Devon


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-where">WHAT/WHERE?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-exterior-1000x750.jpg" alt="exterior of The Forge Therapy Centre Totnes Devon " class="wp-image-80854" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-exterior-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-exterior-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-exterior-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-exterior.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Tucked away just off the Totnes&#8217; Narrows, down a lane of pretty coral and white rendered houses is the newly opened <a href="https://forgetherapycentre.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Forge Therapy Centre</a>. It&#8217;s on my radar because a yogi friend has clocked its lovely-looking yoga hall and reiki treatments, and also because the highly-rated Roderick James Architects, known for their timber frame homes and commercial properties, had a hand in the design.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-floatsign.jpg" alt="float rooms sign at The Forge Therapy Centre Totnes Devon " class="wp-image-80855" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-floatsign.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-floatsign-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-floatsign-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-floatsign-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Along with the hall and treatment rooms, it&#8217;s also home to three floatation tanks made by specialists, Ocean Float Rooms. Two are for single use, and one is big enough for two people. You could book in for mum and daughter bonding session, a reiki session in there, or how about this for a quirky date night? </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-vibe">THE VIBE</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-relaxation-1000x750.jpg" alt="relaxation rooms at The Forge Therapy Centre Totnes Devon " class="wp-image-80856" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-relaxation-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-relaxation-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-relaxation-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-relaxation.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>If you love chunky oak doors, real stone floors and earthy colours then you will be in heaven here. It&#8217;s totally my Strasse, all those natural hues and not a clinical bone in its body. Lily, who owns The Forge with her partner Toby, went to great lengths to make it welcoming, employing local interiors designers, <a href="https://www.studioyarner.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Studio Yarner</a>, to do the decor. They kitted it out according to trauma-informed design principles, so all natural fibres, low dimmable lighting, and muted tones. It couldn&#8217;t be more soothing.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-kitchen-.jpg" alt="kitchen area at The Forge Therapy Centre Totnes Devon " class="wp-image-80858" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-kitchen-.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-kitchen--800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-kitchen--1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-kitchen--768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Upstairs is a small pantry-style kitchenette adjacent to two bijou spaces for a post-treatment herb tea. It was well laid out, so you didn&#8217;t necessarily have to make eye contact with other clients, and made cosy with ochre-coloured cushions and easy-going art on the walls. The bespoke Forge toiletries are fragrance-free, but the air was full of lovely spa scents. Quality, quality, and more quality.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-treatment">THE TREATMENT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1250" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-2.jpg" alt="woman next to a floatation tank at The Forge Therapy Centre Totnes Devon " class="wp-image-80860" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-2.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-2-640x800.jpg 640w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-2-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-2-768x960.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>I&#8217;m booked in for my first ever floatation tank session. I&#8217;ve heard they&#8217;re super-relaxing, and have wide-ranging benefits from easing muscular pain to promoting better sleep. But it&#8217;s really because I&#8217;m super-intrigued by the idea of the sensory deprivation &#8211; floating in the pitch-black for sixty minutes!  The tanks I&#8217;ve seen before have been a bit too casket-like for my liking, but here they are pretty roomy: blue-lit with a ceiling of twinkly fairy lights, and ambient music playing. As with all floatation tanks, the Epsom salts in the water make it as buoyant as the Red Sea while the magnesium is good for your skin and tops up your minerals.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1250" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/float-1.jpg" alt="floatation tank The Forge Therapy Centre Totnes Devon " class="wp-image-80866" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/float-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/float-1-640x800.jpg 640w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/float-1-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/float-1-768x960.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Lily has told me how she&#8217;d found them transformative after the birth of her second child. No stress-related pain for a week afterwards and the best night&#8217;s sleep ever. So good, she went again, and again and finally decided to set up her own therapy centre. Quite the testimonial!</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-changing.jpg" alt="changing room at The Forge Therapy Centre Totnes Devon " class="wp-image-80862" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-changing.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-changing-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-changing-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-changing-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>So what happens in a Forge floatation tank? You&#8217;re taken to your own private changing room by the friendly receptionist who explained the settings in the tank. Like everywhere else, it&#8217;s low lit and earthly done &#8211; no bright lights or white plastic. </p>



