Business floats new idea in O.C. for relaxation

What if you could float weightlessly in water and relax?

That's exactly what Rosanne Ramirez and Jeff Brion want you to do at their new Laguna Beach business, Float Lounge, where customers can pay to float in one of two enclosed saltwater tanks.

The facility at 1891 S. Coast Hwy. has been open for about a month. It's the first of its kind in Orange County, according to Ramirez.

Float Lounge has two private rooms, each with one enclosed 5-by-9-foot tank that holds 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt and 10 inches of warm filtered water for a person to float in. There are also private showers in the room that use filtered water, and all of Float Lounge's products are organic, Ramirez said.

Each tank is heated to 93 degrees, which is close to a person's body temperature, and after 10 to 15 minutes the body can't even decipher it's in water, Brion said.

Once a person starts floating, the body begins to relax, the two said — even more so than, say, floating in the ocean.

"It's completely different because of the high concentration of [Epsom salt]," Ramirez said. "You're nine to 10 more times buoyant than you would be in the ocean. One-third of your body floats on top of the water. You cannot sink."

"Zero gravity is pulling on you and it allows the body to enter a deep state of relaxation and decompress," Brion added.

Before setting up their business, the two had to go back and forth to San Diego to "float" for themselves.

Brion had been introduced to the idea of Epsom salt baths as a way to mend aching muscles. Both Ramirez and Brion are holistic life coaches.

Brion is also what is called a CHEK practitioner, an individualized approach to health and overall well-being. He became one after encountering his own digestive issues and used the method as a way to heal his body.

Ramirez is also a real estate agent.

It's not just athletes or triathletes who are floating.

Float Lounge sees an array of clients, he said, from yogis and those who are big on meditating to people who sit all day long.

"One hour in the tank is like four hours of deep rest or sleep," Ramirez said.

Floating comes at a price. One float is $60; five floats costs $275. All sessions are one hour.

There are also monthly memberships. Float Lounge allows floating from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Details are at http://www.feelingfunctional.com/float-lounge.

alisha.gomezberman@latimes.com

Twitter: @coastlinepilot