Urban Float

I've been to more "floats" than I can count, because of sore muscles from exercise and I heard the salt in these bathes really helps.

This float has music to relax to. (I cannot float in a black void of nothingness).

But most importantly, you have a lovely space to shower off before entering and exiting the spa. Most other floats don't give you that lux feeling.

The water really does help most soreness, and leaves you feeling refreshed and pampered. Self care 101.

Everytime I go to Urban Float I feel so happy and relaxed. The atmosphere is calming, the site is always very clean and the staff is so friendly. Their Pods are my absolute favorite! With the water temperature being perfect, and the music (you select) is a nice addition to the entire relaxing experience. PS: The showers and bathroom areas are ALWAYS spotless! I highly recommend them!

I have been going to Urban float for most of the year now and have experienced tremendous benefits from floating. What keeps me coming back to float is the relief from stress I have experienced. The float session are 60 or 90 minutes long, which is great for personal reflection. I tend to fall asleep during my sessions. You can choose a meditation during your session.

Urban Float has 6 total pods and I have never had a problem with booking an appointment. The staff is always friendly and they care about their clients well being.

I would recommend floating at Urban Float for anyone that needs to relieve stress in their busy lives.

Have you been thinking about trying out a float location, but though, Ug, I don't know if I can do it, I'm claustrophobic (or insert other reason)? Well so did I for like over a year. I heard wonderful things about how it settles the mind, can alleviate pain, etc.. but wasn't sure I could handle the enclosed pod.

I have anxiety disorder and half the phobias out there. I was intrigued by the idea but too nervous about having to hold still for that long and feeling stuck. And now I can't say enough about it. I was in pain in my neck and shoulders for over a week. So when I saw my cousin post about doing a float in his area I decided it was time to just go for it, and I'm so glad I did.

The guy at the front desk walked me through the process and put my mind at ease. You can listen to music/sounds if you like and since I wasn't sure which one, he played the samples for me. I decided on a meditation and had them play it for the entirety. I ended up keeping the little glowing light on for half the time, then turned it off.

I left here so chill. I felt peaceful for the rest of the day and felt physically better as well.

Tried this place off a recommendation from a friend, and they had a Groupon running, yay! Really interesting! It's a long time, so as my friend says, "you have to really enjoy your own company". Definitely true. Check in was easy, booking was easy (can do online), there is a short video/paperwork to fill out on an iPad before your appointment- I knew I would be cutting it close for my actual float so I went a couple days prior to do all that. This is the only float place I've been to so far, so I dont really have anything to compare it to, but I would recommend it to anyone interested in "float therapy"! Or just needs a 60min escape. :)
Happy floating!

Every time I think about floating and sensory deprivation tanks, my mind goes somewhere between early episodes of Fringe and that episode of the Simpsons when Homer is trapped in a tank and just sings to himself the whole time.

Urban Float is, thankfully, not like either of those places. The Kirkland location is still reasonably new, and I think that they're still finding their feet, several months on.

If you're a newcomer to floating, there's a video on a tablet that they make you watch before you start. The "Pre" room is nice, but a bit poky if it's full as it seats six when it's at capacity, and you're elbow to elbow with someone else while you wait for your float. When you get called to your float room, there's also someone there to give you a quick lowdown, so don't worry if you didn't pay attention to everything in the video!

The pods are slick and ultra-modern looking, and you're in a pretty spacious room. It's all very fancy. The pods themselves are big enough so you can float in them without banging into the sides. I usually have the lights and music off the whole time, because I find the music and lights distracting. But it's nice when you start to have the lights on until you get used to it, and also it's less disorienting (if you turn all the lights and the outside light off, it can get pretty dark!).

A few things that leaves it short of five stars: I feel like sometimes the experience gets a bit rushed, like they just want to get people in and out as fast as possible, and some small things fall through the cracks.

Once I got put in a room where, upon entering, it was clear that it hadn't been made up and there were used towels and a wet floor. (I was quickly moved into another available room though.) Another time I was getting ready to float and then noticed that I hadn't been provided with earplugs, so I had to get dressed again and go outside to get them, and then get changed and shower again before getting in the pod, which cut into my float time. And another time still, I booked for four people, where if you bring new people to float you get points that add towards a free float, and they somehow lost track of that information.

The online booking system is usually reliable, although I've had to call to confirm on a few occasions because I never received a confirmation email. (You also don't' get a confirmation email if you call to book.)

I'm not a fan of the soap/shampoo they provide, so I bring my own. The other thing is that when you're all calm after getting out of the pod and you're getting ready to face the real world, the pod's filters start going off, and they're pretty noisy. It's a little bit of a zen-ruiner there.

That said, these things are quite minor, and I'm not going to stop floating because of them. I've been coming here for several months now; I do enjoy floating and I find it relaxing, and a way to clear my mind. I haven't seen any trippy hallucinations on my floats, but that's okay with me.

Customer service has always been extremely good there, with all the staff I've met being super friendly and helpful. There's only minimal upselling, which is good because I can't imagine anything more obnoxious than being totally relaxed and then having someone pushing to sell you stuff.

Overall, I'm going to keep coming back (I'm a member now!) but there are definitely little spots of the overall experience that could be improved.

There's plenty of parking in the lot, or up the street by the library.

My husband went for the first time a month ago and liked his experience there. He kept going back because he liked the location and the ease of getting there. However, the quality of the facility started to take a down turn. His last 2 floats were interrupted by loud talking and other noises such as doors slamming and random beeping noises.

