Entering the Void: Isolation Floats in Portland

By Drew Prindle March 4, 2013

Right smack in the middle of Portland’s Hawthorne District, at the foothills of a dormant volcano, there is a portal. It won’t take you to some exotic place in the far reaches of outer space, but where you’ll go is just as cool. Step into one, and within an hour you can reach the deepest recesses of your own mind. I’m talking, of course, about sensory deprivation floats.

If you’ve heard of sensory deprivation before, chances are you don’t recall it being a good thing. That’s partially true. Hit up Wikipedia and you’ll see that sensory deprivation is sometimes used as a form of torture, but doing it in a spa in Portland is entirely different than doing it in a cell in Guantanamo. Isolation floats are actually quite therapeutic. Think of it like LSD: when done in moderation it can be a fun, spiritual, mind-opening experience, but too much of it at once can fry your melon. Willingly step into a flotation chamber like the ones they have at Float On in Portland, and the experience isn’t torturous at all. In fact it’s just the opposite – floating is widely regarded as a healing and rejuvenating experience.

Here’s how it works: You lie on your back in a pool of water that’s been loaded with epsom salts. This super salty water makes you incredibly buoyant. As you float there, suspended in the salty water, you’re essentially weightless. Without the need to use any muscles to stabilize yourself, suddenly your body has all these extra resources it can direct back to your brain. Without any external stimuli to analyze and process (it’s pitch black inside the tanks), your brain gets a chance to relax and focus on things like healing and rest.

After about 40 minutes into a float, your brain stops producing it’s normal Alpha waves, and begins to pump out Theta waves – lower-frequency waves that generally only occur during deep meditation or just before you fall asleep. This state is where your mind’s most deep-seated programs are – the state where people often experience vivid visualizations, great inspiration, and profound creativity. Float On has even compiled a book to showcase the various pieces of art that people have created after spending time in their tanks. Check out their site to learn more or book an appointment.

Drew is our resident tech nerd. He’s spent most of his life trying to be James Bond, so naturally he’s developed an…

Culture

How long should you let new cigars rest in a humidor?

Cigar humidor

Looking at those beautiful, oily cigars you've just unboxed or unwrapped, the calling to light up is real. I get it. I always want to smoke my cigars right away, too. But you shouldn't. Mail day is always exciting after you've ordered a slew of new cigars. When they arrive, the real fun begins. You'll probably need to organize your humidor to make the new sticks fit or arrange them for optimal humidification. As you're handling them, it's difficult to resist the temptation to crack open the cellophane or boxes and smoke one right away. While you can do that in most cases, I would recommend against it. Depending on where those cigars came from, where you live, and how they traveled, they might need a little time to rest in a humidor. They'll need to replenish some humidity and moisture or dry out a little.
How long should you let your new cigars rest?

When you put cigars in a humidor, especially one that's filled, they'll soak up and release humidity over time until they reach the average RH (relative humidity) that you have set inside your humidor. If you have a device like a that does this automatically, it will produce moisture and humidity to keep the levels optimal. You can also achieve the same thing with in smaller humidors, which release and soak up the humidity to match the levels on the label. Boveda packs come in a range of RH levels, from the low to mid-60s to the mid-70s.

Culture

The 11 best Kevin Costner movies, ranked

He has a full resume of films, but if you're a Costner fan, then you must see these movies

Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves

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Culture

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If you haven't seen these films at least one time, you need to ... and then watch them again and again

Scene from Pulp Fiction, John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson

Of all the contemporary film auteurs, perhaps no one’s work has permeated pop culture as thoroughly as Quentin Tarantino's. This director’s hyper-stylized, retro fantasy worlds have come to define cinematic coolness. His clever mashups of genres, exquisite sense of aesthetics, impeccable editing, uproarious suspensefulness, and impossibly quippy dialogue have been endlessly imitated.
Given the current political landscape, Tarantino’s work has undergone a serious critical re-evaluation from Black and feminist critics and scholars who point toward both his allegedly abusive behaviors and the offensive politics and rhetoric of his films. It’s true that in this new light, for many, there may be nothing redeemable about his entire oeuvre.
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