A salty solution
Flotation studio salt 360 promises to float your troubles away

The lights fade ... silence ... you begin to drift. Unsure of where your body ends and your surroundings begin ... the voice inside quiets. The mind opens to oneness as you float motionless. The restorative effects, both mental and physical, begin to take hold ... .”

It may sound like the beginning of a “2001: A Space Odyssey,” but it’s actually the description of the latest relaxation trend. And best of all, one need not travel to outer space to experience the sublime benefits of weightlessness. In fact, soon all it will require is a trip up North Main to immerse oneself in complete and heavenly relaxation.

As of June 1, Durango will be home to salt 360, a newly opened floatation studio at 3750 North Main Ave. Locally owned and operated, salt 360 was created and designed by Rocco and Cassidy Bruno and Patti Salomon to provide customers with the “preeminent” floating experience. The offbeat name, while specific to the facility’s content and

purpose, helps differentiate the business from local rafting companies, which in most places in the world would not be a problem, quips Bruno.

If you’re new to this whole idea of flotation, think of it as a good soak in a giant tub of warm water and Epsom salt to ease fatigue and those aching muscles. Except, in this case, you’re totally weightless. Unfortunately, short of using kilos of Epsom salt, it is unlikely you will rise to the surface of your bath water at home. Sure, there are entire bodies of water with naturally high salt content – the Dead Sea, for example, is famous for its salt content that makes it easy to stay afloat – but a trip to the Middle East may not be in the cards for most.

Fortunately, that’s where salt 360 comes in. In fact, the relaxation and restoration starts as soon as a client walks in the door. The bright, contemporary lobby is inviting, clean and apportioned to function. Its white and aqua color scheme is reminiscent of clear, pristine water creating instant positive energy.

From the calming lobby, clients are escorted to small, darkened rooms absent all external stimuli where they slip into a shallow tank filled with magnesium-rich Epsom salt water warmed to the body’s temperature. The salt (1,000 pounds of it) allows them to float without effort in a procedure known variously as sensory deprivation, floatation therapy, isolation chamber or restricted environmental stimulation therapy (R.E.S.T.).

As the Brunos explain it, 90 percent of the mind is consumed with the effects of routine environmental stimulation: light, sound, temperature, touch and gravity, all of which assail your brain capacity on a daily basis.

“Experiencing salt 360 helps void outside stimuli in a space where you are able to completely quiet the mind and find ultimate relaxation and calm,” says Salomon.

According to Cassidy Bruno, floating allows the ultimate “you time” for people to focus inward and concentrate only on their breath and the present moment. “Our float studio offers a unique, hard-to-duplicate experience that sets one’s self in a near weightless environment, removing all

sound and light to allow your mind and body the opportunity to recover and reset,” she said.

Justin Feinstein, the director at LIBR Float Clinic and Research Center in Tulsa, Okla., and a noted authority on floatation therapy, described flotation as a powerful form of stress reduction. In addition to reducing blood pressure and overall levels of the stress hormone cortisol, he describes the floatation experience as “serenity.”

Visitors can also rest well knowing that salt 360 takes special pride in its high-tech filtration system, which can be viewed out-side each flotation chamber as a complex of tubing, stainless steel, gauges and pumps.

“Before every user, each float lab is sanitized by a patented disinfection filtration system,” Cassidy explained. In addition, each visitor must take a pre-float shower.

Although the Brunos have lived in Denver the past 10 years and Salomon is from St. Louis, Patti and Cassidy – who are related – were familiar with Durango because they have family here. They decided it would be the perfect place to start their business. “We believed Durango would be a good fit for a float center, because people are so active and athletic here as well as holistic in many ways,” said Cassidy.

In addition, the closest float facilities outside Durango are in Albuquerque and Denver. Having one in our back yard, over-looking the Animas Valley, is what the owners are banking on to establish their business. “We did our due diligence and worked through a pretty extensive business plan to make sure the market would support it,” Cassidy said. “So far the response has been great, and everyone we’ve talked to is intrigued by the concept and excited to try it out.”

The cost for a session is about $75, commensurate with a full-body massage or acupuncture treatment. Various memberships are also available.

“It’s been really great coming together; each of us had the same vision and focus, we have different strengths and skill sets so it’s made for a nice team dynamic,” Cassidy Bruno said.

Jumping into the fray, salt 360 is a sponsor of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic and will have booths in Durango and Silverton during events. For more information and pricing structure, discount plans and an introductory offer, go to: salt360float.com or call 970-422-8284. Sessions are by appointment only, so call ahead.