Aqua Spa Float Center Ready to Make a Splash as Central New York’s Premiere Wellness Destination
When the new Aqua Spa Float Center & Wellness Boutique opens later this year at the former Oswego City School District Education Center Building in Oswego, owners Tammy Wilkinson & Terry LeRoi believe that wellness education will be at the forefront.
According to Wilkinson, despite the fact that the Float Industry and concept of “floating” was introduced in the 1950s, the wellness concept and innovation behind the terms float tank or float pod is still new to many.
“It was new to us!” explains LeRoi. “Tammy bought us a gift certificate for a couples float one Christmas. Within the first 20 minutes in the tank I became deeply relaxed. Three days after the float I was still feeling the positive effects. At that point, I realized we needed to have a float center in Oswego and share this with our community, this is life changing!”
For Tammy, who has struggled with Lupus for years, the relief she experienced from floating was nothing shortof a wellness miracle! After the float experience, she felt that she was in less pain, had less inflammation and also noticed a dramatic decrease in stress and anxiety.
Terry’s experience was very similar. An athlete since high school and committed fitness aficionado, he noticed immediate relief from chronic back/muscle soreness and tightness. He was also astonished at the long-lasting calming effects that the magnesium Epsom salts provided for days after the float.
As successful business owners already, Tammy and Terry’s entrepreneurial mindset and wheels also began to spin after their float, imagining how they could introduce a float center and a fresh, new wellness perspective to the Oswego community. On top of their other ventures and crazy day-to-day schedules, they began to research other successful regional and national centers, the industry, float tanks, history and origins of floating, new industry/marketing partners, and other technical aspects of the business potential.
They were off and running… and floating!
Flash forward to 2020 and Tammy and Terry, both high performance, type A personalities, and self-care experts,are in the final construction phase of their new float destination and sanctuary, Aqua Spa Float Center & Wellness Boutique… the culmination of intrigue… inspiration… and innovation.
Float Therapy involves a float tank or pod which is a tub that contains a saturated solution of Epsom salt, provides a light and sound reduced environment, and is kept at skin temperature. This environment allows a person to float effortlessly without external stimuli for many purposes, including meditation, relaxation, and physical therapy.
According to Wilkinson, float tanks are the perfect bathtub, and while they vary in sizes, the typical tank is 8’ long and 5’ wide. The tanks hold about a foot of water, then saturated with approximately 1,300 lbs. of Epsom salt, creating a solution and density similar to the Dead Sea, allowing a person to float on the surface half-in and half-out of the solution. The salt water is filtered and sanitized with ozone and UV light in between each float and the client has the option to keep the door open or closed for personal comfort.
“It’s truly an environment unlike any other,” said Wilkinson. “In its purest form, it is absent from light, sound and the perception of gravity.” The benefits of float therapy extend to stress and pain relief to improved mental health, physical recovery from injuries or training, enhanced creativity, and addiction.
“Having been diagnosed with Lupus in 2008 I had experienced severe inflammation and pain in my body most days,” Wilkinson said. “I am of a natural mindset when it comes to my health and wellness and seek out ways to give myself relief beyond the traditional western medicine path. Floatation therapy gives me 3-5 days pain free each time I float, so the proof is in the pudding (or the water) for me and I wouldn’t be without it.”
Aqua Spa inception meetings were exciting and encouraging as Tammy and Terry sat with Pathfinder Bank president, Tom Schneider to discuss his vision of developing the former Oswego Education Center and the possibility of becoming an anchor tenant.
“It was our dream to have our wellness sanctuary on the water, near Lake Ontario and the Oswego River,” said Tammy Wilkinson and Terry LeRoi. “Mr. Schneider helped us discover the perfect location and make that dream a reality! It’s definitely key to have the float center on the water, which was a big hope for us to find that perfect spot,” Wilkinson continued. “Having our wellness center here is kind of magical to us!”
“Pathfinder Bank is both appreciative of, and excited by, the investments being made by Tammy Wilkinson and Terry LeRoi in creating Aqua Spa as a world-class wellness facility in the Riverfront Office Building we own,” said Schneider, Pathfinder Bank president. “Aqua Spa will not only be a high-end wellness center for residents in the City and County of Oswego but will draw people from all over Central and Upstate New York, as well as more distant geographies, to our community.”
The next step was to meet with Oswego Mayor, William Barlow to assess interest and sustainability of a project such as this. He was incredibly supportive:
“The Oswego Aqua Spa Float Center is a wonderful new addition to the Oswego community and will certainly bring new attention to the city of Oswego. The Aqua Spa, perfectly located in downtown Oswego, will draw more visitors to Oswego, give people in Oswego another great amenity, and will positively contribute to the overall health and wellbeing of our community. I’m thrilled to have such a unique amenity in our community and look forward to seeing the difference the Oswego Aqua Spa makes for our residents” – Mayor William Barlow / Oswego, NY
“We are thrilled to bring our wellness sanctuary to fruition,” said LeRoi. “We have partnered with Taylored Architecture (Clayton, NY) and Empire Contractors of Central New York (Syracuse, NY) to bring our vision to life. The Aqua Spa will offer Float Therapy, Cryotherapy, Infrared Sauna, Halotherapy (salt) Therapy, Oxygen Bar and Massage and include a Relaxation and Primp Room for your post treatment enjoyment. The center will include space for classes (Yoga, Tai Chi) and educational seminars and feature four Deluxe Quest Float Suites by Superior Float Tanks and a Revolution Float Orb,” he said.
AQUA SPA MISSION & VISION
It is our mission to provide a wellness sanctuary that allows the body, mind and spirit to rest, relax, and rejuvenate. Our vision is to nurture and enhance personal growth and potential, through a multi-modality-centered spa and boutique by focusing on an individual’s state; mentally, physically and spiritually. We aspire to empower sustained, positive change, well-being, and self-awareness; and educate to the benefits of natural health, holistic wellness, and life balance. Our inclusive spa location and waterfront setting in Oswego, New York (a name derived from the Iroquoian Indian word osh-we-geh, meaning “pouring-out place”) further captures the sacred vision and relevance of our float center and wellness boutique.
TEAM AQUA SPA
Aqua Spa’s team of float and wellness ambassadors each share a unique and individual passion for health and wellness. It’s a life perspective and commitment that provides every visitor with a shared vision for this sanctuary’s experience.
Team Aqua Spa says:
“For us, it’s a way of life… and something we want to share with everyone… everyday! Our life principles and dedication to healthy living and self-improvement have become the foundation for Aqua Spa and how we each work with visitors and clients. “At Aqua Spa, we recognize that each client is unique, so we want their experience to be unique as well! It’s truly a personalized approach to wellness. While our backgrounds are diverse, we are all similar in our commitment to wellness, and those parallels and commonalities are what drive each of us to nurture the customer relationship. Our center is something different, and we have created a destination that should be a special space just for you! A place to relax, escape, and learn more about yourself. We are always here to help, and you can always count on us!”
Aqua Spa Float Center is slated to open the doors to their sanctuary later this year.
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