Not going to lie to you, when Jeff asked me if I wanted to float, I got really nervous. I couldn't really get my mind around the idea of floating until I actually did it. The experience of floating was something Iv'e never experienced before. All of my tension and anxiety just drifted away as I just floated in the pod. It was as if I was actually able to relax and forget about everything that was on my mind that day in an instant.

"I came across Driftaway Floats by seeing a few of my friends who were interested in attending a Grand Open House event on Facebook. I honestly didn’t know what Driftaway was until I began doing research and found out that it’s actually a wellness center where you actually lay inside a pod that is filled with water and salt, which makes you float. Interested about the idea of floating, I got in contact with the founder of Driftaway Floats, Jeff Spinks, to do an interview."

Driftaway Floats, what is Driftaway Floats?

"We are a float therapy center. Floating use to be called sensory deprivation. It’s the ultimate escape. The whole point of floating is to get away from everything. We are so over stimulated these days; always on our phones and at the same time we are still dealing with light, sound and gravity (emails and work). So when you float, you kinda get away from all that. I see it like training wheels to meditation. I’ve had chronic back pain for about six years, so I can’t sit on the floor and zen out like I use too because it will start to hurt. When you are in the tank, it’s a way for you to get away from gravity, your phone."

What makes Driftaway different than the other wellness places?

"So we are the only float center in town. Floating is something that not a whole lot of people know about it yet. It first got started back in the 50’s and 60’s and kinda rose in popularity and in the 70s and 80s it died down a little bit. Now in the 21st century, it’s starting to rise again. It’s way different than a message or any other place in town. We provide something that is clean, simple and an escape from everything."

What is the purpose / goal for Driftaway?

"I want Driftaway to be a place where you can go too and have no worries. Like right when you walk through those doors, everything or anything that you were dealing with is left outside. You can come here to getaway and hopefully they leave feeling better than they came in. Since we have been open for 8 months, I want to have a open house. Floating is something that people worry about. Some people think they are stepping into a tanning bed where it's all enclosed. That is the biggest concern; but when they finally see it it's spacious and comfortable."

Is this a new company?

"It’s something I’ve started! I've started floating in Orlando about four years ago. I found out about floating online. I've been dealing with back pain for awhile and was trying to find something that could help with that. So I floated down there and then got right on board with the idea. I was heading back up to Tallahassee and decided that why not try floating in Tallahassee by myself. It’s not a franchise or anything, it’s something I put together."

Price Range? Can this be for all ages?

"Yes! We have everybody come in. We’ve had students to older people with arthritis. The youngest we had was eleven. He might have been a little too young because I don’t think that they understood the process of floating. But it’s for all ages. It’s something that can help with some many different things. It has been researched that it helps with stress and anxiety. When you float, it affects your brain the same way as if you took an anti-anxiety drug; it slows down that medulla, that flight or fight instinct."

Only location in Tallahassee?

"This location has been around for about 8 months. Our first float was July 29th of last year. So we are just getting going; it’s helping pay the bills so I can’t complain too much! Just trying to grow, get the word out. Not that many people know what floating is nor know that there's one in town. My plan is to start at this location. We have one tank right now but we have two more rooms ready to go once more money comes in. I would like to get a second and third tank. The end goal is that I would like to have a north side location. Since we are on the south side, there’s a lot of neighborhoods; like I was raised on north side of town. So you might have a lot of people around Tallahassee who might not want to make the trip all the way down since it’s kinda far. So eventually I would like to have a north side location to help with distance."

About Jeff Spinks, founder of Driftaway.

"So originally I am from Montgomery, Alabama. Moved down to Tallahassee when I was 7 years old. Was raised here through High school, went down to UCF. At first, I wanted to do engineering but when I got into some of that math and science, I was like, “Ehhhh I like numbers but this isn’t for me.” Like my older brother, I didn’t want to have my own boss so I started studying finance. I've always been an active person; playing basketball, soccer, and lacrosse in high school; playing IM sports in college. That is kinda how I hurt my back. Less than a year after that, I was trying to heavy deadlift and hurt it again. It’s a blessing and a curse; if I would have never hurt my back, I wouldn’t have started this floating, I wouldn’t even be here. It is what it is. I found out about floating when I was at UCF. I was extremely skeptical about floating at first. I was like, “What am I getting myself into? Getting into this dark tank of water?” But it worked! I was going into it for the physical benefits for it, getting away from gravity; let my muscles relax. At the time, there is nowhere to float in North Florida. Since I was coming back, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be great to start one up here?” By the time I started floating, there were locations popping up in Destin, Jacksonville, so it’s starting to fill up north Florida except Tallahassee."

Hour time frame?

For right now, we are doing an hour session. In the near future, I am thinking 90 mins. But floating is something that it can feel like 15 mins but an hour has passed. Every float is kinda different. So right now, an hour-long session. People should plan on being here for an hour, just arrive early.

Driftaway Floats is located on 227 E Palmer Ave in Tallahassee, Florida.