Entry No. 49 — the Minneapolis file — filed under: soak
Sanctuary Float Spa
The Twin Cities' largest float spa offers spacious, custom-built open float suites designed to look like large shower/tub enclosures rather than cramped pods. Each suite is filled with over 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt dissolved in temperature-neutral water to create effortless buoyancy.
The story
If your mental image of float therapy involves crawling into a plastic capsule that feels uncomfortably like a high-tech coffin, Sanctuary Float Spa along Highway 7 in Minnetonka operates on a different logic. They skipped the traditional claustrophobic pods in favor of custom-built, open float suites designed like spacious walk-in enclosures. Across five private rooms, you get room to breathe rather than feeling sealed inside a fiberglass egg.
Inside each suite, the physics are straightforward: over 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt dissolved into water heated precisely to skin temperature. The sheer density of the salt water eliminates gravity the instant you lie back, keeping your head and limbs effortlessly suspended on the surface. From there, you control the sensory volume—cut the ambient lighting and audio entirely for true sensory deprivation, or keep soft lights and ambient sound running while your sensory system unwinds.
What it's like
You enter an unassuming suburban commercial complex off MN-7 into a quiet, low-lit refuge. In your private suite, you shower first, insert earplugs, adjust the room's light and sound controls, and step into the warm, saturated salt bath. Because the water matches your skin temperature, the boundary between your body and the water vanishes within minutes. Afterward, shower off the salt residue right in your suite and give yourself a ten-minute buffer in the quiet room before attempting to drive back onto the highway.
The move: Book a 60- or 90-minute float session in side-by-side private suites, where you can choose to float in complete sensory deprivation or with soft, ambient lighting and soothing music.
- 📍 Minnetonka
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoor or outdoor
Where: 14525 MN-7 #180, Minnetonka, MN 55345
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Eisenhower Observatory — Follow up an hour of floating weightlessly in inner space with a trip to gaze into actual deep space through a telescope housed atop a nearby school building.
- Pavek Museum — Transition directly from complete sensory silence to the buzzing, hum-filled history of electronic communication and antique broadcasting equipment.
- PORTAL° Thermaculture — Double down on body work by combining sensory-deprivation floating with hot saunas and cold plunges inside a converted auto-lube bay.
Good to know
How are open float suites different from float pods?
Rather than enclosed plastic tanks or shells, Sanctuary uses open, custom-built suites structured like large bath and shower rooms, eliminating claustrophobia.
Do I have to float in complete darkness?
No. You have direct control over ambient lighting and background sound in your room, so you can float in total darkness or keep soft lights and music on.
How long do float sessions last?
Standard sessions run for either 60 or 90 minutes in private suites.
Why is there so much Epsom salt in the water?
Over 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt creates a dense water solution that makes human bodies completely buoyant, relieving joint and muscle pressure without effort.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · lakeminnetonkamagazine.com
last checked: 2026-07-21