As many of you know, I’m pretty obsessed with self care. I love finding new ways to show myself love and firmly believe that the better I take care of myself, the better I can take care of you! My ultimate goal is to show up for all my clients with full presence from a place of abundance. When my cup is overflowing it will naturally get all over you, so I keep my cup filled to the brim or more with loving, healing, and interesting experiences.
I’ve been getting more questions around what I do for self care, so I thought I’d share as I journey into the varying modalities of care that our world has to offer. At some point, I’ll backtrack and write about former experiences, but for now, you will get the real time moments and my unfiltered thoughts. At the end I will either recommend you GO THERE for self care or that you GO ELSEWHERE for self care. And, as always, I am available to you for self care support through acupuncture, herbs, bodywork, and coaching.
So, let’s start. Last night I went to The Ocean Lab in Austin, TX for a 30 minute sauna and 60 minute float. I got a fantastic deal on their website, invited a special guy who’s always down for a new experience and we booked an appointment.
The place was easy to find, parking was easy, and we brought bathing suits to sweat in during the sauna. These turned out to be unnecessary as they provide robes, but may be more comfortable for some. There were individual and group sauna option, but don’t expect to be nude. Chad greeted us super warmly, gave us some soda waters and oriented us to the space. Expect to remove your shoes upon entering and put your items in a little cubby (unless you want to take them with you). The sauna was comfortable, hot, and definitely made us sweat a ton. Chad checked on us and brought water as needed and we felt really spoiled. When it was time to transition to the float, we opted for individual ‘cabins’ -which means the whole room is filled with water versus having a ‘pod'. The cabins are a way better option for us tall humans plus there aren’t any seams in the lid of the pod which can develop condensation and drip cold water on to you during the float which is pretty uncool.
Fun fact: The Ocean Lab also has float cabins that can accommodate couples which is such a cute date idea.
There is a shower area to rinse off prior to entering the float room, but be aware the floor gets pretty slick so walk carefully! Chad was so thorough in explaining all the details to make our float experience amazing. I got into the cabin and immediately turned out all the lights and cut the music to keep the sensory deprivation vibe. The warm salt water is so soothing and for some chemistry reason I don’t understand the body doesn’t get pruney from the water, but rather ends up feeling incredibly soft, silky and almost slimy. I got a little turned around and, at one point, had a little freak out about not knowing where the exit door was, but I just sat up and ran my hand along the wall until I felt the dip where the door was - I’d recommend noting this before you relax so you can easily find it if you are prone to ‘how the heck do I get out of here if I need to” moments like I am.
I had a beautiful time forgetting I had a body, remembering I had a body and feeling really happy about both. I slept a little, I thought a little, I played around with different arm positions. It was relaxing, rejuvenating and I will definitely be back. When time was up (eg, music comes on, the lights turn on and then the filtration system kicks on), I showered (again careful of slippery floor!), felt really glad I brought a brush, and walked out to be met with a cup of delicious tea that I drank while chatting with Chad and relaxing on some extremely comfy couches.
GO THERE for self care. Maybe we will cross paths.
xo,
Jenna
