PERTH’S tired, stressed and overworked are flocking to Float Fremantle to indulge in some well-earned ‘R.E.S.T’—Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy.

While it seems that this four-letter word has largely eluded our modern and chaotic lives, this local wellness centre is a sanctuary for those seeking to relax, unwind and escape from the pressures of the daily grind.

Newton and his apple are no match for the 500 kilograms of Epsom salts that saturate the soothing 35.5-degree water (creating the same buoyancy you would experience in the Dead Sea).

Float Fremantle assistant manager Ashley Stephens says its baths are meticulously heated to body temperature so that clients feel like they are “floating on air”.

This weightlessness helps the body reap the full benefits of a session in the specially designed flotation tanks.

Mr Stephens explains that when you are not fighting gravity, “it gives your body a chance to let go and allows your inner self to be at peace”. Flotation therapy has often been described as a type of ‘sensory deprivation’, but the young assistant manager says it can actually “heighten your other senses” and “enlightens your spiritual side and intuition”.

The Holdsworth Street retreat exudes tranquility the moment you remove your shoes and step inside.

Peaceful

The peaceful décor, relaxing aromas, and calming energy from the staff swiftly transport you to another world.

The ideology behind this type of new-age healing is that stress can have a profound effect on our overall health and wellbeing.

“It [REST] is a very underestimated form of pain relief,” says Mr Stephens.

He claims the therapy can be as beneficial as a visit to the physiotherapist, chiropractor or acupuncturist.

“We see everyone from professional athletes to pregnant women.”