Mike Zaremba floated for the first time in 2010. He had spent months searching the Lower Mainland for a float tank – a specialized tank filled with water and a precise mixture of Epsom salts that allows the body to float without effort. He and his brother finally found one in a stranger’s basement in Port Coquitlam. Much to their delight, she let them try it out. “After that one float, we decided to buy our own tank,” Mike says.
Mike stored the large tank in his North Vancouver condo. He used it often, and invited others to join. “That was my test market,” explains Mike. “I learned how to maintain the tank and guide people through the experience,” he says.
He soon wanted to share the benefits of floating with as many people as possible. So, he opened Float House in Gastown in 2013. Today, he maintains another space in Kitsilano, with 14 tanks between both locations. “I never planned to start a business,” says Mike, who had been practicing yoga and meditation years before he heard of floating. “I really bought the first tank because I was interested in exploring it myself, and we just kind of grew from there,” he continues.
