top of page

COVID-19: Our Policies and Cleaning Protocol

We are open, but please adhere to our COVID-19 policies as well as the rules and orders set forth by Public Health Madison & Dane County to help protect the health of ourselves and our guests. Remember, we are a small, non-franchised business, so please respect these rules so we can continue to serve our community! Please familiarize yourself with the following so all future visits to Float Madison are safe and smooth. We'll keep you all updated on any policy changes.

 

Update 6/25/2022: Effective March 1, 2022, Public Health Madison & Dane County will no longer require face coverings in public indoor spaces. We at Float Madison will no longer require them, so they are optional instead of mandatory for both our guests and staff. You may wear one if you wish, but either way, please respect the choice of other guests to whether or not they choose to wear one. And please keep in mind that we often give first time float orientations in groups of up to 4 people (5 if you include our staff), and although we practice social distancing during our orientations, others may or may not be wearing a mask. 

 

Please reach out to us if you have any questions in regards to masks, orientations, or anything else and we'd be happy to help in a non-judgmental, respectful manner. 

 

Our floats have always been by appointment only, and the easiest way to check up to date availability is on the booking page of our website: floatmadison.floathelm.com/booking

  1. Do not float if you are sick or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or if anyone you've been in recent close contact with is sick or experiencing symptoms. If you feel ill on the day of your appointment please call to reschedule. 

  2. Walk-ins for purchasing retail products and physical gift certificates are allowed. You can also purchase digital gift certificates online by clicking here or the Gift Cards tab in the upper right corner of this page.

  3. New Guests: Please read through the confirmation email we sent and arrive 15 minutes early for orientation.

  4. Returning Guests: Please arrive at least 5 minutes prior to your float time.

  5. We will keep our robust sanitation procedures of the float suites, including sanitizing the insides of the float tanks and high touch areas between every session. We will also sanitize high touch areas around the rest of our space between sessions. (More details are further down on this page)

  6. Upon entering, there is an automatic hand sanitizer dispenser to the left of the door and a pump bottle of hand sanitizer on the reception desk. You may use it anytime you wish to.

  7. Our Post-Float Lounge is now open, but we ask that you limit your time in there to around 15 minutes for now. Our water cooler and tea station will still remain closed for the time being.

  8. Please bring a water bottle or beverage of choice. Our Kombucha cooler is now housed behind our reception desk, and if you need a drink please let us know and we can provide you with a complimentary bottle of spring water or you may purchase a bottle of Kombucha.

  9. We will continue to provide float amenities, including shower products, towels, q tips, petroleum jelly for cuts, makeup remover wipes, and earplugs. 

Prior to our temporary closing in March, 2020 we provided some information about reducing stress, one of the main benefits of floating, as well as information on how we keep things clean and safe here, and an amendment to our cancellation policy. We've left all of this up for anyone who wishes to learn more:

As in most public emergencies, one of our main challenges is fear and panic among us humans rather than the nature of the issue at the core of the emergency. Fear and panic are stress-based reactions that often aren’t based in logic or mindful consideration. Floating is a great antidote to those cycles of stress-based anxiety.

Stress is also a primary contributor to weakening of the immune system. Disruption of the immune system from excessive production of stress chemicals cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine will not only increase our susceptibility to viruses and infection but will increase the impact of viruses and infections once they’ve taken hold. Want to protect yourself from viruses? Manage your immune system by managing its inputs: environment, food/nutrition, and stress. Here’s a great TED-Ed video on how stress affects the immune system:

Pink and blue viruses and bacteria of va

And another outstanding presentation on how floating helps immune system function and regulates inflammation:

HOW DO WE SANITIZE OUR CENTER AND FLOAT ROOMS?
 

The fact is the kind of obsessive focus on sanitization and cleaning that we’re now all talking about is and always has been a daily focus for us. We’ve been obsessed with sanitization and cleaning since we opened in 2016. Our owner-operator, Greg, has been up-to-date on being a Certified Pool & Spa Operator since 2015 (The national standard for spa operators since 1972. Check out https://www.phta.org/ for more information). To us, this is all pretty standard stuff, but we will always be very open to our guests about what we do to keep you safe. 

A few things about our processes:
 

  • We operate our float tanks following the Standard set by the Floatation Tank Association (FTA) who works with health regulators and experts such as local health departments, the CDC, NSF, and The Council for the Model Aquatic Health Code (CMAHC).

