The Sunshine Coast’s first and only dedicated floatation centre to open in Maroochydore this winter

A cul-de-sac bordering the soon to be built new CBD will soon be home to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland's first and only dedicated floatation centre – the float space.

Felipe De Carvalho Galler (originally from Brazil) and Janina Hildebrand (originally from Germany) are the driving force behind the concept, having fallen in love with floating in Perth a year ago when they went for their first ‘float’ as an escape from ongoing health issues and high stress/high intensity careers and for Felipe to recover from long surfing sessions and other high impact sports he was doing (running, boxing, and Capoiera, a Brazilian martial art).

 

Hooked on floatation therapy, the pair decided to bring the concept to the east coast and scoped out several locations in South East Queensland before choosing the Sunshine Coast to put down roots, and bring their new business to life.

 

“We had been looking for something to do together that we loved and were passionate about, and which would help us achieve a better work life balance,” says Hildebrand. “We considered several locations in Queensland, and believe we have found the right place in Norval Court, Maroochydore.”

 

The development of the float space has been several months in the making, and will feature infrared saunas, massage treatments and two floatation pods offering the latest in Zero Gravity pod technology.  The pods which are shaped like a giant personal spa bath and which are almost as wide as a queen bed, are designed to block out all external distractions such as sights, sounds, tactile sensations and give users the sense of zero gravity, tricking the brain into thinking that they’re floating in mid-air.   

 

Hildebrand, who was for many years an elite athlete before experiencing several years of chronic illness is forever grateful to floatation therapy as she firmly believes it helped her to regain her health.

 

“Floating to me is a natural and complementary addition to my lifestyle and something I believe that everyone who wants to improve their physical and mental wellbeing should incorporate into their daily routine.  It’s simple, easy, and can be done in a short space of time with the benefit that you feel the positive effects for days after. Floating keeps me buoyant and cruising the high-vibe currents of life,” says Hildebrand.

 

Having worked in a high-stress environment in hospitality for the past 16 years, as well as being an active surfer, Galler turned to floatation to help him achieve deep relaxation and for recovery from his high intensity sport and fitness in a short period of time.

 

“I am passionate about floating because I have been practicing meditation techniques for many years, and the float pod takes me to a meditative and relaxed state of mind much quicker than any other technique I know. I am excited about sharing this experience with others on the Sunshine Coast,” he says.

 

Some reports indicate one hour of floatation, can be as relaxing as four hours sleep, making it a great solution for sleep deprived parents, pregnant women, stressed professional people, athletes, labour workers, or simply holiday makers on the Sunshine Coast wanting to have a unique experience or wanting to boost their energy levels.

the float space is located at 6/12 Norval Court, Maroochydore and will officially open to the public this July.  It is taking pre-bookings online now at www.thefloatspace.com.au or via phone on 0433 408 697.  

Also follow the float space’s various social channels on:

 

https://www.facebook.com/thefloatspace.au

https://twitter.com/thefloatspace

http://instagram.com/thefloatspace

http://pinterest.com/thefloatspace

 

>ENDS<

 

Interested media will be invited to the float space official launch and are also welcome to book in for a VIP floatation experience.  Please complete this quick and easy online form to express your interest in attending the launch event and to book in a VIP floatation experience. To arrange interviews or photos pre event, contact Yvette Adams on 0405 022 977 or info@thecreativecollective.com.au.

 

BACKGROUND ON JANINA HILDEBRAND

 

A former elite athlete in the disciplines of modern pentathlon and Olympic distance triathlons, Janina was born in Bonn, Germany and raised in Sierra Leone, Niger, Guinea and Ethiopia in Africa, with some time also spent in Wales, obtained a BSc in Health Sciences from Hamburg University of Applied Sciences before moving to Perth in 2008, to work as a project officer at Curtin University’s Faculty of Health Sciences, where she is currently completing a PhD in Health Promotion.

 

With a strong passion for health and fitness, though she was not competing since 2008, Janina continued to exercise at a high level, when early 2012 she suddenly began experiencing health issues such as fatigue in the mornings, an inability to concentrate and blurry vision. Symptoms extended into extreme migraines, gut issues, and over 50 other health symptoms which led Janina to seek the advice of doctors, who consistently advised her that she had a ‘virus’ that would pass.

Janina knew something was seriously wrong when she couldn’t get out of bed one day, and remained bed ridden for the next 3 months battling not just a mysterious illness, but the scepticism of the medical authorities who could find no medical reason for what she was experienced.

 

Frustrated by the lack of answers, Janina decided to take matters into her own hands and over the next two and half years experimented with a suite of natural medicines and therapies including homeopathy, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, naturopathy, hormone therapy, supplements, chelation therapy, ozone therapy, a complex battery of IV and oral supplements and herbs, and even travelled to Sri Lanka to visit a specialist Ayurvedic clinic, with no real improvement to her health.

 

It was only when a friend who had experienced similar health issues, suggested she get tested for Lyme disease, that Janina begged her doctor for the test as he initially did not agree to do it. As Australia does not currently recognise Lyme, the test had to be sent to Germany at a cost of $3000, and it returned back positive. The recommendation for treatment was for an aggressive treatment plan of antibiotics, but Janina chose to follow her intuition and decided to devise her own treatment plan. Slowly but surely her health has returned, and she largely attributes a raw vegan diet, detoxification therapies and regular floatation sessions to this.

 

BACKGROUND ON FELIPE DE CARVALHO GALLER

Felipe has had a long career in the hospitality industry as a chef on cruise liners in ,and at exclusive hotels in London before moving to Perth, Australia in 2007 to work a sous chef for Regency Hyatt Perth.

 

He made a switch to sharing his knowledge as a chef lecturer at the Australian College of Applied Education from 2008 to 2010 and fed hungry workers on offshore oil & gas projects from 2010 to 2014. Towards the end of his time working offshore he discovered floating accelerated his recovery time after exercise, relieving muscle fatigue, and healing sprains and injuries incurred from exercise. Felipe had also developed work-related tendonitis in his wrist from cheffing which did not improve for months and had to take nine months off to have surgery and undergo physio.

While the surgery helped to some extent it still did not relieve the pain he was experiencing and only when he started floating last year the pain finally disappeared. Like Janina he is therefore fulfilling a dream by moving to the Sunshine Coast to establish the float space, the Sunshine Coast’s first and only dedicated floatation centre.