Tag: palm ave float club

How Does Floating Freely Feel? We Tried It Out At Palm Ave Float Club!

When you think fitness, what comes to mind is usually a fast-paced, sweaty workout to burn off those calorie-laden junk we’ve been feeding our bodies.

While that’s not wrong, a cardio workout hardly constitutes the entire concept of fitness. Fitness is a connection between the mind and body – which makes meditation a huge part of fitness.

It is a common misconception that, when the body is at rest, it is completely unproductive.

Well, here to bust that myth is a studio home to floatation pods and calm, meditative spaces for you to free your mind.

Palm Ave Float Club

Zero clutter, and away from the bustle of the city life that we’re all too familiar with – walking into this space was a breath of fresh air.

The vibe was zen, calming the mind and easing the body in preparation of a new environment: the floatation pod.

At the reception area, I was greeted by Cherie, who checked me in and handed me a cup of tea. It was my first time in a floatation pod, so Cherie talked me through the whole process of floating, and the healing properties of salt water.

The Floatation Pod & its benefits

Floating is a form of meditation.

Like all meditative practices, floating helps to clear the mind, calm the soul, and reset our bodies.

It is a mental detoxification, which is especially therapeutic in today’s digital age. We are not only glued to our digital devices like computers and handphones, we are also multi-tasking thanks to the functionalities of these devices.

Floating helps us to put aside such stressors and focus on the present.

To reap the full benefits of floating, your mind should be free from distraction for the whole 60 or 90 minutes. When you find yourself drifting to other thoughts, bring your focus back to your breath, or the atmospheric music played in the pod.

Be aware of what you’re feeling in your body, so you’ll leave the pod noticing the difference.

Each pod is filled with 500kg of epsom salt dissolved in water, making floating effortless. So don’t be afraid to lie back and relax. In addition to healing in the form of meditation, the buoyancy of the salt water helps to heal muscle aches and ease tensions in the body as well.

I guess it’s true what they say, “The cure for anything is salt water”.

What to expect

After the introduction, it was time to leave my insecurities at the door, strip down, and trust in salt water.

Source

Yes, one is recommended to float nude to feel weightless – after all, you do have an entire room to yourself. If putting on a swimsuit makes you feel more comfortable – by all means!

Due to hygiene purposes, it is necessary to take a shower before stepping into the pod. Don’t worry, soap, shampoo, and towels are provided.

Next, I popped in earplugs (also provided), switched off the lights, and stepped into the pod.

The water was at a comfortable temperature and felt slightly alkaline from the salt content. I took no time at all to familiarise myself with my new surroundings.

There was a spray bottle and a small towel hooked over a rod on the left, just in case I somehow managed to get salt water in my eye (I didn’t).

There were also large rubber buttons in the pod for me to switch the colour changing lights off within the pod as soon as I was comfortable.

My experience

I shut the pod and laid down, arms and legs stretched out like a starfish (in yoga terms, savasana). The pod was spacious – my hands and feet did not touch the edge of the pod, and the roof of the pod did not feel close to my face at all. As soon as I closed my eyes, I completely forgot that I was in a pod.

I’m pretty sensitive to motion when in the water, especially when I’m on a boat or on a paddleboard (I don’t get sick, but I do feel nauseous).

But while I was floating in the pod, I did not feel any motion.

That few minutes before I fell asleep, I actually heard white noise – a beat that sounded like it came from a turntable (apparently this is common). I then drifted into a deep sleep, dreamt, then woke up panicking because I forgot that I was in a floating pod – that was how comfortable I was!

The only thing I’d have done differently was to use the pool noodle provided to support my neck, because I felt slightly nauseous not from motion sickness, but from the weight of my head hanging down.

Overall, the experience was extremely relaxing and rejuvenating – I’d definitely be back!

As a self-professed worrywart, and someone who is constantly juggling too many things at once, I did feel more calm and alert after my float.

If you’d like to carry  your meditation on after that 60 or 90-minute long float, feel free to stay as long as you like at Palm Ave’s chill out spaces, and take in the breathtaking view of Kallang.

Palm Ave Float Club
Location:
66 Kampong Bugis, #05-01, Singapore 338987
20 Waringin Park, Singapore 416333
Website Better Than A Power Nap – Freedom Yoga Energises You In Just 30 Minutes!

If Your Date Brings You To These 8 Places In Singapore, You Know You Are Special

Living on an island-nation like Singapore, it becomes a challenge to find fresh activities and places to go to for dates. You either go back to the same places for your usual dates, or follow the crowd and check out trending cafes you saw your friends posting about on Instagram or Facebook.

If your other half ever brought you to the places below, you know you must be that special someone who made him or her go the extra mile to discover them. Some of them could be tucked away in a quaint and cosy corner of Singapore; some not the most common activities; and others you could hardly associate dating with (and yet it could be proven otherwise!).

1. NOX – Dine in the Dark

You know you are exceptional when your partner is willing to try something different with you, such as savouring a mystery set dinner in complete darkness. It’s not easy to dine comfortably with someone when nothing is in sight. You must be absolutely at ease with your dinner date, knowing that conversations will keep coming through while you engage your other senses during the meal.

