probably isn't going to float your boat if you're looking a long, chatty spa day. Shy spa-goers will love the private rooms.

Why did you give the spa this rating?

We gave Floatworks 4 bubbles. Our Spa Spy motto is "It's always nice to have a bit of a lie-down". What better way to have a lie-down than in a deliciously relaxing floatation session? Floatworks is very much a floatation centre, not a spa in the traditional sense. There's no lounging about in robes here. However, if you're looking for hush and calm, and a break from your day-to-day concerns for an hour or so, you'll certainly find it at Floatworks.

The staff are passionate about floatation, and it shows. From the beautifully designed I-sopods to the detailed instructions and friendly welcome, I felt like I was in the hands of experts from beginning to end of my floatation experience. Wonderful stuff.

There's no relaxation room at Floatworks, which is a pity. You can sit in reception for a post-float breather before re-entering the real world, but that's not the same as a proper lounge in a dedicated relaxation area.

A few more soft touches would have been nice, too; unbranded creams and potions always shout "health club" rather than "spa". I'd have liked to have had a mirror in the floatation room to check my appearance before re-emerging into the reception. A directional nozzle on the shower would have been handy. too, for washing salty water out of my ears. Small gripes. Go float at Floatworks -- you'll love it.

See more on how we rate the spas.