Floating while pregnant
You’re carrying extra weight on your back, your hips and your feet, all day, every day. For one hour in a float room, you aren’t. Here’s what that does, what the research says, and how to do it safely.
Pregnant women float with us all the time, and many of them tell us it’s the most comfortable hour of their week. The water is warm, not hot. The salt holds you up so completely that nothing has to carry you: not your spine, not your hips, not your ankles.
Two honest caveats before you book. Check with your OB or midwife first, because every pregnancy is different. And nobody has run a clinical trial on floating during pregnancy specifically, so I’ll be clear below about what’s backed by research and what comes from the moms who float here.
Mark, owner of Float Boston
The reasons are pretty consistent, especially in the second and third trimesters.
Ten inches of water and hundreds of pounds of Epsom salt means you float like a cork. Your pelvis, low back and joints stop holding everything up. For moms dealing with back pain, sciatica or that heavy, pulled-forward feeling late in pregnancy, it can be the first real relief in weeks.
The water is also gentle on swollen feet and ankles. You’re lying flat with your legs fully supported and nothing pressing on them.
Pregnancy comes with a lot of noise: appointments, to-do lists, advice from everyone, and a brain that won’t stop planning. A float room has no phone, no light if you don’t want it, and nobody asking you for anything.
That’s where the research on floating is strongest. In general studies, people come out with lower anxiety and better mood, and many sleep better that night. Sleep is hard to come by in the third trimester, so moms tend to notice.
With every distraction gone, a lot of moms tell us they feel the baby move more clearly than anywhere else. Some say it’s the closest they’ve felt to the baby during the whole pregnancy.
For an hour, you’re both floating.
We can’t promise you’ll feel more movement, and it isn’t a medical claim. It’s just one of the things we hear most often from moms on their way out.
Doctors tell pregnant women to skip hot tubs and saunas because overheating is a real concern, especially early on. A float tank isn’t a hot tub. The water sits around 93.5°F, close to the temperature of your skin and well below your body’s core temperature, so your body isn’t heating up the way it would in a hot tub.
If your doctor gives you the go-ahead, this is how I’d do it:
Check with your doctor before floating if your pregnancy is considered high-risk, or if you have high blood pressure, bleeding, leaking fluid, or have been told to limit activity. Don’t float with an open wound or infection.
Floating while pregnant isn’t only about the back pain, though that helps. It’s one hour where nothing is pulling on you, nobody needs anything, and it’s just you and the baby in the quiet. A lot of moms make it a monthly ritual right up to the end.
Check with your doctor, book the hour, and let the water do the work.
Want a first-hand account? This journal by a mom who floated through her pregnancy is worth a read.
Float Boston is at 515 Medford Street in Somerville, open every day from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Want to bring your partner? Couples floats work with the same code.
Use code firstfloat to get half off your first float or couples float. Planning to float through the third trimester? The beginner package is 3 floats for $169, and you get a 4th free if you use all 3 within 60 days.
Floating is a wellness practice, not a medical treatment, and nothing here is medical advice. Talk with your OB or midwife before floating while pregnant, and follow their guidance for your pregnancy. Individual experiences vary.