Entry No. 49 — the Columbus file — filed under: float tank
Ebb & Float
A social wellness club in downtown Columbus specializing in sensory deprivation float therapy with over 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt dissolved in body-temperature water. The facility also features private infrared saunas, cold plunges, and hosts candlelit sound baths with quartz singing bowls and essential oils.
The story
Tucked away on North 5th Street in Downtown Columbus, Ebb & Float doesn't look like much from the sidewalk. Founder Kymberlee Lisk opened the sanctuary back in 2018 with a simple, stark premise: hand over an hour of your day, strip off your clothes, and lie suspended in dark water loaded with over 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt. The salt concentration makes the water denser than the Dead Sea, forcing your body to float effortlessly like a cork.
Because the water is heated precisely to skin temperature, the boundary between where your body ends and the water begins dissolves within minutes. Your brain, deprived of light, gravity, and sound, eventually stops scanning for threats and dials back its background chatter. For those who can't handle pure stillness, the venue functions as a broader social wellness club—offering private infrared saunas paired with freezing cold plunge tubs to shock your circulatory system into overdrive.
Beyond the pods, they run candlelit sound baths tuned to quartz singing bowls and infused with essential oils, finishing sessions off in zero-gravity massage chairs. It isn't a glossy corporate day spa; it's a deliberate attempt to force the city out of your nervous system.
What it's like
You'll step off the Downtown pavement into a muted, low-lit quiet. After a brief rundown, you enter your private suite, shower off, and step into the tank. Floating takes a minute to get used to—your neck muscles will try to hold your head up until you trust the salt water to carry you. If you're doing contrast therapy, you'll cycle between the baking heat of an infrared sauna and the gasping shock of an icy tub. Pro tip: do not shave anywhere on your body for at least 24 hours before stepping into a thousand pounds of dissolved salt unless you want every razor burn mark burning like fire.
The move: Book a contrast therapy session to alternate between the hot infrared sauna and the freezing cold plunge, then wind down together in their zero-gravity massage chairs.
- 📍 Downtown
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoor or outdoor
Where: 231 N 5th St, Columbus, OH 43215
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Char Bar — Follow an hour of zero-gravity sensory silence with a quiet drink in the basement of a former 1840s funeral parlor four blocks down the street.
- Christian Spiritualist Temple — Pair your deep-trance post-float headspace with a walk past an 1850s stone temple built for local mediums and spiritualists.
- Sotto Terra at The Sanctuary — Trade your sensory deprivation tank for a subterranean gothic lounge tucked in the basement of a converted Victorian church.
Good to know
How does sensory deprivation floating actually work?
You float in a private, sound-insulated pod filled with skin-temperature water and over 1,000 pounds of dissolved Epsom salt, removing light, sound, and gravity so your nervous system can fully rest.
What is contrast therapy at Ebb & Float?
Contrast therapy lets you alternate between private infrared saunas that heat your body deeply and cold plunges that rapidly cool you down to boost circulation and recovery.
Do I need to bring anything with you for a float or sauna session?
Everything is provided in your private room, including towels, earplugs, organic body wash, and shampoo for your pre- and post-session showers.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · stepoutcolumbus.com · bizjournals.com
last checked: 2026-07-21