Entry No. 33 — the Buffalo file — filed under: float-tank
The Flo
Family-owned and open on Allen Street since November 1, 2015, The Flo runs two commercial-grade tanks built by Float Lab Technologies — one 8 by 4 feet, one 8 by 5, both seven feet tall — each dissolving about 1,300 pounds of Epsom salt in water held at 95°F. The water is kept clean with UV and ozone filtration instead of chlorine, and once the door shuts it is genuinely pitch-black and soundproof; it bills itself as the only full sensory-deprivation float center in Western New York. Solo floats run $55 for 60 minutes or $70 for 90, and because there are two tanks a couples booking means floating simultaneously in separate rooms. The storefront doubles as a small holistic shop with regular walk-in hours.
→ Three at a time, never the same twice — explore weird Buffalo
The story
The Flo opened on Allen Street on November 1, 2015, and bills itself as the only full sensory-deprivation float center in Western New York. The storefront at 228 Allen is a small holistic shop keeping midday hours, but the business is in the two rooms behind it, each holding a commercial tank built by Float Lab Technologies of Venice Beach. The front tank is eight feet long by four wide, the back one eight by five, both seven feet tall. That last dimension is the one they lead with for anyone worried about enclosed spaces: you can stand up inside, and they report several severely claustrophobic customers floating without incident, partly because the dark makes the walls untraceable anyway.
The physics are the appeal. Fourteen inches of water, about 1,300 pounds of Epsom salt dissolved into it, a density that beats the Dead Sea, and a temperature held at 95°F — close enough to skin that you eventually lose track of where you end and the water starts. There's no chlorine involved: two pool filters, a UV filter and an ozone generator scrub the water for fifteen minutes between customers. Once the door shuts it is genuinely pitch black and genuinely soundproof, which is a rarer commodity than it sounds and is the entire product.
Because there are two tanks in two separate rooms, a couples float is not a shared bath — it is two people undergoing an hour or ninety minutes of engineered nothing simultaneously and alone, then comparing notes on what their brains manufactured to fill the gap. Solo runs $55 for 60 minutes or $70 for 90; couples are $99 and $120. Credit packages start at $99 for two floats, never expire, and can be handed to someone else, which makes them a better gift than most things on Allen Street.
What it's like
Come uncaffeinated, don't shave that day, and don't turn up either starving or full. You get a private room with the tank and a shower, and you shower before and after — the salt comes out with you whether you like it or not. Floating nude is what they recommend over swimwear; nobody else is in the room. Towels, washcloths, earplugs, contact solution and cases are provided, so the only thing worth bringing is your own shampoo if you're particular. Earplugs in, door closed, lights off, and then an hour or ninety minutes in which the most interesting thing available is your own head. If you've dyed your hair within four weeks, bring a swim cap. Budget more clock time than the float itself; the showering is neither optional nor fast.
The move: Book the 90-minute couples float — $120 total, two tanks, same hour of engineered nothing — via their Booker page or 716-770-1000, then debrief on what your brains invented over drinks a few doors down on Allen.
📍 Before you go Floats are appointment-only: Mon–Fri 10am–8pm, Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 10am–4pm (the shop itself keeps shorter noon hours). Book through the Booker link on the site or (716) 770-1000. First-timers get $10 off a 90-minute float with code FIRSTTIME, and purchased credits never expire. Street parking on Allen and side streets — ordinary Allentown hunting applies on weekend nights.
- 📍 Buffalo
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoor or outdoor
Where: 228 Allen St, Buffalo, NY 14201
Hours: Added 2026-08-25 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Assembly House 150 — A five-minute walk to Dennis Maher's salvaged-fragment church interior — maximum visual input immediately before or after an hour of none at all.
- Botanica El Indio — A mile west on Niagara Street for seven-day candles sorted by intention, if the float leaves you receptive to shelves organized around what you want to happen.
- The Foundry — Woodshop, metalshop and open maker hours a short hop north — the loud, hands-on counterweight to lying motionless in salt water.
More weird in Buffalo
Good to know
Where is it and where do I park?
228 Allen St, in the middle of Allentown. Street parking on Allen and the side streets, which is fine on a Tuesday afternoon and the usual Allentown blood sport on a Friday night — build in ten minutes, or walk from wherever you're eating. Floats run Mon–Fri 10am–8pm, Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 10am–4pm; the shop keeps shorter noon hours.
What does it cost?
$55 for a 60-minute solo float, $70 for 90. Couples floats are $99 and $120 for the same lengths. First-timers get $10 off a 90-minute float with code FIRSTTIME. Credit packages start at $99 for two 60-minute floats and $120 for two 90s, and credits don't expire and are transferable. Unlimited 90-minute floats run $250 a month; military 15% off, students 10%.
Do I wear a swimsuit?
They recommend floating nude, and the room is yours alone, so a suit mostly gives you a seam to notice for ninety minutes. Everything is appointment-only, booked through the Booker link on their site or (716) 770-1000.
I'm claustrophobic. Bad idea?
The tanks are seven feet tall and you can stand upright in them, the door stays under your control, and the center says several customers with severe claustrophobia have floated fine. Their argument is the counterintuitive one: in total darkness you can't perceive the size of the space, so there's nothing to feel closed in by.
Is there anyone who shouldn't float?
Postpone if you're in the first trimester of pregnancy, had surgery within two weeks or have an incision still open, or have had COVID in the last ten days. Also skip it with open cuts, after drinking, or while menstruating without internal protection. And don't shave the day of — 1,300 pounds of Epsom salt finds every nick you have.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: alteryourflo.com
last checked: 2026-08-25