On Reopening, Part 1: Floating Down the Abyss. “Should we reopen?”
Bodymind Float Center was born in the early months of 2013 with a staff of zero and a used Samadhi tank David and I had bought locally and set up in our basement. Exactly seven years later we abruptly closed our two Park Ave and Erie Blvd centers and sent home our staff of twelve.
Our business plan didn’t incorporate a deadly pandemic nor a mandated closure with an indeterminate timeline. We had to go back to the drawing board, and we faced it with fear, skepticism and exhaustion.
“Should we reopen?” we asked at every turn. Were we crazy to spend hours sorting through complicated loan applications, only to accumulate greater debt? Was it worth reconfiguring our space and comparing the properties of electrolyzed water and hydrogen peroxide ad nauseam? Was it right asking our beloved staff to forego beefed up unemployment checks to sign on to smaller Paycheck Protection Program Loan wages, all while there were no jobs for them to do? And what about the simple option of calling a bankruptcy lawyer, donating our signature white towels and skipping town to play violin duets and live off the grid? How does one even measure the viability of a business plan or the value of one’s time against the backdrop of a crashing economy and rising death toll?
The golden yardstick revealed itself: our guests continue to value our services, and they let us know this vociferously. Over seven years we had floated tens of thousands of guests in two cities, and many of them became friends close to our hearts. When we announced our temporary closure, we received a chorus of pleas to open up again, gift card orders and even offers of financial support. Only about a dozen of our hundreds of monthly members decided to discontinue their subscriptions. Many people float to relieve anxiety, and we in unison had all stepped into an age of supreme anxiety. The need for a float center was profound, and we were the only one in town.
Bodymind Float Center, a business built on customer service, was resuscitated by its customers. A switch flipped, and positive forces chased the demons from the drawing room. Not unlike the autumn of 2012, we went to work with newfound optimism.
Post written by Pattie, owner