While I understand that those are natural components of business (noises and such) they really should strive to lessen those elements for a business whose services are "sensory deprivation." Whether it be putting into their guidelines that no talking should be had where the float rooms are or maybe even looking to soundproof rooms.

Again, I wouldn't hold these standards for traditional businesses, but if your service is to deprive one of their senses, something tells me noise is a huge distraction that detracts and ruins ones experience.

My husband will be looking for a different location to float because this one doesn't provide a peaceful setting to encourage relaxation.

I saw that Groupon was offering a deal on a float session at this Kirkland Urban Float and the whole concept intrigued me. It's kind of a "way out there" concept for me, as I'm a child of the 60's and I remember hearing about sensory deprivation tanks and hippies and tripping and all that. But nowadays these floatation tanks (aka isolation tanks) are flouted as being therapy tools for relaxation, stress management, and even pain alleviation. Heck, I can use stress relaxation! Like, in a big way! I decided to try it out.

Booking online was super easy, and I liked how they send you an email reminder about your appointment with FAQs and tips on how to get the most of your experience.

I found the place easily. It is open quite early and stays open quite late; I think they said 7 or 7:30am to 11:30 pm daily, 7 days a week. So one could book a float session super early or super late - as late as 10:30 pm. I think that's awesome, to have such extended hours. The ladies who work here were super nice, too, and very patient in answering my questions. As a first-timer, I had many. Initially, I had to sign some liability papers attesting I'm in good health, etc. Then I was given a tablet and directed to the "pre soak lounge": a dimly lit room with a faux fireplace. Relaxing place with upholstered chairs. The tablet had a 5 minute video explaining the whole concept of floatation tanks, explained what to expect, provided some relaxation techniques and positions to try while floating, and more.

I was then given a brief tour and was shown the women's washroom (they have a hairblower there to use after the float, as well as unscented body lotion), the "post float lounge room" (where one goes after the float. It was nearly identical to the pre-float lounge room, fireplace and all), and then to my private floatation pod room (I'm not sure exactly how many such rooms they have here. Between 4 and 8. I didn't count).

The room is quite large, with a shower on one side and the very large pod on the other. The furnishings are sparse, in a Zen-like aesthetic, with warm grey concrete and contemporary minimalistic lighting and modern Kohler shower hardware. I liked how clean it was. Like, you could eat off the floor. They supply the shampoo, body wash and conditioner (personally, I didn't really like the shampoo or body wash, though, and I may bring my own the next time if they say that's ok). They provide a fresh pair of earplugs (disposable, after you use them). And the towels are already there in the room.

I had a fear of the pod closing and locking me in, but the woman explained and showed me how they do not lock, how I could leave it open if I wanted, or how I could place a towel on the edge and prop the pod door hatch open an inch. She showed me how there's a switch on the interior left side that controls the interior pod lights, and a switch on the interior right side that will summon them if you need help or assistance. There's also a floatation "noodle" inside in case you want to prop up your neck with that, and a spray bottle with fresh water in case you get some of the pod salt water in your eyes. They thought of everything! I liked how you are in control of your own experience.

They give you the option of listening to "spa music" throughout your session, or only at the beginning and/or the end. I opted for 10 minutes at the beginning and 5 minutes at the end. And, yes, I did rather enjoy the experience, so much so that I purchased two more sessions!

Note: if you have any cuts on your body, postpone your session as the salt water will sting it like crazy. And don't shave the day beforehand. Trust me on this!

All in all, this was a relaxing experience that I suspect will be more relaxing the next time I try it out.

Still working out their kinks. I only went to the Kirkland location again because the Fremont location was closed for a little while for renovations.

I experienced the same super frustrating experience with the music not turning on at the correct time and totally freaking me out when it did come on.

Also, this time when I went in the pod was closed instead of open and it was stifling hot in there! I opened it while I was in my first shower, but I was still uncomfortably warm for the first 20 or so minutes, really detracting from the entire point of the float - sensory deprivation (not possible if the water and air temperature are incorrect). Very frustrating.

I lucked out because I was able to get a promotional deal that they had which was $7 for 7 floats deal. I floated everyday for a week in the evening usually after work (just before bed time). I tried this location on my 2nd and 3rd visits. By the end of the week I found myself with less stress, less anxiety and improved sleep as well as a quicker recovery times from post-work out muscle pains. It was such a noticeable difference in my energy that my partner, my friends and my co-workers commented on how refreshed I seemed and that is without telling them about my floating!!!

My first float was done at the Fremont location and was very difficult to get used to all the sensations of floating and temperature. I would recommend this location over Fremont hands down. If you can make the trip, it's worth the drive to come here and they have parking.

Kirkland's location is more comfortable in size, room temperature and water temperatures. I had no issues with sound, unlike the Fremont location. The lounges are comfy here and the bathroom is well stocked with body lotion, Q-tips and hair dryers.. The showers are in the room and they provide toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash, ear plugs, hair ties and towels. Also provided is vinegar to rinse the salt water out of your ears.

You will need an appointment in advance, however at times they have opening a day or two ahead. The reason why they have more availability than Seattle is because this location has 5 rooms.

I highly recommend floating if you can afford it and this location is amazing. They said that a Capitol Hill location is soon to open this summer!

As a tip, I've found that following them on Facebook is the best way to be alerted of their specials. Because it snowed heavily yesterday, they offered a last-minute deal for a half priced float if you came in that evening. Facebook is also how I was alerted of the $7 for 7 deal.