True Rest Float Spa

This was the absolute worst experience. I get that the point is to remove stimulation, but that was impossible because the entire place smelled like sweat. There are no options for aromatherapy. I also was disturbed to find out that the water is filtered and re-​used. The temperature of the water was not warm or cold, so it felt slimy and disgusting. The whole time you strain yourself to float in total silence and I kept bumping up against the walls of the pod as soon as I would start to «relax» and float. The air was muggy and humid. I ended my experience irritated and tense and wishing I had paid for massage or steam room, or taken a nap instead.

It’s one of the best decisions of my life. I saw the initial groupon and decided to give the tank a try after hearing about it on various podcasts. I’m into meditation as well. After one visit, I picked up a membership. The staff is extremely courteous and hospitable, the place is immaculately CLEAN, you are guided and best of all, IT ACTUALLY WORKS. I try to go weekly. Your aches and pains dissipate a bit and you come out with a clarity that is pure. I love it, man. Thank you!

Wow, what an incredible experience. I will definitely try it again after the holidays. This is something I always wanted to try since the movie Altered States came out back in 1980. The facility is first rate and professional. The first time there you are required to watch a 20 minute video, but the video is helpful.
The video and literature indicates you may need to go twice to get the full benefit and I think that is more than marketing hype. I was almost done with my first float when I was getting the hang of it. At the beginning you can’t turn off the lights and the circ pump is running so I couldn’t quite relax. The circ pump moves you around and at 6’1″ I would bump into the walls. I’m guessing, but done’ know for sure, my 6’7″ friend may not be comfortable in this pod.
I was just starting to get comfortable in the darkness when the air got too warm to be comfortable. (The water was the perfect temp) I opened the lid to let air in and the lights came on. That broke the relaxation a bit. I later learned I could crack the lid of the pod just a bit and the lights would remain off and I could get a little air circulation.
At the end I felt wonderful (quite a bit of arthritis and am an avid runner) I will definitely do this a second time and report back.

Drift off to dream land and let all of your cares and stress disappear into nothingness. At least for an hour. After reading Bryant’s glowing review, I couldn’t help but give this a try. My girlfriend’s LSAT was coming up and she was stressing hardcore about it, so I found the Groupon for True Rest and scheduled an appointment for the two of us to go the night before her exam.
We got there a couple of minutes early, got signed in, and settled down in the lobby before watching the intro video on floating. It had a cool backstory on the history of flotation therapy, and wasn’t just a boring history lesson, but had some humor as well.
On to the floating! Katie and I went into our respective booths/​areas, which were very nicely appointed with tile flooring, and a beautiful tile shower. Leaps and bounds nicer than the shower that I have in my home! You’re instructed to take a quick shower before getting into the pod to make sure you don’t contaminate the water.
I didn’t feel claustrophobic or trapped once I got in the pod at all. It was pretty surreal to just be suspended completely weightless. I really wanted to have that 100% sensory deprivation feeling, but I couldn’t get the blue LED inside of my pod to turn off. My fault for not using the call button to take care of it, but it was still relaxing. I don’t think I ever fell completely asleep, but I was in that middling place where you’re lucidly dreaming. It was a great experience!
Afterward we really wanted to try the oxygen bar, but the two chatty Cathys who were in the other two pods completely monopolized the two oxygen bars, so after waiting around for 10 minutes or so we just left. I would DEFINITELY recommend giving True Rest a try, and I plan to go back for sure.

Having a high stress job and a brain that never powers down, I learned about the float spa from Groupon. I did a lot of research into this spa as well as the concept of floating too before buying the 2 Groupons. Booking online was a breeze, and I received a followup phone call confirmation from a very nice staff person. We arrived about 35 minutes early to go on the tour, and watch a video and answer any questions that we might have had. Once it was time, we were shown to our float rooms. The shower area is beautiful, and pristine clean. I love the rain shower shower head! You get into your float pod (suits are optional) and you can leave the hatch open or closed. I opted for closed. After about 5 minutes into my float the music went off and so did the lights. I was blissfully floating in 10 inches of water effortlessly, in complete blackout darkness… It took awhile for my brain to slow down and just relax, but once I did it was amazing, I honestly did NOT want to get out. my husband who also floated has deteriorating spinal disk disease and is always in back pain. we’ve been home for 3 hours now and he still has absolutely no back pain. While they do offer memberships here, there is NO pressure to buy which I appreciated, and I honestly have more respect for the company because I never felt pressured. I understand they are opening another spa near Easton in Columbus, and at that point I can almost assure that I will buy a membership. I honestly felt more relaxed in here in 1 session than any massage or facial combined. I was «float drunk» as 1 of the owners called it. Driving home was fun because normally I’m A++ road rage personality, and I didn’t have a care in the world driving home, I was in such a stage of contentment! I can’t wait for my next float session!

