Two men from Kelowna pitched to the Dragon's Den a plan to distribute Dream Pods in Canada.

Image Credit: dream-pod.com

KELOWNA – Forget yoga and meditation, a new way to relax is coming to Kelowna.

Dustin Erickson and Alan Healey of Kelowna are hoping to be the sole Canadian distributors of a new type of sensory deprivation flotation tank made in Singapore. They are also opening the first flotation centre in the Okanagan on Kirschner Road sometime in March.

“It’s kind of like a bathtub with a lid,” Erickson says of the device. “It’s completely dark and completely silent.”

The tanks, which retail at around $18,500, contain 11 inches of body temperature saltwater, which is approximately 30 per cent more buoyant than ordinary water. Erickson calls it the easiest way to create the most relaxing environment possible.

“It’s tough to describe what the experience is like,” he says. “The feeling of zero gravity or weightlessness is not something most people have experienced since the womb.”

“When people hear ‘sensory deprivation tank’, they think they will experience deprivation of their senses, but it’s actually the opposite. All of your senses are completely intact; it’s just your perception of what is going on around you and inside of you completely changes.”

Erickson and Healey presented their plans to import and distribute a new type of flotation tank, called a Dream Pod, to a Dragon’s Den producer at the Okanagan School of Business on Feb. 19. Erickson and his partner pitched the idea, offering 50 per cent of the business in exchange for a startup loan of $20,000.  They hope to be the sole Canadian distributor of the Dream Pod.

“It went well,” Erickson says. “We went down around 11 a.m. and presented around 3:30 p.m. Most of the day we just waited around but he seemed enthusiastic at the idea.”

Erickson and Healey are also opening a store at 1851 Kirschner Road in March that will allow customers the chance to experience the phenomenon for themselves. A 90 minute session at Float Space will cost around $65.

Erickson says time in the tanks will benefit everybody, especially athletes and those recovering from mental and physical trauma.

“The next step for us is really to just wait,” he says. “I’m sure it will be a quick response because they start filming in Toronto next month.”

“I don’t know if it will work out or not, but it was definitely a cool experience.”

Dustin Erickson and Alan Healey of Kelowna are hoping to be the sole Canadian distributors of a new type of sensory deprivation flotation tank made in Singapore. They also are opening the first flotation centre in the Okanagan on Kirschner Road sometime in March.

Image Credit: Contributed

To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infotelnews.ca, call (250) 718-0428 or tweet @AdamProskiw.

News from © iNFOnews, 2014