Float Spa Omaha Reviews
Float Spa Omaha as a search term has a surprising average of 480 searches a month. Little did I know that Omaha has had a Float Spa
renaissance since 2016 with the introduction of several new spas.
If you found this page you likely have already decided to at least try it. This post is going to be a review of the True Rest Float Spa in Omaha and my experience, in general, about being a first-time “floater”.
Omaha Float Tank Search
I used the search term Omaha Float Tank and got 3 or 4 prospective Omaha hits. I had decided, after being reminded about float therapy on a podcast, to book myself my own Father’s Day present. I had never done it and was interested in what it would be like and if it delivered any of the promised benefits.
Convenience is always #1 for me and I recalled there being an Omaha float spa close to my home. Unfortunately, they must have closed. The next listing that caught my attention was True Rest Float Spa. It appears to be a larger franchised chain specializing in float tanks.
I went to their website directly initially to price it out and it was going to be around $90 for the session. I certainly didn’t want to pay that amount and noticed that in the search results there was a Groupon entry. Sure enough, it was for True Float. Using the Groupon brought the price down to down to $45. As a bonus, I used the Honey Chrome extension on my computer which searches and applies all known coupon codes.
Boom! It found one for Groupon and knocked another $9.00 off the price. Otherwise you can get $30.00 off your treatment
using this link.
Booking A Visit at True Rest
OK, now it got a little bit tricky. After I secured the Groupon discount it took you to a scheduling feature right within Groupon. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to work. It showed no availability for months and it said the Groupon expired in September (I was booking this in June of 2020).
I had checked the booking system directly on the True Rest website and it showed availability. I had to go old school and actually call. They apologized, said that wasn’t correct, and were extremely helpful and booked my appointment for the next evening. They just said I needed to bring in the offer code from Groupon when I came for the appointment.
One additional note, I tried to use the company’s chatbot on their website to get some basic information before I booked. I just wanted to know if they were open since it was a Sunday and Father’s Day. The chatbot couldn’t give me that basic information and kept asking for my name, email, and phone number to send to the location. It must be a franchise centralized service. Perhaps it was because it was Sunday, but it was not helpful and I would not advise using it.
Bottom line In Case You Don’t Want To Read The Entire Review
After the initial hiccups with booking the appointment, I had a great experience at True Rest Float Spa. You can read the rest of the review for the detail, but it is something that I would do again. I may try and hit the other Float Spa Omaha businesses in town in order to compare them, but I would definitely go back to True Rest Float Spa.
Float Spa Omaha Directory
Blue Oceans Float
1016 S. 74th Plaza, Omaha, Nebraska 68114
(531) 365-2154
Float Center
597 N 155th Plaza, Omaha, Nebraska 68154
(402) 739-8391
Float District Southport
12744 Westport Pkwy Ste. F, La Vista, NE 68138
(531) 215-1567
Omaha Float Spa
17829 Pierce Plaza, Omaha, NE 68130
(402) 763-4556
True REST Float Spa
2522 S 171st Ct, Omaha, NE 68130
(402) 991-9899
Get $30 Off True Rest
True REST Float Spa Review
I was asked to get there about 30 minutes before my float at 7:30 p.m. in order to go through a first-time user orientation. They said not to have caffeine the day of the float and I complied (I was on day 3 of caffeine\Diet Coke elimination).
I did very little exercise on the day of my float. I did do a 30-minute sauna session in my infrared sauna. Other than that I did some
Jefferson curls and mowed have the lawn and the trimming (which can be a little work out on its own).
I ate dinner around 6:30 p.m. (some beanies and weenies if you must know and a little rice) but generally felt pretty hunched over from my day of working at the computer and hunched over the mower and trimmer.
True REST Float Spa was about 15 minutes from my house and I had a nice relaxing drive out to their location. I’m doing this during the coronavirus so there is much less traffic than normal. My appointment was at 7:30 p.m. with my float time from 8 to 9 o’clock.
