In 2023, David Brayton opened DRIP Luxury Float Spa with the goal of providing floatation therapy to Rhode Islanders. Floatation tanks, filled with a high concentration of medical-grade Epsom salt and water, allow people of all body types to float effortlessly into a completely relaxed state. This unique experience relieves stress and promotes respiratory health and mental well-being. Floatation therapy is also known as “restricted environmental stimulation therapy” (REST). The tanks are soundproof, allowing clients to float without distraction in complete silence. 

Brayton describes his first experience in a tank at Float Boston: “I was excited, I was nervous, I truly didn’t know what to expect.” When the women behind the counter brought him to his float room, he thought the tank resembled a coffin. “It wasn’t really inviting, to be honest,” he says, “but after floating for many years I would love to float in one again. I would have a different appreciation for it being the first commercial design for a float tank.”

He recalls entering the float tank after rinsing off the day’s stresses in a shower, “I opened what had the look of a trap door leading to emptiness.” Boldly, he jumped in and closed the door. The interior was pitch dark. After laying down upon the water and closing his eyes, he was fine. His aches and pains melted away. Mentally, he was worried about being unable to settle, but when the water flattened and everything became still, he felt a blessed sensation of peace. “There was nothing weighing me down,” he explains, “I was simply there. I was nothing more than this still speck in space. It was such a mind opening experience.”

When the session was over, Brayton climbed out of the tank feeling reborn. He felt alive again, and he  needed to experience that again and again. He could hardly wait to tell his friends and everyone everywhere about the experience and the setting he describes as “calm and relaxing, quiet and cozy with a splash of peaceful.” Now, he owns a float spa with six spacious float rooms—three singles and three doubles. At six-feet, five-inches tall, Brayton can stand up in all of them. DRIP is the only float therapy spa in the area with double floats.

Brayton’s philosophy is that health and wellness start within. He knows what stress feels like and recognizes that mental health is a huge problem, with many people using prescription drugs to alleviate pain, depression and anxiety. DRIP’s modalities are all-natural and support the body’s own ability to heal itself—mind, body and spirit. 

The most rewarding aspect of the business is the excitement generated by the clientele. Brayton says, “Some people go in with all this negative energy, and they come out as a different person. Some come out with Zen-like feelings and others come out with the most energy they have ever had. One gentleman told me he has gone through many different back surgeries, pain killers, chiropractic treatments and acupuncture, yet nothing compared to floating.”

A teacher came in all stressed from her job and personal issues,which were weighing her down. She needed a break and chose to give floating a try. When she came out of the tank, she started to tear up and expressed how much she truly needed that separation from the

stress. While her life challenges still existed, floating gave her the relief she needed and helped her to handle the problems with greater clarity.

For people hesitant about trying float therapy, Brayton expresses that it’s like nothing they have ever experienced before. He says, “It’s the purest form of taking time to yourself. It’s most definitely the best form of self-healing that you could ever experience.”

At DRIP, clients can float in complete darkness or turn on ceiling LED lights that resemble stars. The water is kept at body temperature—neither hot nor cold. Once the client settles into the water, the brain is unable to distinguish between parts of the body that are in contact with the solution and those that are not. The feeling is like being suspended in space. As physical awareness subsides, the mind eventually enters a deep meditative state during which time thoughts drip away.

“Our purpose at DRIP,” says Brayton, “is to give our customers a timeout from their day-to-day stresses and a moment to themselves. With all the chaos out there in the world, people need to simply float more, stress less.”