Jun 02 2008
Float Tank
Ever since watching altered states about a psychologist who is researching mind-body detachment, I have been interested in taking a dip in one of those isolation tanks. I have heard them call isolation tanks, float tanks, or sensory deprivation chambers, but the concept is the same: float in one for about an hour and forget that your brain is attached to your body. The tank is filled with a large amout of epsom salt (800-1000 lbs) to make you more buoyant than the dead sea. It is also heated to 94 degress to make it close to your body temperature.
I just finished the biography of Richard Feynman and found that he used a float tank during his battle with cancer. The only downside I see with these tanks is that they are generally operated by hippies or pseudo-hippies who are looking to get virtually high without any drugs or some sort of holistic healing quackery.
Joe Rogan (fear factor) has a youtube video about his float tank (cost $13k).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEjTXX2rHgA
Here is a list of places which have float tanks. Some of these sub-links are broken