Definition of Flotation Therapy
Flotation therapy (or flotation-REST) is a complementary wellness technique where a person floats effortlessly in warm, buoyant saltwater inside a soundproof, lightproof tank designed to eliminate most external stimulation. The term REST stands for Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy, emphasizing a deliberate reduction of external stimuli—not total sensory deprivation, but a controlled environment that enhances internal bodily perception while eliminating external noise, light, gravity, and touch. Sessions typically last around 60–90 minutes, during which the sensory isolation is intended to promote deep relaxation, mental calmness, stress reduction, and heightened body awareness.
Explore flotation therapy research in the following databases:
PubMed Trip Cochrane*
*The Cochrane database requires users to enter the search term manually. Please enter ‘flotation REST’.
AI Search: Access Semantic Scholar’s results on flotation therapy.
Semantic Scholar
Learn more about our 3 research databases and AI search platform HERE.
Research Spotlight
The databases often return hundreds of medical studies for a single wellness approach. This section provides a sampling of studies – providing just a taste of the available research.
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- A Systematic Review of Flotation-Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST)
A comprehensive systematic review in 2025, of 63 studies with approximately 1,800 participants, published in BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, found flotation therapy showed positive effects on pain, athletic performance, stress, mental wellbeing and clinical anxiety, but had limited or no effect on sleep disorders and smoking cessation. Access this study on flotation therapy. - Exploring the Acute Cardiovascular Effects of Floatation‑REST
A 2022 study, published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, involved researchers comparing the heart and breathing measures for two groups: one who spent 90 minutes floating in a sensory‑reduced flotation tank, the other watching a relaxing nature film. Compared to the film group, floating significantly lowered both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, slowed breathing, and increased high‑frequency heart rate variability (HRV)—a key sign of the body shifting into relaxation mode. Importantly, the reductions in blood pressure were closely linked to greater feelings of calm and reduced anxiety, suggesting that flotation therapy helps shift the nervous system toward a more relaxed parasympathetic state. Access this study on flotation therapy. - Flotation-REST Associated with Anxiety-Reduction, Dissolution of Body Boundaries, and the Distortion of Subjective Time
A 2024 study published in Scientific Reports compared the use of one hour of flotation-REST with bed-REST (where subjects lay on a warm waterbed in a dark, quiet room). The study found that participants who used flotation-REST felt significantly more relaxed, less anxious, and less tired than after bed-REST. Flotation-REST also induced significantly more dissolution of body boundaries (where participants could no longer discern where their bodies began and ended) and the distortion of subjective time, which helped with anxiety. Access this study on flotation therapy. - Flotation Therapy’s Long-Term Impact on Chronic Pain
This single-blind, randomized clinical trial in 2021 tested whether five sessions of flotation-REST therapy could reduce chronic pain. Participants were randomly assigned to real flotation, a placebo version, or no treatment. Both the real and placebo groups showed short-term pain relief, but there was no difference between them—and no lasting benefits after 12 or 24 weeks. The results suggest that improvements were likely due to placebo effects rather than the flotation therapy itself. Access this study on flotation therapy. - Flotation Therapy Showed Positive Impact on Body Dissatisfaction and Anxiety for People with Anorexia Nervosa
This 2023 randomized clinical trial assessed whether regular sessions of flotation‑REST could help people with anorexia nervosa by reducing body dissatisfaction and anxiety. Compared with a usual-care control group, the flotation group experienced immediate drops in both body dissatisfaction and anxiety after each session. Importantly, the benefits for body dissatisfaction were still evident six months later, while no significant improvements were seen in the control group. The researchers conclude that flotation‑REST may be a useful complementary therapy for improving body image and anxiety in individuals with anorexia nervosa. Access this study on flotation therapy.
Studies-in-Progress/Clinical Trials Underway
A clinical trial is any research study that assigns people to health-related interventions to evaluate the outcomes. “Interventions” include drugs, surgical procedures, devices, behavioral treatments, preventive care, etc.
- ClinicalTrials.gov: search ‘flotation therapy’ in box on left that says “intervention/treatment”.
- World Health Organization: explore trials happening across the globe. When you reach WHO’s search page, please type in ‘float REST’.
Access all studies currently available for biophilic design in these databases:
PubMed Trip Cochrane* Semantic Scholar *The Cochrane database requires users to enter the search term manually. Please enter ‘flotation REST’.
- A Systematic Review of Flotation-Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST)