True rest float spa is in a nice neighborhood with a lot of medical buildings surrounding it. It is actually in a strip mall that it is in is nondescript and pretty generic. My first impression walking into the lobby was that it was a legit and nice facility. Since it was during the coronavirus pandemic I was asked to wear a mask while in public areas. The person who helped schedule my appointment said “it would be ridiculous” referring to wearing a mask during the float.
They had my appointment in the system and offered me a pair of slippers which I took. I was ushered through their Oasis room, to a small room to watch a video on floating. The Oasis room and the video screen room were both nicely put together. You can tell they spent some money on this facility.
Under normal circumstances, I would have been treated to the Oasis spa room which normally has an oxygen bar served tea. But that was not going to be available due to the coronavirus. I could have used the room to relax, but it was already going to be late when I was finished. It didn’t appear that anyone else was in the facility, but since you float for an hour in a sensory deprivation tank I may have not known if others were there. There was quite a bit of space between the floating suites.
First Time Orientation
The orientation was actually pretty interesting and useful. They gave some tips on relaxing and, what I found most helpful, was a rundown of the different positions to use while floating. I found the “Surrender” and “Mummy” worked best for me. It also said many people experience 50 percent pain reduction after the first float and 80 to 90 percent after 2 or 3 floats. I wasn’t addressing any specific pain, but I will definitely monitor my body for the next couple of days.
Once complete, they showed me to the prep room which was a nice room with a couple of sinks. Then it had his and her bathrooms that were pretty basic. I came to find out that that really should be called the “after” room since that is where you could go to get yourself ready to go back to work if you were floating during the workday.
We then went down to my float suite. The room was really nice with a shower with several spouts you could choose and an array of soaps, shampoos, and conditioners. Everything was extremely clean. They had the towels laid out for you and he showed me the earplugs, Vaseline (they advise covering in minor cuts), and makeup remover towelettes.
I was walked through how to enter the float tank and that they would start the music initially and it would go for about 5 minutes and then you would have silence. Then the music would start again about 5 minutes before the float was over. They advise you to stretch a little in the last 5 minutes before you get out.
As he left he said he would start the program in 6 minutes which gave me time to use the shower and get positioned into the tub. Not everyone pulls down the cover, but I want the true experience and pulled it down. And, on their advice, shut the light off in the tank to get the full sensory deprivation experience.
Halo
I was ready to go. They also had a device called a “Halo” which you could put underneath your head for additional head support if you wanted or needed it. I started using the Halo not believing my big noggin would fully stay afloat. I used it for the first 10 minutes or so and felt like my shoulders were staying tight so I got rid of it and sure enough my head floated just fine. I didn’t use it again until the very end. Perhaps I was using it incorrectly but I think I would just go with no Halo the next time I used float therapy.
The Float Begins
The water was warm enough to feel really good. I used to live in Phoenix and it was like the pool water in July. Not jarring in the least like cool water could be. I had the door shut and the lights off. Now, what was a little jarring was that the lights came on within the float tank when the music started. It is ambient green or pink light, but that was slightly annoying. There is a button easily accessible to shut it back off. The music was one of the highlights. I loved having my head submerged just over my ears and hearing the music through the water. It was a really interesting and cool experience.
Do I Really Like This?
I tried out several positions suggested in the orientation video but the mommy worked out the best for me. I switched several times between the mummy and the surrender pose during the float.
The first thing I noticed once the music shut off and it was just me floating in the darkness was feeling and noticing your heartbeat more clearly than normal. After about 15 minutes I started to think of how this compares to a massage. During a massage, you are always wondering how much time you have left because you don’t want it to end. Did I feel that way? I think I liked it, but another 45 minutes? I started to understand how someone who is claustrophobic may not like the experience. I am not diagnosed, but I don’t like closed in places with limited air. For a moment, I felt like I may want to open the lid and take a couple of deep breathes. But, that urge passed before I acted on it.