Have you ever had someone tell you about an experience and it was so wonderful, that you simply had to have the same experience yourself? Welcome t my world after Bryant M. and Keith M. told me about their experience at True Rest Float Spa. I love love things like this and there was no doubt in my mind that I too would eventually take the plunge!
The staff are very sweet and the office set up is inviting. There isn’t an area of the spa that it’s welcoming. Tina and Sara put you at ease during each step and explain the process in detail, leaving little need for questions. If you’re like me and will still have some anyway, they do a great job in providing more details.
I’ll follow in suit of another Unilocaler who spoke more about how it felt than the process because others have did a fantastic job at that. This was more than just «an amazing» experience. This is about giving your mind a break so that your body can heal. Sensory freedom. Put away your cell phone, video games, and those who nag you daily. Step inside the water oasis that allows you to connect with yourself, something we rarely seem to do these days.

This place is absolutely awesome! I have been to many spas and had every variation of massage or relaxation service and this one beats them all.
Place is clean, very nice atmosphere and great staff. Good explanation of what to expect. What you will get is the most serene peaceful experience that removed from all the busy normal daily noise and stress. I went in not knowing what to expect and left completely relaxed. I will definately be back!

When I was first asked if I wanted to go floating, I am sure it was expected that I’d say no. But, I find it important to always keep people guessing… so I said yes without any hesitation.
When we arrived for our first float, we were so warmly greeted that I was immediately at ease. Soon, we were ushered into a room full of chaise lounges to watch an instructional video and relax. Let me tell you, if I ever have a movie room in my house, it’ll be filled with chaise lounges! I was so comfy that I couldn’t imagine it getting better.
I was very, very wrong.
We began with a quick tour of what the rooms with the float pods look like. They are warmly decorated with plenty of hooks for your clothes, a bench to sit on or set a bag, and a shelf for your preferred music playing device. The shelf even has an outlet right there to charge said device. See how they just take care of you?!
Before your float, you’ll take a quick shower to get clean before you get into the float pod. I won’t go into all the details about a float… I’ll leave that for other reviewers and the team at True Rest. What I will share is that I felt like I would have an interesting experience floating in a dark tank for an hour. I knew I would relax but I didn’t think I would completely relax.
Well, all I can share with you about that hour in the tank is that I floated for about 10 minutes… and then the music came on and my time was up. Did I fall asleep? Did I enter a meditative state? Was I abducted by aliens? I can’t say.
What I can tell you is that I felt amazing when I got out. After a quick shower, I went into the lounge to take advantage of their flavored oxygen bar.
Yes, you read that correctly.
After 10 minutes of nearly pure oxygen, I was wide awake and ready to take on the world.
I had such an amazing experience at my first float, that I came back just a week later to do it again. If you want to know how that experience went… start from the beginning of this review and read back down to this paragraph.
So, if you are wondering if you should check out True Rest… don’t. Get in the car and head to Powell and get ya float on!

