How clean are float tanks?
One of the first questions people ask before trying floating is: “Is the water clean?”
At a well-run float center, the answer isn’t just yes — it’s that the float tank is among the cleanest bodies of water you’ll ever step into. Thanks to single-user sessions, serious filtration between every guest, layered disinfection, and the naturally inhospitable environment that the dense Epsom-salt solution creates for microbes, float water exceeds the standards of hot tubs, pools, and even your own bathtub.
One Guest, One Tank
Each float is private. One room, one tank, one person at a time.
You’re not sharing water with strangers, and there’s no “open swim” or “kids’ swim” hour like in public pools. A thorough pre-float shower is part of the routine, which means every session starts with less to clean in the first place.
Filtration and Disinfection Between Every Guest
When a guest steps out, the tank’s powerful filtration system gets to work.
The entire 200+ gallons of salt solution is pumped through filters multiple times before the next person arrives. Modern systems move water at around 50 gallons per minute, so one pass of the tank takes only four minutes.
Float centers typically run 3–5 complete turnovers, meaning the solution is processed multiple times between guests.
Filters remove particles down to 1 micron (a human hair is ~70 microns).
Disinfection layers UV light, hydrogen peroxide, or ozone neutralize what you can’t see.
It’s a belt-and-suspenders approach: filtration catches the bits, disinfection handles the invisible.
Why Salt Helps Keep It Clean
The salt itself plays a big role. Microbes need available water to grow, but saturated Epsom-salt solution makes life hard for them.
In scientific terms, float solution has a “water activity” of ~0.935–0.94, which sits below the level needed for common bacteria to multiply (Pseudomonas aeruginosa ≥0.97, E. coli ≥0.95). Dense magnesium sulfate doesn’t instantly kill everything, but it makes the water an unfriendly environment for microbes — and when you add filtration and disinfection on top, the result is abundantly hostile to anything that could make you sick.
Surfaces Matter Too
Clean water isn’t enough. Our team disinfects the tank interior, lid, benches, showers, floors, and door handles between every guest using EPA-certified hard surface cleaners.
Cleaner Than Pools, Hot Tubs… and Even Your Bathtub
If you’re used to pools and hot tubs, the contrast is stark.
Pools and hot tubs are shared by many people, with sweat, sunscreen, and disinfectants mixing together. They rely on slow continuous turnover and heavy chemical dosing.
A float tank? One person uses it, then the water is cycled through fine filters multiple times, exposed to UV and oxidizers, and paired with surface disinfection in the room between every single session.
That’s why float water is crystal clear and free of the heavy chemical smell you might associate with pools.
Behind the Scenes: Our Cleaning Process
Here’s what happens after each float:
Visual check of the tank and room.
Pump runs 15–20 minutes, enough for 3–4 full turnovers.
While filtration runs, staff reset the room — towels replaced, surfaces sanitized.
Readings are confirmed, the space is tidied, and everything is double-checked before the next guest arrives.
On top of that, the full solution is replaced on a regular schedule for quality and transparency.
The Bottom Line
When you step into a float tank, you’re stepping into water prepared just for you.
No crowd. No sharing. Multiple complete filtrations. Disinfection layers. A salty environment that microbes can’t thrive in. And a team that treats surfaces and air with the same care as the water.
Put simply: a well-maintained float tank is designed to be both deeply relaxing and remarkably clean.
Curious to see it for yourself? Ask for a behind-the-scenes peek next time you’re in — we love showing guests how it all works.
