NEW PHILADELPHIA – Tuscarawas resident Michelle Gossett, formerly of Follansbee, West Virginia, left her medical career in December 2018 to open Solace Relaxation Massage in Dover.

The business has since moved to 267 W. High Ave. in New Philadelphia, and now incorporates two private flotation therapy rooms which can accommodate couples.

Flotation therapy has been around since the 1950s, according to Gossett. Formerly known as sensory deprivation, it is now called rest therapy or flotation therapy.

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A thousand pounds of pharmaceutical grade Epsom salts are dissolved in water in a shallow tub, leaving the client to float effortlessly in about 18 inches of water, heated to the average body temperature. It creates a solution comparable to being in the Dead Sea, Gossett said.

The body is intended to float effortlessly while enjoying a reduced sound environment for an hour, giving brain and body a total break from external stimuli. The warm air and warm buoyant water environment provide space for uninterrupted relaxation.

Gossett said she felt a calling to help people handle stress more effectively because it is the leading cause of disease.

After the pandemic began, she researched flotation therapy and has since become passionate about bringing the therapeutic practice to her community to help as many people as possible.

“I’m a chronic pain sufferer myself and after my first float I was pain free for three days,” Gossett said.

The spa location also houses two massage rooms with fireplaces, a large relaxation room with a fireplace, and two private float pool suites complete with shower facilities with all necessary amenities included.

Michelle Gossett, along with her husband and co-owner Michael Gossett, celebrated the grand opening of the new location earlier this month with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Tuscarawas County Chamber of Commerce.

For more information, contact Solace Relaxation Massage & Float Spa at 330-227-8297.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Flotation therapy is added to Solace Relaxation Massage in New Phila