The Guide
Training is the stimulus; recovery is where the gains are made. A recovery float gives an athlete something no gym, massage table or ice bath quite can — sixty minutes of true zero-load in warm, magnesium-rich water with no light, no sound and nothing to react to.
Runners, cyclists, rugby players, powerlifters and CrossFit athletes float with us at Redmayne Lodge in York — usually on rest days or the evening after a hard session.
Why it works
Dense Epsom-salt water removes effectively all compressive load from the lumbar spine, hips, knees and ankles. For runners, cyclists, rugby and gym athletes, an hour of genuine zero-load is something no other recovery modality offers.
Skin-temperature water means the body has nothing to stabilise against and no temperature to regulate. Chronically tight hip flexors, calves, traps and lower back let go far more completely than they do on a foam roller or a treatment table.
Over 500kg of magnesium sulphate is dissolved in each pod. Magnesium plays a central role in muscle relaxation and sleep, and athletes commonly report fewer night cramps in the days after a float.
Hard training keeps the sympathetic system elevated. Sensory reduction drives a sustained parasympathetic shift — heart rate and breathing settle, and the calm typically holds for a day or two afterwards.
Sleep is where adaptation happens. The most consistent thing athletes tell us after a recovery float is that they slept unusually deeply that night — the single biggest lever on how the next session feels.
With no external input, visualisation becomes remarkably vivid. Many athletes use the second half of a float to run through technique, race plans or set-pieces — free training the body does not have to pay for.
Where it fits
High-volume running and cycling loads the same joints thousands of times a week. A float on your easy or rest day unloads the spine, hips and ankles completely and takes the edge off accumulated tightness before the next long session.
Heavy squatting and pressing leaves the lower back and shoulders under lasting tension. Float the evening after your heaviest day — never immediately before a session, since you will leave far too relaxed to move heavy weight well.
Rugby, football and martial arts athletes tend to book the day after a match, when bruising, stiffness and adrenaline hangover all peak. The nervous-system reset matters as much here as the physical offload.
During a taper, a float earlier in the week helps with sleep and pre-race nerves and gives you a quiet hour to rehearse the plan. Leave at least 48 hours before you need to be sharp and explosive.
Your recovery hour
Each guest gets a private room with the pod and its own shower. Lighting and music are entirely under your control, the lid stays open if you prefer, and the water is held at skin temperature so the body never has to work to stay warm. We provide towels and ear plugs — swimwear is optional.
Free on-site parking, and we're on the 5 and 5a bus routes from York city centre every 15 minutes.
FAQ
A recovery float combines three things at once: complete unloading of the joints and spine, deep muscular relaxation in skin-temperature water, and a strong parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) shift. Because there is no gravity, no light and no sound to react to, the body spends the full hour in recovery mode rather than splitting attention between recovery and everything else.
Lactate clears on its own within roughly an hour of finishing training, so no recovery method 'flushes' it out. What floating does do is reduce muscular tension and perceived soreness, and support the relaxation and sleep that actually drive adaptation. We would rather be accurate than oversell it.
Our pods hold over 500kg of Epsom salt (magnesium sulphate). Magnesium is involved in muscle contraction and relaxation, and many athletes report less cramping and better sleep after regular floats. Evidence on how much magnesium is absorbed through skin is still limited — the strongest, best-supported benefits are the weightlessness, the relaxation response and the sleep that follows.
After. A float sits best on a rest day or in the evening following a hard session, when the goal is to switch off and let the body adapt. Floating shortly before a session or competition is not ideal: you will leave deeply relaxed, which is excellent for recovery and unhelpful for explosive output.
Most training athletes float weekly or fortnightly, with an extra session in heavy blocks or the week after a race or match. Even one float in a hard training week makes a noticeable difference to sleep quality and how the legs feel the next day.
Weightless water is usually very kind to strains and joint irritation, but do not float with any open wound, fresh stitches, recent surgery or an active infection — salt water and broken skin do not mix. If you are mid-rehab, check with your physio and give reception a ring on 01904 501500 if you are unsure.
They target different things. Cold water is an acute inflammatory and perceptual intervention; a float is a nervous-system and full-body offload. Plenty of our guests use both — cold water close to training, floats on recovery days.