[Set to the tune of Chamillionaire’s Ridin’ Dirty]
They see me floatin’
They hatin’
Patrollin’
They tryin’ to catch me floatin’ dirty…
Yes, this was the little ditty that I couldn’t get out of my head after visiting True Rest Float Spa. I’m not sure how this is relevant to my review, but I somehow thought it was integral to share it with you. Umm… okay, moving on…
If you’ve never heard of a float tank, let me fill you in: It’s a pod where tons of epsom salt has been dumped in to create a salinity so dense that your body can’t help but float. The lights are turned off, and it’s a complete sensory-​deprivation experience. You lie there for an hour, and every single part of you becomes relaxed. Marie G does an excellent job of walking you through each step, so I’ll leave it to her to cover all those details.
A few of the health benefits include:
+Magnesium absorption
+Pain management
+Total body relaxation
+Helps alleviate stress
+Improves sleep
I loved my trip to the float spa. They have easy online booking, and the staff is incredibly helpful and caring. The entire experience from end to end was relaxed and calming. The spa is very clean, and all the amenities are top-​of-​the-​line.
As for the actual floating, it was weird and wonderful. You get your own suite, which includes a shower and a float tank. You take a quick shower to wash off, hop in the tank for an hour, and then wash off again before leaving.
Something strange happens with time in that pod. I could have sworn only 15 – 20 minutes had passed when my hour was up! I was so relaxed — I must have been in a trance! My entire body felt amazing, like a mixture of a good night’s sleep + a massage.
Once I was out of the suite, I headed to the lounge with an oxygen bar. I grabbed some hot tea and plugged into the flavored oxygen machine to inhale some O2 for a while. It was the perfect ending to such a relaxing session!
Pro tips:
+Check Living Social and Groupon before you book; or use their first timer’s promo code.
+Read up on floating so you have a good idea of what you’re getting into. It’ll definitely help you relax better once you’re there.
+About that ‘floatin’ dirty’ I mentioned earlier… don’t do it. You’ll get a huge fine.

Everyone else has done a pretty good job outlining the step-​by-​step experience, so I’ll just share how I *feel*:
Great. Upbeat. Satisfied.
I was a little restless in there at first, so I’m excited to try it again as a more adjusted, less fidgety floater.
I loved the deep darkness and silence of having the pod enclosed. It was a little cool on the surface with the pod open, so I kept it closed and would crack it when the air got a little too stale.
The sensation of floating with nothing but my body was incredible. I’m shorter, so I didn’t touch any of the pod walls very much when I was stretched out, which gave a fantastic «floating through space» feeling.
Also: fab shower & products.
They offer some pretty great packages and memberships, especially if you sign up on your first visit. I have my eye on doing the 5 float bundle (pay upfront) since monthly may be pushing it (it’s far for me!), though you can carry your floats over if miss a month.
The space is gorgeous and peaceful, as great as any spa. The oxygen bar left me invigorated, the staff gave serious warm & fuzzy vibes, and I love how I feel in this moment, just two hours removed.
ETA: fun group activity. Went with two girlfriends and it was fun to discuss our individual experiences together while having tea and «recovering».

Awesome experience. Relaxing from the time I entered until the time I left and for hours afterward. Looking forward to my next visit!

I read about True Rest a few months ago and waited until my sister visited from Denver so we could both try it. We loved it so much we’re returning 6 days later for another session. I live 90 miles from Powell but hope to return as often as I can.
The spa is impeccably clean, everything from the front rooms to the individual float pods rooms were spotless.
Relaxation starts the minute you walk in the door and leaves with you after your session, both of us slept very well that night.
Everything I’ve read indicates you start feeling the full benefits after 3 floats, I’ll try to update after my 3^rd visit on how my body actually fares, but based on one visit I was highly impressed with True Rest and look forward to many float sessions there.

Love this place! Staff are always friendly and professional and go out of their way to make a great experience. For anybody that hasn’t tried flotation therapy it’s definitely worth checking out!

I suffer from chronic pain after 6 spinal surgeries. My spine is fused with hardware cervical to sacral over75 percent. I Heard about True Rest and thought why not? The experience was wonderful and the outcome even better. I can’t describe how much better I felt after an hour I the pod. I am going back today and hope to feel even better after another.

True rest gave me true relaxation along with true relief from back pain. I went from shuffling in pain to running a great training run the next day. A must for athletes… I can’t wait to float again!

I tried floating in Seattle back in the spring where there are float spas popping up everywhere. I had such a nice and relaxing experience and was sad since I hadn’t heard of any float pod locations in Columbus. So happy that True Rest opened! It’s a bit far from my house but I bought the intro Groupon with some friends and we had a blast! None of them had floated before so I felt like the wise and experienced one in the situation knowing what to expect. It was just as clean and relaxing as the place that I tried out west. The shower was so luxurious and the shampoo and conditioner smells like lavender. My hair smelled fantastic through the evening and into the morning :) Bonus: you get to relax afterwards in a designated area with tea, water, and an oxygen bar. We hung out for a good 30 minutes afterwards catching up, breathing flavored oxygen and waking ourselves up before getting into the car to drive home. Great as an alternative to going to a bar for happy hour in my opinion!

