There are numerous areas of life where terms used interchangeably actually mean different things, and a great example within the therapeutic world is the use of terms like float therapy and sensory deprivation tanks. Many people assume these are simply the same thing, and while they do share certain characteristics, this is not actually true in a detailed sense. In this guide, we are going to discuss the benefits and differences between float therapy vs. sensory deprivation therapy.
At Body Balance Massage and Float in American Fork, our float therapy is distinctly different from the sensory deprivation tanks used by other providers. We do not use isolation tanks, float pods, or any form of zero gravity or complete sensory deprivation, opting instead for open float pools for all our float therapy clients. With a 4.9-star rating across 404 client reviews, our approach to flotation therapy makes deep relaxation and stress relief accessible to everyone, including guests uneasy inside an enclosed float tank. Let's start explaining why a float tank and a sensory deprivation tank often get treated as the same thing, the modern differences between them, and the benefits our local clients find in our open pool float experience.
Much of what we know as modern float therapy traces back to 1954, when Dr. John C. Lilly, a researcher studying the mind’s response to sensory deprivation, began making real headway. Lilly’s early studies on float therapy used float tanks built around Epsom salt and showed the brain did not enter a comatose state inside sensory deprivation float tanks. Most floaters experienced highly beneficial periods of relaxation and calm during such therapies.
Over the next two decades, Lilly and others continued this research, eventually formalizing the practice as flotation REST, short for restricted environmental stimulation therapy. Because much of the early work focused on sensory deprivation tanks alongside flotation, it is easy to see how the two areas became linked in popular perception. Even today, search results often blur the line between a sensory deprivation tank, a float or floatation tank, and a more open float experience.
As float therapy evolved, different variations emerged. Many practitioners still pair a closed flotation tank with total sensory deprivation, while others focus on the float experience itself and its calming benefits without removing every external stimulation.
A classic sensory deprivation tank, sometimes called a float tank or an isolation tank, seals the floater inside a dark, soundproof float pod filled with a high salt concentration solution. Inside such float tanks, sound and light fade, and the body settles into a silent meditative state. The result is sensory isolation, which some guests find deeply restful, and others find jarring on a first float inside a closed tank. Modern flotation therapy uses softer cues. Many float spas dim the lights, play relaxing music, and let the Epsom salt do the heavy lifting, supporting a weightless float or zero gravity floating, without forcing a total sensory deprivation experience. These terms get used interchangeably, but not every flotation therapy session needs a sensory deprivation tank.
Our open float pools at Body Balance Massage and Float take the science of a flotation tank and remove the parts that hold many guests back. Instead of climbing inside an enclosed float tank or an individual float pod, you float in an open room with a dense Epsom salt solution and skin temperature salt water. A float session never feels claustrophobic, which is a common worry with a traditional closed tank.
Our setup preserves the same Epsom salt buoyancy you would get inside a flotation tank, so you will still effortlessly float, your nervous system still settles, and your body still gets the pressure relief of true flotation therapy. You simply skip an enclosed space and forced sensory deprivation.
At Body Balance Massage and Float, we offer floatation therapy independent of entire sensory deprivation, which makes the proven benefits of floatation accessible to more guests. The salt water in our float pools, rich in Epsom salt, supports the entire body so the spine decompresses and pressure points release between float sessions.
The benefits of float sessions extend beyond the pool. Consistent flotation therapy in daily life supports relieving stress, deeper relaxation, pain reduction, improved blood flow and blood pressure, and fewer sleep disorders, especially for clients managing chronic pain, muscle soreness, or persistent everyday stress. The high salt concentration of an Epsom salt solution delivers magnesium sulfate through the skin during every float, which many clients pair with massage therapy for faster recovery and broader stress reduction. Athletes use float sessions to ease soreness and improve athletic performance, while busy professionals step away from external stimuli, reset mental clarity, and experience stress relief. Many American Fork clients fold float therapy into a wellness routine with Swedish, deep tissue, or prenatal massage, combining Epsom salt's positive effects with bodywork.
To learn more about the differences between float therapy and sensory deprivation therapy, or our float therapy and massage therapy services, speak to the team at Body Balance Massage and Float about the benefits of an open float pool. Our American Fork studio at 366 South 500 East, Suite B, has earned 4.9 stars across 404 reviews from Utah County guests who chose float therapy without the closed floatation tank.