If you haven’t tried flotation yet, what are you waiting for? Evidence of the benefits of this particular way of pampering yourself has been building for years. Float tanks are proven to relieve stress, anxiety, and depression; reduce the chronic fatigue of insomnia or jet lag; accelerate learning; improve focus and creativity; and enhance your meditation practice. As if that weren’t enticing enough, floating relieves chronic pain of all kinds, including aches resulting from fibromyalgia, arthritis, and tendonitis. People suffering from all-over inflammation or general back and neck pain swear by the relief they gain from a float experience.
Mountain Float Spa, first founded by Joey and Grace La Penna in 2014 as the first flotation spa in the area, has changed hands and is now the passion project of siblings Olivia and Brandon Rey Rodas, who grew up across the river in Hopewell Junction. “My brother’s in the real estate business, and last July, he was looking for ways to relax,” says Olivia. “He asked a broker he knew, and the guy started raving about the flotation experience, so Rey was like, ‘Okay, I’ll give it a try,’ and he was blown away. He got talking to Joey, told him he should open these places everywhere.”
Athletes, students, veterans, artists, and folks of all descriptions have been finding pain relief and life enhancement at Mountain Float for years, and the cool features make it a perfect place to give flotation a try.
It just so happened that the La Pennas were looking to move on and seeking good leadership for Mountain Float. “So Rey came to me, knowing how much I love spas and health and wellness, and that I had customer service experience,” says Olivia. “I went and tried it for myself and just fell completely in love. So then we had a plan.”
Olivia had worked in restaurants and done some office work, “which just wasn’t for me—I like being around people,” she says. “And I’m big into self-care; I do my own nails and eyelashes, and I’ve always been fascinated by spas. I went to spas in New Jersey every chance I got, and always left thinking how I’d love to do something like that one day, to offer wellness to people.”
Since opening the doors to Mountain Float in October 2021, she’s relished the ability to offer something this inarguably cool. “Floating is pretty much good for whatever you want it to help with,” she says. “It’s hard to imagine until you do it; it’s like floating on a cloud. You’ve got skin-temperature water and 800 pounds of Epsom salts providing buoyancy; after five or 10 minutes, you don’t know where your body stops and the water starts. The last time you may have experienced this was in the womb.”
“Floating is pretty much good for whatever you want it to help with. It’s hard to imagine until you do it; it’s like floating on a cloud.” -Olivia Rodas
The Rodas family took some time for renovation, putting their own stamp on what Olivia says was already an excellent business. “We ripped out the carpets and completely redid one of the float rooms, and we’re working on the other one, and we redid the massage room,” says Olivia. “We’re making it a holistic wellness spa, offering massage therapy, Reiki, and acupuncture; the mantra is ‘Reset, restore, renew.’ Reiki is wonderful for resetting your energy—it grounds you with the earth. Massage and acupuncture are restorative. And floating renews your mind. So we’re offering custom R&R—Restore and Renew—packages, where you can pair a float with your choice of a complementary treatment.” For flotation sessions alone, prices range from $75 for 60 minutes to $90 for 90 minutes. Discounts are available for various combinations of treatments.
“ After five or 10 minutes [of floating], you don’t know where your body stops and the water starts. The last time you may have experienced this was in the womb.” -Olivia Rodas
Athletes, students, veterans, artists, and folks of all descriptions have been finding pain relief and life enhancement at Mountain Float for years, and the cool features beloved by customers make it a perfect place to give flotation a try. “Some people are intimidated by the idea at first, but it’s very customizable—you can control the music and light, you can have a ‘float halo’ that offers extra head and neck support, or you can choose to go full-on sensory deprivation for deep meditation: a beta brain wave state between sleeping and waking that’s pretty crazy,” Olivia explains. “We thoroughly explain how everything works and walk you through it so you feel comfy—of course, if you really don’t like it, you can always just get out, but that’s rare. On your second try, most people find it even easier to slip into a float, and by the third time, you’re a pro.”
Besides Olivia and Rey, you’ll find a family here—a third sibling is also a co-owner, and Olivia’s best friend Lauren and mom Denise are also on the Mountain Float team. “We have a nice, warm, family feeling here,” says Olivia. “And it feels like such a wonderful thing to be able to provide—genuine relief from a wide variety of problems, the chance to do a true, deep reset for your body and mind. Do come by and give it a shot. You’ll thank yourself for it.”
Mountain Float Spa
215 Main Street, New Paltz
845-256-9800 mountainfloatspa.com