What a terrific experience. Ultimate relaxation and a true spa environment. Complementary oxygen bar after your float was a terrific end to a great float.

Show up a half hour before your appt. You fill out paperwork on an iPad. You are taken to a dark sitting area that looks something out of a scifi movie and asked to watch a short video while resting on a lounge chair. You are given a tour of the decompress room where you go to relax after your float, the actual float room, and bathrooms. The float room has the float pod, a shower, and shampoo, body wash, and conditioner. You are asked to shower before the float. Towel is provided. You climb into the pod — with no clothes — you can either use ear plugs, a neck pillow, or just lay back and submerge your ears. You may leave the pod open or closed or partly cracked. The entire room is dark.
Which gets me to the pod experience. People have various fears in life which this pod will quickly bring out. Fear of darkness. Fear of drowning. Fear of suffocation. Fear of isolation. Fear of closed spaces. Fear of being left alone with your thoughts. Fear of quiet. As a society we don’t allow yourselves time to disconnect and be still. Except when we sleep. And these fears are all in our head. The water, air, and skin temps are the same. There is 1200 pound of salt in the water so yes you float. And the water is about 10 inches deep. Your ears are submerged but your face is not. For a few minutes your mind races as if it’s fighting you. It takes a good 15 to 20 mins for your mind to settle. Deep breathing helps. So does meditation. After that a magical thing happens where your body realizes it has stopped fighting gravity and your brain switches to a relaxed state. I tried to relax my jaw and face but I had the urge to smile. I imagined this is what it’s like while we are in the womb before we are pulled out into the bright cold world screaming. Your arms and legs float freely. You can keep your arms out to the side, up above you, on your stomach. Careful not to splash around and get the salt water in your eyes. There is a spray bottle in the pod for that reason. All the music and light controls and intercom to the reception are inside the pod.
My first half I used the neck pillow as I hate water in my ears. I did deep breathing and just had a feeling do well being that kept a constant smile on my face. Happiness. The second half I took away the pillow and submerged my ears. After a minute of getting used to it and getting out of my head — I slipped back into a relaxation state and I heard my heartbeat so loud and clear. As I focused on that sound I started hearing a whooshing sound like waves. To what I imagined was my heart pumping blood. I heard my heartbeat and blood flowing throughout my body. I focused on that sound and then I started to see red waves slowly moving around. For some reason I naturally kept my eyes closed but when I opened them in the closed pitch black pod… I still saw the red waves, almost like a kaleidoscope. Not bright but a faint red. It was not only amazing knowing that I’m alive but hearing my heart beating and pumping blood was surprising to me. I never stop and think about the complexity of my body, everything that makes it operate so I can wake up day after day. Each one of us have different experiences in the pods but this was mine. It was a nice reminder that I’m alive and it was nice to out of my head and be thankful for this life.
I heard the 5 minute warning music come on, I turned the light on inside the pod and slowly came back to the world. Climbed out. Took a shower and washed the salt off, dried off, put my clothes on, and went to the restroom to finish up. They have hair products and a dryer, straightener, and curler provided. Bring a brush. Then you go to the decompress room, enjoy reading the journal, write in it, and enjoy the oxygen bar or a glass of tea/​water. Then you go check out and step back into the loud and busy world we live in totally feeling like a stranger to it.
We’ve come a long way since the first float pod on 1954… besides the meditative benefits to floating there is a long list of other benefits — it’s great for stress reduction (cortisol reduction), muscle pain, migraines, high blood pressure, anxiety, insomnia, back pain, depression, stimulates left/​right brain synchronization… the relaxed state triggers your body’s natural regeneration process. Not in one session. It takes time to peel away the layers of body stress and mental blocks we’ve put up. I will be back. The staff is superb — friendly, knowledgeable, and they’ll answer all of your questions. The five stars alone for cleanliness. I did not find one speck of dirt!

