Spa business hopes to stay afloat in EMC

Owners of a local business are hoping an alignment with the wellness community will help keep their operation afloat.

Sierra Float Spa custom float therapy was built in 2019 and opened in February of 2020 only to be closed by pandemic in March of that year. The spa, originally envisioned by Robert Altland, merged with Anne Zuber’s wellness outfit Healthy in the Park and reopened late in 2020.

Altland and Zuber formed Sierra Wellness Group Inc. to open the spa and recently were forced by accumulating expenses to close its doors.

“Oakhurst just lost a critical wellness service business which will adversely impact people with chronic pain, immune deficiency diagnoses, physical and mental health needs and beyond, which are otherwise not available in our community,” said Coarsegold resident Christine Erickson in a letter to the Gazette.

Floating used to go by its old school name, “sensory deprivation,” but is more correctly and commonly now referred to as “Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy.”

Proponents say float therapy gives the mind and body a deep reset by combining weightlessness, sensory relaxation and magnesium-rich Epsom salt while lying in a dark, soundproof tank of skin-temperature water.

It cuts off outside clutter, lowers stress and relieves physical pain.

The Oakhurst spa closed officially on Oct. 1 but the lavish float equipment remains intact and waiting for someone to take it over rather than have it removed and recycled.

“The owners invested everything to bring these services to a community that would otherwise not have local access and designed the client spaces in specific ways that allow more people to experience their services, from an accessibility standpoint,” Erickson continued. “These vital facilities and serious investment will simply be ripped out if there is no way forward.”

Outfitting the location reportedly ran upward of $150,000 already.

But when one door closes another typically opens and therein lies an investment opportunity for the right group of people. Zuber and Altland are still determined to make the business viable by creating a cooperative of like-minded practitioners.

“The Sierra Float Spa is now seeking buyers, investors and community support to reopen and continue operations with renewed energy,” Erickson said.

“They have gone to the nth degree to save this resource for our community, are deeply knowledgeable across the wellness and healing practice, processes and services and have invested in this small community for the purpose of serving.”

Anne Zuber believes the answer going forward is to combine forces for the good of all. A therapists’ collective would be a perfect use of the property now.

“We are reaching out to the community with the initial idea of a co-op where the space is also used for massage services and other different practices,” Anne Zuber said. “We have a heart in this and a commitment to people who are accessing these services.”

While many or even most float spas are designed as pods, which can feel claustrophobic, Sierra Float Spa features open private rooms with perpetually purified saltwater pools — a more accessible and pleasant option.

“There is not a lot that a thousand pounds of salt can’t help,” Zuber added.

“We did some really intentional things in this design. We have two beautiful, private, soundproofed suites where we could do mud wraps or salt scrubs for people who don’t want to float, and a sauna. And we have people who come just for the rain showers — so good!”

Zuber knows many hands make great work. She wants to establish a board of directors with a plan to ideally move toward a larger collection of services.

“I need a team.”

In the meantime, Sierra Float Spa is offering a unique bouquet of plans to stay buoyant.

A Community Asset Sponsorship has been established at $20 per month which comes with benefits including four half-price floats.

A Community Uplift Support Team pass with auto-payments of $100 per month offers 50 percent discounts for health pro generators and family. A $200 monthly membership offers a free float each month on top of the half-price pass.

For more information, visit www.sierrafloatspa.com or phone (559) 201-8596. The business is located at 40282 Highway 41 in Oakhurst.