A pod at a True REST float spa, the photo provided by the company. The first Canadian franchise will be located in Cornwall.Handout/Cornwall Standard-Freeholder/Postmedia NetworkHandout Not For ResaleSupplied

Stressed out?

Who isnt these days?

Heres something that could help when this small business opens in Cornwall, possibly as early as this December: True REST Float Spa, the first Canadian franchise location for one of the fastest-growing companies in the increasingly-popular flotation therapy industry.

A husband and wife team, Tim and Marie-Pier Tremblay, are the Cornwall owner/operators of True REST Float Spa, and they told the Standard-Freeholder they hope the business would generate four to six jobs.

Its going to provide a location for residents to relieve their stress in a highly sanitary, non-contact environment, Tim Tremblay said. Its a stress-free relaxation experience.

Flotation tanks, also called isolation tanks, or sensory deprivation tanks, are widely advertised as a form of alternative medicine. Theyre light-proof, sound-proof environments with enough dissolved Epsom salt to allow people to float effortlessly on the waters surface.

True REST Float Spa in Cornwall, to be located on Vincent Massey Drive, in the Seaway Shopping Centre, will have four pods, each one with 1,200 pounds of Epsom salt.

The REST is an acronym for Reduced Environmental Stimulus Therapy, and long before the pandemic, the de-stressing industry was growing. At the other end of the spectrum, a very high-energy stress-relieving activity has gained traction, with smash room or rage room businesses popping up, places to go to reduce tension and anger by breaking things and not worrying about the cleanup afterwards.

Many experts say the COVID-19 pandemic is causing a mental health crisis, with lasting effects that could even, for some, result in post-traumatic stress disorder. With weeks of distancing about to turn into months, many are experiencing a great sense of isolation, and along with the economic effects that are costing hundreds of thousands of jobs, the long-term fallout from the virus could be devastating.

The Tremblays, who will be moving to the area from Saint-Georges, Que., said they chose Cornwall as the place for their franchise because its central to where their families are located Tim is originally from the Niagara region. The Tremblays said a Facebook campaign will soon be launched thatll target the Cornwall area, which will include sign-up opportunities and early package incentives without any financial commitment up until a month before the grand opening.

When people sign up theyll have access to all online content available that may help them de-stress right now, Tremblay said.

Experts say that now, during the crisis, effective ways of reducing stress include doing 30 minutes of exercising or stressing, keeping a tidy room, making nutritious food, meditating for 10 minute, having video chats with friends, and attempting to re-direct thoughts that veer towards worries about the future, to instead thinking about the current moment and what positive steps can be taken today.

thambleton@postmedia.com

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Floating an idea that could help with stress levels in Cornwall - Standard Freeholder