A few weeks after I read about floating therapy, I saw a Groupon for True Rest Float Spa in Powell, OH and decided to give it a shot.
I’ll say this — while the core is the floating session, it’s truly all about the holistic experience from the minute you walk in the door until the minute you leave.
You’re welcomed in a small waiting room, and, like most spas, offered tea, coffee or water to get you comfortable while you wait and listen to the familiar sounds of the pan flute. Once you get the administrative stuff out of the way, you slip into flip flops (they have them for you, but I recommend bringing your own because who knows there those things have been!) and get ushered into a dark room with a wall-​mounted TV and chaise lounges so you can start to relax.
After watching a brief video about what to expect and how to make the most of your experience, the video switches over to a loop of colorful, geometric shapes that go in and out of focus and change size and color. The point is to prepare your brain for the theta state that will come with the float.
Now that you’re mentally prepared, a floating consultant guides you to your floating room that includes both the pod and a small and open shower area to wash your body and hair of the day’s griminess before you step into the pod.
Once cleaned off, you step into your pod and the floating consultant — now in another room — starts 10 minutes of music that’s supposed to relax and prepare you for the next hour of floating. When she walked me through the instructions — of which there were MANY, so listen up — she said that once the music ends at the end of the session, that’s when you know your time is up.
Unfortunately, I didn’t quite hear her say the music plays only the first and last 10 minutes of your session. So when it stopped the first time and suddenly I was floating in complete silence, I panicked. Did my sound work? Did I actually click off the music button? How will I know when to get out if there’s no music to cue me when to do so?
WILL I DIE IN HERE? Probably.
While of course I was being dramatic, it’s indicative of what is probably everyone’s first time in a floating pod. What’s going on with the music? Should I keep the pod lights on or off (if the latter, you’d be floating in literal darkness)? Should I keep the pod open or closed (if the latter, it becomes nearly suffocating)?
Until you know what combination of variables and choices works for you, it’s difficult to relax. They tell you to focus on your breathing — much like in yoga — but you’re so worried about whether or not you’re going to suffocate to death that breathing is the last thing on your mind.
In the last 15 minutes, I finally figured out what combination worked for me — lights off, pod open — and it was heavenly, albeit short.
Once your session is done, you’re asked to shower once again to remove the salt that’s stuck to your body. At True Rest, you have access to lots of products to make that experience like home — Aveda lotions, make up remover, hair dryer, straightening iron. The works.
Once you’re ready to go, you have to first step through an intermediary room that the staff encourages you to spend at least 10 minutes in after your float in order to make an easier transition back into the real world. In that room, you get fresh hot tea (from Tekhu, the best!), lemon water to rebalance the pH in your body, and access to an Oxygen bar — I tried the lavendar, but like a child my nose started running 7 minutes in and I had to stop. And finally, you’re encouraged to journal your experience — or whatever is on your mind — in a journal shared by all patrons of the spa. Pretty interesting to see what other’s experiences have been.
I left feeling almost eerily relaxed. So relaxed that I wondered if I was ok to drive! Alas, I was. It’s a feeling that’s stayed with me throughout most of the weekend, though the shit of the day always finds a way to seep back in.
Would I go back? Absolutely. Pod up, lights off. And… sleep.

The spa was nicely constructed except they made me wait an hour+ before getting in because a ton of kids had Groupons for half the price so the place was swamped and actually pretty hectic with people going in and out of doors, making us watch some movies before when I assume every person that comes in has an idea of what the point of sesory deprivation is. I’m sure the place will be fine once the Groupon effect lessens but let’s get to the real review: The Water.
The water at True Rest was wildly different than any previous water I’ve reviewed. I’ve had crisp, flat, bubbly, poor ice: water ratio, excellent ice: water ratio, poor fill time, excellent fill time and attentiveness, bottled, glass, plastic, and even out of a can (on an airplane!). This water had a very, very bitter taste (this is possibly due to the 300+ pounds of Epsom salt they put in the tanks beforehand but I can’t be sure). What’s more, there was a cleaning pump for this water that started at the beginning of my session and then again at the end, I assume this is to keep the drinking pool clean for other patrons and I give two thumbs up for cleanliness! Most importantly, this water was set apart by the way it was served, in a giant glowing pool and how full and satiated it made me feel afterwards. My coworkers couldn’t believe how ballooned and red I had become from satiety. I didn’t need to eat for days! 5 stars.