Lift keeps your body, mind afloat with sensory deprivation therapy

CARROLL GARDENS (WABC) -- If you feel like you need a break from the rat race of life, or if you're just looking to detach for an hour, there's a very simple way to do so.

It involves a with 250 gallons of water and 1,000 pounds of Epsom salts. You get inside the tank, and just float.

Gina Antioco and David Leventhal both left their careers to open Lift, a new floatation therapy spot in Carroll Gardens.

"When you're in the tank, it's as close to being in a zero gravity environment as possible here on earth," Leventhal said. "So that is just amazing, taking all that weight off our spine."

And also, perhaps, off your mind. By closing the lid, you can close yourself off to all distractions. The water is skin temperature, and you won't hear or see a thing.

"Since there's no temperature variance the air, the water and your skin, you basically lose awareness of where your body ends and the water begins," Antico said.

Float time is 60 minutes, and a similar experience is offered in the ocean float room, which has a starry ceiling. And you're encouraged to go in the nude.

Some say floating transports them emotionally, while others float to alleviate chronic pain or skin conditions.

Even skeptics enjoy the experience, as Liz Montgomery was thrilled her fiance brought her.

"I was like, oh, this is a little gimmicky," she said. "But the actual experience was really wonderful and relaxing."

Lift has only been open three months, and already, about half the people who've been in have returned for another float.

"Most people come out with big smiles on their faces, they come out relaxed," Leventhal said. "We need this in our lives, clearly."

An hour-long float runs $99, but there are packages that bring the price down.
Copyright © 2019 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.