What are the benefits of floating?

Float therapy has a robust body of research supporting several significant benefits. Stress reduction is the most consistently demonstrated effect: studies show that a single float session significantly reduces cortisol levels, blood pressure, and heart rate, while increasing feelings of relaxation and well-being. Research published in BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies found that regular floating produced clinically meaningful reductions in stress, depression, anxiety, and pain, with effects lasting days after each session. For chronic pain conditions, a Swedish study of 37 patients with stress-related muscle pain found significant pain reduction and improved sleep quality after 12 float sessions over 7 weeks. Float therapy has shown particular promise for anxiety disorders: a 2018 study in the journal PLOS ONE by Dr. Justin Feinstein at the Laureate Institute for Brain Research found that a single float session significantly reduced anxiety in participants with clinically diagnosed anxiety and stress-related disorders. Additional research supports benefits for enhanced creativity and problem-solving (likely due to the theta brainwave state induced by floating), improved athletic recovery, better sleep quality, and magnesium absorption through the skin from the Epsom salt. The combination of physical weightlessness and sensory reduction creates a unique therapeutic environment that is difficult to replicate with other modalities.

Reviewed by Chad Waldman, Analytical Chemist · Last updated May 2026

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