Stillpoint Yoga Studio first opened in 2004, and Dianne Rutstein took over ownership in 2012. This unique spa is the only one in the Philadelphia region offering the combination of yoga and flotation, two services that are extremely beneficial when practiced together.
This past September of 2018, Stillpoint moved into their current location off of First Avenue in King of Prussia, which allowed the business to expand. It boasts two studio rooms for classes and the new addition of flotation therapy. Yoga classes are offered seven days a week and float sessions are scheduled Tuesday through Sunday.
LAUREN: You offer a combination of yoga and flotation therapy. Can you describe what each of these services entails?
DIANNE: We offer yoga seven days a week, for a range of practice levels. We offer a beginner series, we offer gentle stretch classes, and we offer restorative classes that are all about relaxing the muscles. We offer Yin classes, which are about long holds and finding stillness. We also have a lot of Vinyasa classes. The Vinyasa style is a flow, so you are moving from pose to pose in connection with movement and breath. It’s good for all levels. We also offer Ashtanga, which is a really challenging and exciting practice. We offer prenatal yoga, meditation, and we have special workshops and events offered monthly. We really try to gear our yoga classes toward everyone.
For our floatation therapy, we have four private suites. You can book a 60- or 90- minute session. When you enter a suite, it’s your own private space. You lock the door behind you, and you have a shower and dressing area. The float pool itself is like a large bathtub with 10.5 inches of skin temperature water. Approximately 1200 pounds of Epsom salt is dissolved in the water. There is a light in the tanks, with a spectrum of eight different colors. We also have relaxing music, or you can bring your own music to listen to, if you choose.
L: What are the benefits of yoga & flotation?
D: Yoga is about being present in the moment. It’s stretching and deep movements, so it’s going to help your strength and flexibility, but a lot of it is breathing and learning to pay attention to your breath and connect to the movement. It also lowers stress, eases certain injuries or discomfort, and helps a lot of people with sleeping!
Floating helps lower your cortisol levels that can spike up and cause stress. [Floating allows] you to take away everything else that’s going on in life and take time to be by yourself. Some people sleep, some people get into a deep meditation, and some of our floaters experience full clarity of thoughts and ideas. The quantity of Epsom salt in that water is really healing to the muscles and joints, a great benefit to Yogis and athletes.
We also have floaters that come in with different shoulder or back injuries. Floating allows you to stretch and move your body a little differently without working against gravity. Both yoga and float allow you time to take care of yourself and heal your body and mind.
L: What sets your business apart from other yoga studios in the area?
D: We are the only one in the Philadelphia region that offers a full yoga studio and a full float spa. You can schedule a yoga class and schedule a float right after. We offer the ability to come and stay for a few hours. We have a massage therapist on site, so we’ve had clients who come in and schedule a massage and then float afterward. A husband recently created a spa day for his wife, so she had a massage, a yoga class, and a float. A float session after a yoga class is heavenly!
L: What is your favorite aspect of yoga/flotation?
D: I discovered yoga about 20 years ago, and I am a cancer survivor. I had gotten a little weak from the treatments, and yoga brought my body back. I was able to build strength. [It also helped me with anxiety.] Suddenly my sleep changed, and I wasn’t waking up in a panic. Floating did the same thing for me. I started because I had low back pain, and I found that being supported by that water was relieving my back pain and took me to a new level of meditation at the same time. I [feel like] I’m doing the right thing when I see that my clients experience these benefits, too.
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