20
INSIGHT
WORKLIFE
STYLE
ADVENTURE
Thursday, August 31, 2006 INtake
FOOD & DRINK
A D V E N T U R E : R . E . S . T.
GETTING TANKED INtake’s Kimiko Martinez learns that her senses sometimes enjoy a little depravation.
DRIVES LIKE A GO-KART. DRINKS LIKE ONE, TOO.
25 /32 MPG city
hwy
*
By Kimiko Martinez
I
kimiko.martinez@intakeweekly.com
’ve never been high. And I’ve never been to outer space. (Duh.) But after leaving Stillwater Float in Carmel, I feel like I’ve done both. For an entire hour I’ve been forced to relax. I say forced because I, like so many of my fellow frenzied friends in this “work hard, play hard” anxiety-ridden generation, am one of those people who simply can’t sit still. And yet, for more than 60 minutes, I haven’t had a choice.
The MINI Cooper S starting at $21,450**
Dreyer & Reinbold MINI
9375 Whitley Drive (96th and Keystone) Indianapolis, IN 46240 (317) 574-5511 www.dreyerreinboldmini.com *Actual mileage will vary with options, driving conditions, driving habits, and vehicle operation. **MSRP, including destination and handling charges. Price excludes license, registration, taxes and options. Actual price determined by MINI Dealer. MINI Cooper S as shown with fog lamps, driving lamps, bonnet stripes, and 17" wheels, $22,700. ©2006 MINI, a division of BMW of North America, LLC. The MINI name and logo are registered trademarks.
EXPLORE NEW HOME COMMUNITY PROFILES AND FLOOR PLANS
R.E.S.T. assured: Kimiko Martinez climbs into an Oasis tank to try out R.E.S.T. (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy). Michelle Pemberton / INtake
INtake
WORKLIFE
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Stripped
Situated in a fairly typical strip mall just north of 126th and Rangeline Road in Carmel, Stillwater Float doesn’t look like much from the outside. Walking in feels a bit like entering a spa or doctor’s office, where a stone waterfall provides ambient noise and creates a relaxing effect. The center, which opened Aug. 1, houses two float tanks, where customers can R.E.S.T. (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy). Apparently floating was all the rage in the ’70s and ’80s. Also known as “sensory deprivation,” professional athletes were known to reap benefits from these salt water-filled tanks. Entire sports teams would use the tanks for relaxation and focus training. Always looking for something new, and in desperate need of some relaxation, I decided to give it a try. So after going over the basics with coowner Tom Gould (see box) and showering in the East Room (a small, private room with a shower and float tank) I stepped in and closed the door.
Look ma, no hands!
STYLE
ADVENTURE
About floating ! Flotation tanks hold about 200 pounds of water with about 800 pounds of dissolved Epsom salt. Users float like a cork. ! Muscle tension, blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen consumption drop dramatically. ! Stress-related chemicals are removed from the bloodstream and replaced by beneficial endorphins. ! The brain’s electrical activity drops to a level known as the theta state. The mind remains awake and alert, yet nearly asleep.
Stillwater Float Where: 622 S. Rangeline Road, Suite E. Carmel, (317) 663-4359, www.StillwaterFloat.net. Cost: Grand opening special: $40 for a one-hour float, or bring a friend for two one-hour floats for $25 each. (Book by Sept. 1.)
Basically, a flotation tank is a small, super saline pool. The water’s only about 10 inches deep and heated to about 93.5 degrees. The Epsom salt works double duty in providing therapeutic effects and making the body float like a cork. Floatation device: This Oasis tank is filled with 200 pounds of water Because the temperature is into which 800 pounds of Epsom salt has been dissolved. almost the exact temperature as your skin, floaters eventually lose the sensation of hot/cold. By about 20 minutes in, I was to just shut down. I floated popped into my mind. I rehaving trouble distinguishing somewhere between sleep and membered all those times I’d where the water ended and this dark, deep space that I’d warmed myself in the sun as a where the air began. And since entered. Once I hit that sweet child, laying in my neighbor’s the tank is almost spot, all sense of time and pool. So to be floating completely dark, you space completely disappeared. — with no sun, no feel as if you’re just I was snapped back to reality beer, no friends, no floating out in the when Gould knocked on the sound, no waves — middle of space. door a little over an hour after was a completely forThere are no stars, I’d stepped into my personal eign experience. of course, except stasis chamber. For a good 30 minthose weird splotches utes or so I was antsy, Head in the clouds that your eyes prowondering how much duce when you rub An hour later I was still feeltime had already them. More than once ing lightheaded. Not drunk, but passed, trying to think I had to purposely kind of that giddy, nothing matTom Gould of things to think blink my eyes just to ters mood where your head co-owns about, scolding myself see if they were still feels like it’s barely even atStillwater for thinking about the open or not. I found tached to your body. Your scalp Float in Carthings that popped into feels tingly and your head is so myself moving my mel. my head, trying to fingers and toes as clear that you wonder if there’s breathe deeply and simply rewell, just to feel the sensation even a brain inside of it. lax. A drop of condensation of the water moving. The effects could last up to Gould said one hour of float- from the roof of the tank could several days, Gould said. No ing is equal to about four hours jar me and throw me temporacomplaints in my book. rily off track from truly relaxof deep sleep. It takes some people two or Floating in and of itself is re- ing. three sessions to really reap laxing. Images of lying on a But eventually my body the benefits, he said. If the benraft, surrounded by friends won. Just as Gould said it efits get even better (Did I (and usually beer), and being would, a parasympathetic remention the back pain relief?), rocked by the waves of a river sponse kicked in and it seemed I can’t wait to go back.
FOOD & DRINK
INSIGHT
21
www.bgifitness.com
NAUTILUS
Fall Fitness Sale
NOW THROUGH MONDAY, 09/04/06
ALL NAUTILUS, BOWFLEX and SCHWINN EQUIPMENT from
10% to 25% OFF! T714 TREADMILL — Reg. $3899 —
NOW
2749
$
Interest-Free, No Payment Financing 'til August 2007!
The 714 is designed for ultimate performance and optimal results and maximum durability.With REACT® absorption control technology, the deck suspension system dynamically adapts to each user's weight and stride resulting in a remarkably comfortable surface that's easy on you!
EV716 ELLIPTICAL TRAINER — Reg. $3199 —
NOW
2699
$
Interest-Free, No Payment Financing 'til August 2007!
Our Pro Series ellipticals offer the most advanced technology available, yet they're incredibly easy to use. Nautilus® Pro Series ellipticals are engineered to dynamically match the length of your stride.This My Stride™ system feels so smooth and natural, you won't even know it's there.
ULTIMATE HOME GYM — Reg. $1799 —
NOW
1529
Interest-Free, No Payment Financing The Bowflex Ultimate® Home Gym tones, 'til August 2007! sculpts and increases all-around strength and $
definition at an excellent value. Built-in Adjustable Pulley System changes angle of resistance to target different muscle groups for optimal results.
SPINNER ELITE — Reg. $1049 —
NOW
839
$
The IC Elite™ Indoor Cycling Bike offers industry-leading features including our patented Smart Release™ mechanism. Check Out Our New Store, Just Seconds West of I-65 South & County Line Rd.!
Interest-Free, No Payment Financing 'til August 2007!
ALL
POWERBLOCKS
20% Off!
BGI SOUTH 997 E. County Line Rd. (317) 885-7194 BGI NORTH 4130 E. 82nd St. (317) 842-4140 EXPLORE NEW HOME COMMUNITY PROFILES AND FLOOR PLANS