I removed the Halo and moved to a mummy position. That seemed to be my “money” position. Time seemed to speed up. I don’t know if I dozed off a couple of times or entered the “theta” brain wave cycle as the orientation video said would happen. With about 15 minutes left (Estimating the time of course) I felt very peaceful. It was like my breathing and heart were in harmony. I also noticed that I could barely notice when my out-breath. ended I have been working on breathing through my nose lately. It may be unrelated, but when I exhaled through my nose I felt like I could hold it without breathing back in for a minute at a time. It was more likely 15 seconds, that I felt like I could have done it for a full minute.
Then the lights came back on and the music started. Again, I loved the music. And now that I had removed the Halo, my head was deeper in the water and it was an even more interesting experience. Did I like it? Yes, by that point I would have had no problem staying in there another 30 minutes. The water seemed to cool off a little during the float but not enough to be uncomfortable.
The Dismount (Getting out of the Float Tank)
I did do a couple of stretches before I got out as they suggested. I am a little gangly and it was a little tougher than I thought to get out. I finally had to reach for the hydraulics to get stabilized. It had some sort of white greasy substance on it. Thankfully they had a hand towel right there for a quick wipe off.
How Did I Feel Immediately After
Initially, I noticed my neck and upper back couldn’t fully relax in the float tank. Removing the Halo helped that feeling, but I wondered if I would be a little stiff in the neck area when the treatment was done. However, once I got out I felt really good and had no complaints. No need for a Neck Hammock treatment tonight!
I showered up and got myself dressed. Again, normally I would have taken advantage of the Oasis room and the prep room to get work-ready, but it was late on a Monday night during the coronavirus. I headed out to the lobby.
Business End
As I came out into the lobby to drop off my slippers I figured that that may be the time for the hard sell on additional sessions or a membership. I had a good experience and was interested in some basic information. No hard sell. They did go through some membership options but it was not high pressure at all. There was a sign for $45.00 first-timer pricing. I would presume that is available most of the time. Of course, you may want to check Groupon as I did to see if you can beat that price or if you have already used your introductory session pricing.
Overall Experience
Overall the place is very nice, comfortable and clean. I would say even luxury. After doing a little more research I am surprised how many facilities Omaha is supporting. I intend to explore more of them and would definitely put this into my regular rotation of treatments. Again, for me, it is all about convenience. But, True REST Float Spa Omaha has set the bar pretty high and I would definitely return. I was done and out of there by 9:03 p.m.
After Effects of Omaha Float Spa
They say you can feel the effects for a couple of days after. That you may be very mellow and generally in a good mood. If I had any goals, it was to improve my
sleep.
When I went home that night I was hungrier than normal. The line at Dairy Queen made me want to eat ice cream (I also knew I had a Father’s Day ice cream cake waiting for me at home). Passing Zio’s made me want pizza. I do a daily minimum 13 hour fast and had eaten a little early. Perhaps that was it instead.
I went to bed that night without listening to a podcast which I normally set to turn off after 45 minutes. I woke up once during the night but went right back to sleep with no podcast help. I Woke up at 6:15 feeling pretty good and then twilight slept until 7:30.
Day After
I felt very awake. I judge my restfulness by how my eyes feel as I wake up. Sometimes it feels like the area just behind your eyes are tired. I didn’t have that, I felt really awake. It could be that I kicked caffeine for the previous 3 days. They suggested not having caffeine the day of the float and I was generally trying to get off
diet coke after a particularly bad couple weeks of ingestion.
I don’t think it is related, but I had a full health break down the next day. Multiple Diet Cokes, nasty convenience store pizza, and I did break down and eat the rest of that Father’s Day ice cream cake.
Two Days After
Even with the health break down and the caffeine the day before I did sleep pretty well again. I hope to have sleep monitoring in place after my next float, which I will do, to break down, a little more scientifically, if it is helping at all with sleep.
But, I think anything that can quiet your mind for an hour is a good thing and I will continue to float. I hope to try every facility in Omaha over the coming months and will report back on those visits as well.
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Troy Wright
I am a lifetime basketball enthusiast and loved playing basketball competitively through high school. I still try and play at least 3 times a week and explore all kinds of equipment and training to keep myself on the court and continually getting better. I am a college basketball fanatic and move onto the NBA when March Madness ends.
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