New wellness centre with sensory deprivation tanks to open in Goulburn on August 13

While by no means a new invention, these 'float tanks' will soon be a new addition to Goulburn's wellness scene.

Chelsea Unwin is a remedial massage therapist and a relatively new Goulburn resident. Now she's opening a brand new wellness centre which will offer more than massages and facials.

"When I moved to Goulburn I started working from home and got really busy really fast and decided I wanted to expand," Ms Unwin said.

Having previously worked in a wellness centre in Queensland which offered sensory deprivation tanks, massage and infrared saunas, Ms Unwin decided to bring these treatments to Goulburn.

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The idea of sensory deprivation was first developed by Dr John C. Lilly in the 1950s while attempting to isolate the mind from the body for the National Institute of Mental Health.

"The whole point is to get rid of all the outside elements," Ms Unwin said.

"It's just you and your mind, it's essentially a form of meditation."

To achieve this, the water in a sensory deprivation tank is heated to skin temperature and filled with Epsom salt, providing buoyancy so you float.

Once you enter the tank you are cut off from all outside stimulation, including sound, sight, and gravity when the tank's lid is closed.

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Ms Unwin said the benefits ranged from mental health to physical health conditions including chronic illnesses such as arthritis.

"It's kind of like a magnesium bath on steroids," she said.

For those hesitant about the idea of being enclosed in a tank, Ms Unwin said there is always the option to have the tank partially or completely open.

"I'm very upfront with people, a lot of the time people will dislike their first float," she said.

"The reason behind that is because it's very unknown, even if people don't feel anxious, there's always going to be an element of anxiety within your body because it's not something that you do all the time."

Ms Unwin said even she had struggled through her first float tank experience.

"I just felt agitated, but then the second time, I slept the entire time," she said.

"When you go in your second time, you're losing that anxiety level. So you're kind of already halfway there before you even get in the tank."

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Ms Unwin said currently anyone interested in float tanks had to travel to Bowral or Canberra.

However, for many in the community, including some of the Goulburn Mulwaree counsellors, the treatment is something unheard of.

Ms Unwin said this meant there were a few hurdles that came up during the process of getting the DA approved for the centre.

"They're not new but to a lot of counsellors they're very new and it just took a lot of navigating on both parts to get everything organised," she said.

Now set to open, Ms Unwin will be holding the official opening on August 13.

There will be a VIP evening event for local businesses as well as a child-friendly daytime event where there will be a sausage sizzle, face painting and balloon animals.

"I've already got so many bookings for the first week when we open, the response has been awesome," Ms Unwin said.

Aside from the float tanks, Results Float and Wellness Centre will offer remedial massage and facials. Ms Unwin also hopes to eventually have an infrared sauna.

The most important thing for Ms Unwin is to create an "experience" for her clients.

"I want it to be a really calming space," she said.

"I want people to be able to come in and just leave all the stress of life behind.

"Everyone deserves to have a moment in life where they go, 'this is something for me, and I don't want to have to think about anything else'."

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