Float Mode - at Mode Fitness

date of visit: Friday 13 April 2018

I've been talking about doing a float since pretty much forever. When I lived in Leeds (so, given I moved back to Australia almost 10 years ago ... you get the idea) a float business opened up in the city centre and I never quite got around to going. I was a bit apprehensive ... after all, you're on your back, in water, in the dark ... that's just a little bit intimidating if you think about it for too long.

Anyway, before Christmas a group buying deal came up for a float at Float Mode in the city. I managed to buy it and book it! Of course, despite having the voucher for months, I managed to use it about a week before it expired. This is particularly inexcusable because Float Mode has online booking (HALLELUJAH!) meaning you don't have to find time to phone, have a chat to someone and have your calendar in front of you all at once ....

It turned out my timing was impeccable because I'd had (by my standards - I'm lucky as my life is generally pretty chilled out) something of a challenging week. Even though I really questioned whether or not I could afford the time, I think it ended up being a good way of spending some time.

Even though you spend an hour in the tank, you do have to budget about 1.5 hours. As a newbie, I received a very detailed introduction to floating (seriously, these guys have thought of EVERYTHING in the intro) - what to do, what to expect - even down to how much of a gap to leave on the bathroom door! As I was a bit apprehensive, this was great because by the time we'd gone through everything I was totally calm about what was to come. I didn't feel like there were going to be any surprises.

After my 'induction', I was left alone. Everyone has to shower prior to hopping in the tank so I enjoyed a waterfall shower (you are advised to take it a bit cooler than usual, so that the water in the tank doesn't feel cold) and then put my ear plugs in (not essential, but recommended), picked up my little facewasher (in case you need to rub your face ... you don't want that super salty water in your eyes!) and hopped in. 

Because the tank is loaded with 350kg of salt, I'd been given very careful instructions about getting in - apparently if you don't lie back gently, supported by your hands, your legs can bob up quite quickly! Once in, it was time to close the tank, familiarise myself and finally turn the light out.

You get about 10 minutes of music, which fades out and then you spend the rest of the time in silence. I was quite surprised that I didn't fall asleep. It's a very weird sensation - because it kind of is like going to bed (warm and dark) but you're not tired (well, for me it was the middle of the day) and you're flat on your back.

Although I did find the experience very relaxing (and as someone with permanently tight muscles, that's a good thing!) I also found it really valuable as some switch off time. Like most people, I am always on a device of some sort and always have my mind ticking over what needs to be done, what I should be doing, what I could be doing and so on. Obviously, shut up in a tank of water I couldn't do anything (including procrastinate!) so it was a really fabulous opportunity to empty my mind. I didn't get bored but I also didn't stress over the things I wasn't doing and didn't create to-do lists for when I got out. I got a bit fidgety towards the end, but as you're fully supported in the water, you can have a bit of a wriggle. I imagine it's a lot like yoga nidra - the more often you do it, the 'better' (for want of a superior word) you get at it.

When the time is up, the music comes back on, a voice tells you your float is over and it's time to hop out. I'd been told to be careful getting out - just in case your muscles are all REALLY relaxed! Then into the shower to wash off all the salt and you get dressed and you're done!

The only thing I hadn't thought of was that it might have been a good idea to bring a comb to comb out my long hair after the shower!

Would I recommend this? Absolutely! Float Mode's prices seem consistent with other float businesses in Adelaide so if you work in the CBD or head in there often, it's a good choice. I had no problem parking on the street.

Float Mode

26 Elizabeth Street

Adelaide SA 5000

0432 433 306

Adelaide Fringe: Michael Griffiths as Cole

Le Cascadeur - Venue for Cole*

The Adelaide Fringe is in full swing - there's just a good week plus to go and we're only two days into Mad March.

I had an insane end of February. One week in particular was super hectic and during that week I managed to fit in my sole (so far - but usually I manage just one a year!) Fringe activity - Michael Griffiths as Cole.

The show is billed as Cabaret which is probably not a category I'd normally consider. However, when I read that the show was based on the songs of Cole Porter (surprise!) I was keen.

I feel like I grew up on Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies, I love the songs of the 20s and 30s and I've read a lot of and about F Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald (Hemingway I never got into though).

Other than the music, I went along with zero expectations. The show is Michael Griffiths as Cole, singing his songs and talking about his life. He sits at a keyboard and plays as he sings and talks. It's a simple set up. The bench seats in Le Cascadeur are also singularly uncomfortable - particularly for anyone long limbed, something Griffiths acknowledged mid-way through the show, encouraging us to all get up and have a wriggle!

The songs are great (he has some epic material to work with!) and I found out a huge amount about Cole Porter's life I never knew - or rather, I discovered I knew nothing about Cole Porter's life!

Michael Griffiths is originally from Adelaide and the show was written by his school friend (and, naturally, fellow Adelaidean) Anna Goldsworthy - and a few Adelaide references have been slipped into the show. Something guaranteed to keep local audiences happy.

If you're a fan of Cole Porter, or the era in general, you will definitely enjoy this show. Be prepared for a lot of toe-tapping and swaying from those around you!!!

Michael Griffiths as Cole runs at the Garden until 13 March. For tickets, head here.

Thank you to BeYoung PR for the tickets to the show!

* I'm sure Michael Griffiths wouldn't have minded but I still think it's rude to be snapping photos mid-show, and waaaaay too self-conscious to head for a selfie with him afterwards!

Red Sorghum at the OzAsia Festival

I was very lucky (thanks to Buy South Australian) to win not one, not two, but FOUR tickets to Red Sorghum, the opening production of the OzAsia Festival which is currently running in Adelaide.

Unsurprisingly, it wasn't too hard to collect together 3 extra punters to head along for a quick pre-show dinner (at Mandoo) and then take our excellent seats in the Festival Theatre.  We were slap bang in the centre in row B (so about 6 rows back).

To be honest, I had no idea what we were about to see - which meant I did part with $10 for the program which turned out to be 90% in Chinese (and the English parts were pretty dodgy translations).  If I'd paid for my ticket (they were $60 each, no doubt plus booking fees etc) then almost without a doubt I would have been returning the program.  One of my friends was familiar with the novel on which this production is based - written by Chinese Nobel Laureate Mo Yan.  Red Sorghum was his first novel and has subsequently been turned into both a film and this dance production.

While this production is visually quite stark, the simple but dramatic set works well against a lot of ferocious and passionate action.  The title, Red Sorghum, refers to the grass which is the principal crop of the region in which it is set.  The first half of the production seems almost like the story is focussed on a love triangle but in the second half, things get gritty as the action shifts from a domestic level to the Sino-Japanese war and things end in rather a lot of blood shed.

At interval, we all commented on how passionate the production was ... and by the final curtain we were all feeling somewhat subdued ...

The only thing that could have added to the night out would have been live music, rather than recorded.  As someone who loves opera complete with an orchestra in a pit, recorded music always seems something of a short cut, that there's just something missing in terms of atmosphere.

But that is nit-picking.  This was an excellent production and while perhaps not enjoyable in the sense that everyone, including the protagonists, goes home happy, definitely rewarding, interesting and challenging.