Would it be a bit claustrophobic? Would the highly salted water sting my eyes or other unmentionable places? Perhaps I would be lulled to sleep and drown.

But as soon as I immersed myself in the region's first float tank - after a shower and dressed in my birthday suit - those worries seemed to ebb away.

The tank at Cocoon Floatation on Bellevue Road was dark and enclosed, but I knew there was a light within reach and I had control of opening and closing the tank doors.

It was certainly salty - full of some 350 kilograms of Epsom salts, to be exact - but there was no nasty stinging sensation anywhere.

And while many people do indeed drift off to sleep in such tanks, the salty water is so buoyant that there's no danger of drowning.

Once my fears had been set aside, I was ready to float. You may think you have floated - in the sea, in the backyard pool, even in the bath - but in a float tank the water is so dense that you literally lie on the surface of the water.

It's pretty strange - though very welcome - to feel like you're totally weightless, like you're defying gravity.

The water and tank temperature is kept at a constant 34.5 degrees, similar to your body temperature, so at times it's hard to tell which parts of your body are in contact with the water, and which are not.

You can just lie there and completely zone out; you can gently stretch your tired muscles; or you can move and sway with the water, freeing your limbs and letting your hair fan out around you like a mermaid, or so I imagined. (The salty tresses didn't look so great post-float, to be completely honest).

For many people, floating is a chance to declutter the mind and just focus on the experience and that's perfect for relaxation and destressing.

If you're like me and find it hard to completely let go of that to-do list, that's still OK - with no distractions the float tank is a great place to think through ideas or issues of concern. It often brings a sense of clarity that you can't find elsewhere.

Helping people like myself unplug for a while from their hectic lives was the impetus for former Sydneysider Megan Sproats to set up Cocoon Floatation, which opened last month.

"I was living a semi-beige existence, working a 9 to 5 office job that was not all that fulfilling, and I started floating every Friday night in Bondi Junction [in 2007]," she said.

"I found I could get into a deep and clear state of mental and physical relaxation that I could not get to outside of the tank.

"I started working on all sorts of issues and could sort them out on my own in the tank. This is still a completely empowering experience."

Ms Sproats said with the nearest float tank to the Illawarra in Miranda, business has been swift and surprising.

"The response has been overwhelming. I was not at all prepared for how busy we would be so quickly," she said.

She said people's experiences ranged from eliminating back and neck pain to feelings of euphoria.

Call 4244 3069 or visit cocoonfloatation.com.au.