<p>You can wear a cozzie or go naked, and there&#8217;s a floating cushion as extra support for your head which I used. I&#8217;m told the lights and music will play for ten minutes, then they automatically switch off, turning on again 50 minutes later. She shows me two buttons to turn the lights back on easily within reach, and a panic button on the other side.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1080" height="1350" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-hand.jpg" alt="floataton tank at The Forge Therapy Centre Totnes Devon " class="wp-image-80864" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-hand.jpg 1080w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-hand-640x800.jpg 640w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-hand-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-hand-768x960.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px" /></figure>



<p>I get in and the water feels body-temperature warm, and for a split second I have the daft worry I&#8217;ll be the first person to sink. But of course, your legs just magically spring up and you&#8217;re held in suspension. You might worry about it suddenly going dark *I did* but when it does, you know you can turn on the light or put your hand behind you to push the door ajar to let light in.  </p>



<p>Then, you just float in almost near silence (there are ear plugs to wear if you want them) apart from the low whirr of the fan and possibly the sound of your stomach rumbling. Once I stop thinking about what I&#8217;m going for to write the feature, my mind starts to drift. Lily has told me don&#8217;t worry about being perfectly still (just don&#8217;t touch your eyes &#8211; it&#8217;s salty!). Lift you arms over your head, try a body scan, and don&#8217;t try to stop yourself thinking. </p>



<p>Co-owner Toby is a writer and apparently does his best work after a float. I found I really settled into it once I treated it like a breathwork or Yoga Nidra session, and then, when the fairy lights came back on I was genuinely surprised the hour was up. I hadn&#8217;t slept, though some people do, but I had been somewhere very deeply chilled. Like lying in savasna at the end of a yoga session, only savasna on steroids. And weirdly, you don&#8217;t come out wrinkly! Something to do with magic in the salts&#8230;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-out-amp-about">OUT &amp; ABOUT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-journaling.jpg" alt="post treatment journaling advice at The Forge Therapy Centre Totnes Devon " class="wp-image-80868" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-journaling.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-journaling-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-journaling-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-journaling-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>Totnes is known for its many indie stores which line a long hilly high street, and its boho vibe. There&#8217;s also an English Heritage motte and Bailey castle, a charming independent cinema and a museum. Cool cafés and eateries abound, from natural wine and small plates at Circa to relaxed fine dining at Gather, and the regular gigs at The Barrel House. Walk down the hill to the river and you have a great spot to picnic by the water, kayak hire and walks. But TBH, all I wanted to do afterwards was follow the post-treatment journalling advice and float my way home. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-reception.jpg" alt="reception at The Forge Therapy Centre, Totnes | Muddy Stilettos Devon " class="wp-image-80872" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-reception.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-reception-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-reception-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/10/forge-reception-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>While floatation tanks are still in the woo-woo category for many, the combo of quality decor and fairy-lit tank puts this more in the mini spa category for me. It had all the post-spa chill-out benefits of lying on a lounger, lolling in water, showering in lovely bespoke toiletries, but without other spa-users to navigate. And all in an hour, a spa you can do in a lunchtime. The next day I wanted to go back and do it all again, and you really do sleep like a baby afterwards. </p>



<p><strong>Good for</strong>: a magical, mystical deeply meditative phone-free hour to yourself; post exercise injury recovery; chronic backache, aches and pains, creative conscious exploration; insomniacs.</p>



<p><strong>Not for</strong>: anyone with open wounds or skin problems, such as psoriasis; if you&#8217;re covered in fake tan or keratin hair treatments (it ruins the filters); anyone who has psychosis or is dealing with emotional problems, such as unresolved trauma, or possibly grieving. Skip the morning coffee beforehand as it&#8217;ll keep you switched on.</p>



<p><strong>The damage</strong>: From £55pp single to £85 double, plus memberships options from £48 per month. </p>



<p><strong><em><a href="https://forgetherapycentre.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Forge Therapy Centre</a>, The Forge, Collins Rd, Totnes TQ9 5PJ</em></strong>; <strong><em>Tel &nbsp;07943 581323</em></strong></p>


Review: Floatation tanks at The Forge Therapy Centre, Totnes

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