Seated in a pitch-black dining room, in the comfort of your company, you will be served their exquisite European menu crafted from the finest ingredients. A truly human experience like this is not something he or she will share with just anybody!

2. Bollywood Veggies

(Image Credits: Bollywood Veggies Official Website)

A farm and a bistro in the rustic environment of the Northwest Kranji side, this place is a rare find on our little red dot. Besides enjoying a farm-to-table experience as you indulge in their local and fusion cuisine, there are many other fun, hands-on activities available. These activities include a guided farm tour, potting session, culinary class, and more.

Honestly, a trip to Bollywood Veggies would make a fresh date, literally. If your significant other has made the effort to plan a trip with you there and was happy to explore a more rural routine with you for a day, he or she is quite a keeper because you know no one usually goes for farm dates in Singapore.

3. DIVINE Wine Extraordinaire

(Image credits: DIVINE Official Website)

Located in so-called Singapore’s Gotham City (an art-deco business complex Parkview Square), DIVINE is a lush wine bar featuring bold decorative art designs and textured planes of the Jazz-Age. The highlight of this extravagant wine bar is definitely its spectacular centerpiece – a 12-metre high wine cellar. Holding up to 3,000 bottles, it chills over 200 varieties of the world’s finest wine vintages. The most fascinating part is that, they actually use a wine fairy (yes, it’s a human wine fairy dressed up with fairy wings) who “flies” up to retrieve the bottle of wine you order from the cellar! We guess your partner must have done his or her homework to uncover this beautiful and intriguing bar for you?

4. Cups N Canvas

(Image Credits: CupsNCanvas Instagram Page)

Arteastiq might be a recent hit for couples wanting to paint together, but did you know about the conceptually similar cafe-studio Cups N Canvas? Housed within a characteristic art-decor shophouse with a peculiar personality, Cups N Canvas is a great place to enjoy a sensual painting experience with your significant other while sipping an aromatic cup of coffee. They provide art-jamming sessions on weekdays, and guided art painting sessions with experienced tutors on weekends. Choose from not just acrylic paint, but also watercolour and oil paints. Brownie points for your partner if he or she managed to introduce this place to you!

5. Whale & Cloud

(Image Credits: Whale & Cloud FB Page)

Unlike the usual cafe, Whale & Cloud is only open for a few hours during weekends, caps the maximum number of guests at 12, and does not have an obvious main entrance. Well, we wouldn’t disagree with what their Instagram profile states – “Many will seek and not all shall find” – it does actually require prior research to locate the cafe! If you have been there on a date before, you know the chance did not come by easy. (P/S: Heads up if you want to try going – The last we heard, the secret café has gone on hiatus for a while.)

6. Homerun Baseball

(Image Credits: Homerun Baseball FB Page)

Forget the mainstream sports that the both of you might have tried together before. You must be someone who is spontaneous and game enough for an alternative recreational activity if your date brought you along for some swinging action! As Homerun Baseball provides an automated indoor baseball and softball batting cage location, you can perfect your swings and work on your batting accuracy without sweating under the hot sun. Even if you are not a baseball enthusiast, this is a great place to de-stress, work your arm muscles, and just have fun with your date.

7. Palm Ave Float Club

(Image Credits: Palm Ave Float Club Official Website)

Who says a date necessarily means that both of you have to be together doing something all the time? Here’s something different for the adventurous: Floatation. After engaging in your usual activities, reset your mind and body as you experience floatation in a special tank. With your mind from distraction and body free from gravity, floating benefits you through rapid stress relief, faster recovery of the body, and many other ways. The float rooms are for individuals, but we are pretty certain it is definitely a one-of-a-kind experience that you cannot wait to share with your partner once each of you is done with it!

8. Raffles Lighthouse

(Image Credits: The Straits Times)

Not everyone will think of bringing their other half to visit a lighthouse, and that’s something interesting by itself! Raffles Lighthouse, built in dedication to Sir Stamford Raffles, is located at Singapore’s Southern-most island of Pulau Satumu, which is also known as “One Tree Island”.

If you have ever climbed the 88 spiraling steps to the glass-paneled dome that sits 29 meters off the ground, you were pretty lucky because the lighthouse is usually not open to visitors. It is only accessible to the visitors during certain times of the year, with the most recent public access during Singapore Maritime Week 2015. Besides exploring and learning about the beauty of the towering lighthouse, the island also provides lovely scenery with its clear waters, sea breezes and fresh air. Guess what – there are occasional rare sightings of wild dolphins in the waters near the lighthouse too! If you are keen to go with your date next time, keep a lookout for the next tour provided by Singapore Heritage Fest or MPA.

—

Not sure where to go for your date? Join us as a beta-tester for our new and upcoming app – WhereTwo! WhereTwo is all about helping you find the best places in Singapore to go for dates, be it by areas, themes or occasions. On the app, users contribute real reviews from their couple experiences on a dining, activity, or event location. In short, it provides date recommendations by couples, for couples and dating singles.

Interested? Sign up with your email in this link and you will receive a unique download link for exclusive access to our beta version! 🙂

This article is written by Yuting Lai from Between.