​

  • Our owner-operator, Greg, has been on the board of the FTA, serving as treasurer, since early 2019. This organization has been in operation since the 1980s with it's mission to establish clear, effective float tank standards, and communicates to regulators and the public on behalf of the float industry. Dr. Roy Vore, microbiologist and expert on recreational water illness, has been a volunteer on the board since April 2020 and has been a big resource for helping float centers navigate best procedures for dealing with COVID-19 in our centers.  If you really want to dive deep into float tank cleanliness you can watch this video of him speaking at Float Conference 2018.
     

  • Our float tanks contain 1,000 lbs of Epsom salts. In terms of salinity level, it follows the same “Specific Gravity” level as The Dead Sea, around 1.3 SG. The Dead Sea got it’s name for good reason: very, very few things can survive in it. As it is with float tanks. They are a highly inhospitable environments for pathogens purely from having that much salt in them.
     

  • Besides the required pre-float shower, each tank has a 3 step filtering process that consists of a micron filter to filter out particulate matter, an ultra-violet (UV) sanitation and ozone purification system, and a small amount of hydrogen peroxide (an oxidizer)– a safe alternative to chlorine and bromine. All of our float tanks are equipped with a 1 micron filter which captures material the size of the COVID-19 virus and is NSF (National Sanitation Federation) approved. Skimmers are used to keep the surface clear. The saltwater in our float tanks is filtered 5 times between every guest. We go in after every guest to visually inspect our suites, and sanitize all commonly touched surfaces such as showers, benches, float tank walls, etc.
     

  • In addition to salt and filtration, the interior surfaces of our float tanks are cleaned every single day with a sanitizing solution to ensure no growth of anything pathogenic inside the float tanks.
     

  • In addition to salt, filtration and interior surface cleaning, we’ve doubled down on sanitizing all high contact surfaces (handles, light switches, faucets/knobs) with EPA-registered hydrogen peroxide wipes by Clorox and diluted hydrogen peroxide.
     

  • Last up, our float tank solution is sent to the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene to ensure that our cleaning process is above and beyond what anyone would expect.
     

  • HVAC: During construction of Float Madison we installed a new very large roof top unit to handle all heating, cooling and dehumidification for just the side of our space where our float suites are: the 3 suites, the restroom, and the hallway (we have a separate system for the other side of our space). It has a high volume exhaust that is on 24/7. And, it doesn't recycle the air like many HVAC systems. It pulls it from the outside and exhausts it, so the air in our space is always moving which in turn helps dispel viruses. 
     

What we want to assure you of is that we are always in a state of obsessive awareness of sanitization and cleanliness. It always has been and always will be paramount to us that you feel safe about coming to our space to rest, relax and heal. This situation is not new to us.

IF I AM CONCERNED ABOUT FLOATING RIGHT NOW, CAN I CANCEL MY APPOINTMENT?
 

Normally, we ask for a 24 hour cancellation notice. If you are feeling unwell, we are always happy to cancel your appointment for free. We understand right now that many people are afraid to be out and about in public, and we are happy to cancel your appointment without our usual policy need. We just ask that you are genuine with us about the reason for your cancellation. We’ll honor it if you do.

WE MAY HAVE TO CANCEL YOUR APPOINTMENT.
 

If we have reason to think you may be affected, we will cancel your appointment. In the event that we have staff out due to sickness, we may need to cancel your appointment. We will do our best to give you ample notice.

I’M HAVING FINANCIAL DIFFICULTY BECAUSE OF COVID-19. CAN I PAUSE MY MEMBERSHIP?
 

Absolutely. We’re in this together, and we understand that some people may already be or soon be experiencing financial difficulty as a result of workplace disruptions. Our membership plans always have and always will have flexibility at their heart. We never want anybody to feel financially trapped; that’s the opposite of stress management, right? If you’re having financial troubles, just let us know and we can easily pause your membership for however many months you might need. Accumulated member sessions can still be used so you can continue your self-care. You don't lose them just because you paused your membership.

 

You can learn more about our Membership at www.floatmadison.com/pricing

We do not want there to be any concerns when you come float with us, so please reach out if you have any other questions.

 

Thank you so much for your patience during this challenging time, and I have to give another special thanks to all of our members who had the means to keep their memberships active. Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you in again soon!

Be well,

Greg Griffin
Creator-Operator

Please check the CDC Website or The Dane County Health Department Website for the most up to date information.

bottom of page