loader
Sensory Deprivation Tank ~ Capristo Spa ~ Pittsburgh ~ 412.337.9882
Pittsburgh's unrivaled Floatation Spa

free your mind, lose your body, find your soul.

Schedule Appointment Learn More
What is it ?
Pittsburgh’s first & most advanced floatation spa.
Featuring three spacious float rooms & one float pod.

The Sensory Deprivation Tank is a vessel containing a warm, shallow pool of highly dense salt water. The tank is light & sound-proof & the water is maintained at a constant skin temperature. Once relaxed, you won't know where the water ends & the air begins.

The Sensory Deprivation Tank, also know as an isolation or float tank, was developed in the mid 1950's by a man known as John C. Lilly. Born January 6, 1915, he was an American physician, neuroscientist, psychoanalyst, philosopher, writer & inventor. Using mainly isolation tanks, he researched the nature of consciousness. He wanted to isolate the mind without any external stimulants. It wasn't until the 1970's that the tank was perfected. He teamed up with Glenn & Lee Perry to start manufacturing the first commercial tanks & thus, the Samadhi floatation tank was born. It is a capsule containing a warm, shallow pool of salt water that is light & sound-proof. The water is kept at a constant “skin” temperature of 93.5°F.

Floating stimulates a parasympathetic response. Muscle tension, blood pressure, heart rate & oxygen consumption all drop dramatically. The entire chemistry of the body changes. Blood vessels including capillaries dilate, improving cardiovascular efficiency & increasing the supply of oxygen & nutrients to EVERY SINGLE cell in your body. Stress related chemicals such as adrenaline, cortisol, ACTH & lactate are removed from the bloodstream & replaced by beneficial endorphins. Endorphins produce intense feelings of well-being, alleviate fatigue & chronic pain, as well as improve brain functions such as memory, learning, & creativity. They are the body’s natural feel-good drug & pain-killer.

Floating has been shown to alleviate asthma, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, gastro-intestinal & cardiovascular disorders, fibromyalgia, migraines, back-aches & insomnia. If you are an athlete of any kind, the deep relaxation of the float tank improves circulation & accelerates the growth & regeneration of muscle tissue & helps quickly heal any bodily injuries.

Once relaxed, the two hemispheres of the brain become more balanced & synchronized producing a subtle shift in awareness away from the normally dominant "left-brain" thought patterns (logical, linear, analytical, detailed) towards the intuitive, synthetic & large-scale thought modes of the "right-brain".

If you meditate or want to start, this is the ideal environment. Without distractions or interruptions of any kind, you are alone with your thoughts.

Powerful claims. Yet these are only a few of the beneficial results attributed to floating. There have been countless studies done on the tank over nearly half a decade. It has been proven time & time again to be a vital tool in optimal human performance.

As small local business, last minute cancellations are very detrimental. Please make every effort to avoid missing an appointment but if you must cancel, please contact me at least 24 hours prior to your appointment. Thank you.


Please fill out the waiver before arriving for your appointment. It will save you time upon arrival, & you can't float without it.

  Download the Pittsburgh Float Waiver

What to expect
How you should prepare & what you should expect during your float


Single Float
Flexible time & scheduling
Package Floats
Multi session packages
Floats by the month
Monthly membership options
Gift Cards
Gift cards available
aboutme
Who am I ?
About me

Let me introduce myself. My name is Luke Raymer, a native "yinzer", born & raised. My grandma used it, so that makes it a word in my book. Born in October, as a Libra, I was destined to provide balance & harmony. I grew up in a small town along the Monongahela & eventually moved into the city. To keep this brief, I'd like to just share how I stumbled upon the tank. Often I'm asked, How did you get into this? That's a good question because I certainly had no intentions of owning a float center, let alone even know what a float tank was.


It all started with realizing the importance of health & fitness at an early age. This is my calling in life, & in one way or another, it is something I'd like to give back to the world. I’ve spent countless hours studying, training & trying to understand optimal performance. I researched & sought out some of the most talented individuals in the world & traveled the globe to learn from them. I was in Toronto, Canada, to train with the world renowned Ido Portal. Here, I had my first opportunity to try out the floatation tank I had heard so much about from Joe Rogan's Podcast. I had been physically preparing for months before attending Ido's workshop, & just my luck I injured my back a few days before leaving. It’s a long drive from Pittsburgh up to Toronto, & of course this didn’t make it feel any better. In fact, I wasn’t even sure I was going to be able to participate. Sadly, I was settling on being a note-taking attendant rather than an active participant.


I had researched & found a local tank I wanted to try out. Little did I know, a float was exactly what I needed. Immediately, I was hooked. The weightless sensation was unreal & so foreign to me. I felt completely revitalized after I got out. Not only was I mentally refreshed, but my back felt significantly better. To my surprise, I was able to participate in everything we did. Undoubtedly, that float changed my life. When I finally got back home, I knew I had to have that experience again & thus began my new floating addiction. Unfortunately, the closest tank I could find was four hours away. This wasn’t going to cut it for me. I needed to float regularly, I needed my own tank & set out to make it happen.

About Pittsburgh Float

After many months of hard work, planning & perseverance, I obtained my first tank. I then proceeded to set it up in my living room. Besides using it myself, I had only planned to have some close friends & family experience what this tank had to offer. Initially, the tank did not come about as a business plan but the more I saw & experienced the countless benefits, the more I knew this could help so many people on various levels. I was so excited to share it with everyone that I decided to quit my job & pursue the tank full time. This is when the tank got moved to Capristo’s Salon & Spa in Shadyside. The venture has become an amazing part of my life. It is a fulfilling journey for me to help others & to gain a deeper understanding of myself.


John Lilly, the inventor of the floatation tank, once said, “In the province of the mind, what one believes to be true, either is true or becomes true.” You can create your own reality, be the superhero you once dreamt of, or simply take an introspective look into who you really are. Just step into the tank & see for yourself.

subscribe to our newsletter

Updates & offers you actually want. No spam.

Contact Us