Float Madison

If you already know you want to donate/pre-purchase floats, click the donate link to the right or scroll down to the bottom to choose your package.

For all others, we are pre-selling floats at a discounted rate of $50-$30, t-shirts, bumper stickers and thank yous to bring in the final funding we need to open our doors.  Read on!

What is Float Madison and Why Are They Asking for Help?  Here is my story!
Float Madison is a floatation therapy center opening in Madison, Wisconsin this summer.  If you aren't aware of floatation therapy (great! we are excited to be the first to let you know!) scroll down to "What is Floatation Therapy?".  

It has been a crazy year long journey since the day I bought the domain name www.floatmadison.com and started Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and Youtube business accounts.  As soon as I began our internet presence I began working on my business plan. It was the first business plan I ever wrote, and it had to be solid if I wanted lending sources to take me seriously.   I easily spent 75+ hours over the course of 6 months perfecting it.  During this time I was seeking the perfect location.  I learned to use the architecture program 'SketchUp' for drawing up floor plans. Here is an example of what I put together at the first location I was looking at:
After finding a location, I brought in multiple general contractors to quote me on construction costs.  I knew it from the beginning during my initial research from speaking to float center owners from around the world that opening a float center is expensive, very expensive.  The float pods and rooms each cost as much as a mid-sized sedan.  The build out costs that include demolition, cutting concrete for plumbing, upgrading electricity, upgrading heating and cooling, installing showers in each room and heavy duty soundproofing is also very expensive.  I knew that raising the funds would be the toughest part of this project. 

I began seeking funding.  Luckily I had some debt problems (bear with me, it was a blessing in disguise) when I was 19 after attending college for a semester before dropping out and partying for a year.  I came down with some health problems (again, a blessing in disguise) and became obsessed with nutrition and healthy living.  After working my butt off to clear myself of the debt by the time I was 21, I began living very frugally.  I rarely ate out for years, would buy food in bulk, bought used freezers to store food, learned to garden, learned to can, learned to cook all my meals at home and almost always stayed in Wisconsin for vacations (we have great parks and lakes!), and was able to save a decent amount with plans to go back to college debt free.   My savings coupled with some donations from friends was still not enough to get Float Madison up and running.  Off to lenders I went!  

I began going to bank after bank with my business plan.  All the banks said the same thing, "The idea is amazing and would do really well here, but you don't have the collateral we need in case things don't go as planned".  It was a huge bummer but I knew there had to be another way.  I discovered an organization called Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC). I worked with them for months and my advisor told me that things were looking great.  The big day came in May where I had to sit down in a conference room with about 15 bankers and 7 staff members of WWBIC.  They introduced themselves then put me on the spot.  A few questions were asked and I answered them very well, showing that I was capable of opening Float Madison by myself.  I got a call the next day that I was approved for a loan!  Unfortunately, since I was a start-up and didn't have much collateral, they didn't give me all I asked for.  And this is where you come in.

We are going to begin construction very soon but still need to raise around $25,000 to finish paying for our float rooms once they arrive in August.  So we are pre-selling floats, bumper stickers, t-shirts and huge thank yous!  All floats in the packages are for one hour.  They do not expire and can be gifted to friends.  If you don't want to purchase anything but still want to be awesome by helping out with some donations, you can do so by simply filling out the donate form instead of selecting a package.  Remember, every dollar counts! I wouldn't have made it this far if I hadn't started small in the beginning.  Even if you can't donate, please help us out by spreading the word on social media.  I'm sure you have a few friends that may be interested in helping out.  

A huge thanks to all of you no matter what option you choose here!  

About our Founder - His Story
Float Madison was founded by me, Greg Griffin, in early 2014, 3 years after my first float.  I envision a world where everybody is genuinely happy, healthy and doing what they love. I've always put others ahead of myself, but have also learned the importance of taking time for ourselves. 

I discovered floatation therapy in 2011, and it has been an instrumental tool in helping me become more optimistic about life and realizing my true potential. At first I would use it for stress reduction and recovery from workouts, but after a few floats and reading the research I realized the potential it had for so much more.   

My original plan in 2011 was to get my degree in nutritional sciences and then open a wellness center with a couple of float pods.  But during a break from school in 2013 I travelled around the US a little bit.  I would book a float as soon as I landed somewhere to help with jet lag and sleep recovery.  I was reading about and met other young, successful wellness industry business owners during my travels.  When I would mention my dream of someday opening a float center once I finished school and took some business classes people kept repeating the same thing, "Just do it now!  You'll figure things out along the way. You don't need a business degree to start a business!".  It sounded crazy at first because we are used to being told that we need a degree to do what we want to do with our lives.  But I realized that these other young people figured it out, so why couldn't I?  I also had a sense that other people in the Madison area had the same idea of opening a float center, and so I decided to put off nutrition school for a while and figure out what it would take to do it now.

What is Floatation Therapy?
Maybe you've heard it referred to as float tanks, isolation tanks or sensory deprivation tanks.  We like to use the term floatation therapy as opposed to sensory deprivation because we aren't depriving our bodies of anything, we are rather removing stimulus.  Float Madison is a float center that will be set up similar to a massage studio. When you enter our doors, you walk into a lobby/reception area. There is calming music playing.  You already feel less stressed out. You will be led back to your private float suite and given instructions on how to go about your float.  Each float suite has a private shower, a changing area and a float pod or room.

Here is an example of a float suite:

We are using those exact rooms. 

With about 1000 pounds of Epsom salt saturating 10 inches of clear, skin temperature water, your body will float effortlessly. Not having to fight gravity, your muscles, bones and joints unwind and relax while your skin absorbs the mineral rich Epsom Salt. You dim the lights and your senses are completely relieved from the noise and stress of your busy day. Your mind shifts to a more relaxed state – refocusing it's energy on healing the body and boosting creativity and thought. Stress, pain and anxiety melt away, leaving you with an exhilarating feeling for days to come.

Benefits of Floatation Therapy

·         Alleviates stress, anxiety and depression
·         Relieves pain and speeds up recovery
·         Mitigates pregnancy discomfort
·         Enhances creativity, learning and performance
·         Heightens mental and spiritual well-being
·         Makes it easy to get into a meditative state
·         Promotes total calm and peaceful relaxation

Scientific Studies on Floatation
It all sounds awesome but I love science as much as the next person! Check out Fadeaway Floatation's website for links to published science on floatation therapy:
Fadeaway Floatation Studies

Thank you so much once again! Can't wait to have you come in and float in just a few short months!