Magnesium and Float Tanks

Magnesium is having a moment, and for good reason. It runs more than 300 enzyme reactions in the body, including the ones that make ATP (your cellular energy), regulate the nervous system, and set up deep sleep. Most people don't get enough of it from food.

Float tanks come up a lot in the magnesium conversation, because the water is a dense Epsom salt solution and Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate. So the fair question is: does floating actually give you magnesium? Here is the honest answer, plus what a float genuinely does for the things people take magnesium for.

Why magnesium matters

Magnesium is a cofactor in ATP production, so low levels show up as fatigue and slow recovery. It supports GABA activity in the brain, which is part of why it is linked to calmer mood and better sleep. It helps muscles relax and release, which matters for cramps, tension and post-training recovery. And it plays a role in the stress response, which is why low magnesium tracks with anxiety and low mood.

Diet is the primary source: leafy greens, nuts, seeds, legumes, wholegrains and dark chocolate. Many people still fall short, which is why oral magnesium (glycinate and threonate are well-absorbed forms) is one of the most popular supplements going.

Do you absorb magnesium in a float tank?

Each Beyond Rest float pod holds around 500kg of pharmaceutical-grade magnesium sulfate, so you are floating in one of the most magnesium-dense environments you will ever get into. Whether meaningful amounts cross the skin is the honest question, and the science is mixed.

Some small studies suggest modest uptake, possibly through hair follicles, with absorption rising as concentration and time in the water increase. But a 2017 peer-reviewed review in Nutrients (Gröber et al, "Myth or Reality: Transdermal Magnesium?") concluded the current evidence does not establish that transdermal magnesium reliably delivers clinical doses. So the fair position: a float is a magnesium-rich experience, and you should keep getting magnesium from food or a supplement.

What a float actually does, and why it overlaps with magnesium

The reasons people reach for magnesium (better sleep, less anxiety, muscle relaxation, recovery, a calmer nervous system) are the same outcomes a float delivers through a different mechanism: sensory reduction and deep parasympathetic activation.

An hour in the pod lowers cortisol and lifts HRV, with measurable anxiety reduction after a single session (Feinstein 2018). Kjellgren and Westman 2014 documented the same across float courses. The weightless, skin-neutral environment releases muscle tension the way a long soak does, and most people sleep noticeably deeper the night after a float.

So whether or not the magnesium crosses your skin, the float reaches the same targets you were chasing with the supplement, through the nervous system.

The honest way to use both

Get your magnesium from food, and if you fall short, an oral supplement (glycinate or threonate for absorption and sleep). Use floating for the nervous-system reset, the muscle release and the sleep benefit. They work together: one tops up the mineral, the other resets the system the mineral supports.

Where to float in Melbourne and Perth

Beyond Rest runs private I-Sopod float pods at all six centres, each with around 500kg of pharmaceutical-grade magnesium sulfate, water and air held at skin-neutral temperature, in a private room with no shared water.

Melbourne: Float therapy Melbourne at Hawthorn East, Moonee Ponds, Collingwood and Prahran. Perth: Float therapy Perth at East Perth and Wembley.

FAQ

Do you absorb magnesium in a float tank?

The evidence is mixed. Float water is a dense magnesium sulfate solution, and some small studies suggest modest transdermal uptake, but a 2017 Nutrients review found it is not established that it delivers clinical doses. Treat a float as a magnesium-rich experience and keep getting magnesium from food or a supplement.

Is a float tank as good as a magnesium supplement?

For raising your magnesium level, an oral supplement is more reliable. For the outcomes people take magnesium for, like sleep, calm and muscle relaxation, a float delivers them through the nervous system. Use both.

Does floating help sleep and anxiety?

Yes. Floating lowers cortisol and raises HRV, with measurable anxiety reduction after a single session (Feinstein 2018), and most people report deeper sleep the night after.

What is the best way to get magnesium?

Food first (leafy greens, nuts, seeds, legumes, dark chocolate), then an oral supplement such as magnesium glycinate or threonate if you fall short. Floating complements both.

How much magnesium is in a Beyond Rest float pod?

Around 500kg of pharmaceutical-grade magnesium sulfate per pod, one of the most magnesium-dense environments you can get into.

Book a float

Try a float at your nearest Beyond Rest centre in Melbourne or Perth.