Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Highfill.
Hi Dana, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story begins with burnout. After working in industrial design and experiencing a deep level of burnout and depression, I realized I needed to step back and re-evaluate my life, my choices, and what I wanted my purpose in the world to be.
In 2008, I went back to school to study massage therapy. At the same time, I was developing a meditation practice and doing a lot of personal work to recover from many years of depression and self-medicating. That period became a profound turning point for me, not just professionally, but personally. I began learning what it really meant to care for my body, mind, and spirit.
After massage school, I worked in spas, chiropractic clinics, and acupuncture clinics. Those experiences exposed me to many different approaches to health and healing, and I learned a tremendous amount from both the practitioners I worked alongside and the people I had the privilege of serving.
In 2011, I opened my own massage therapy practice. That same year, I experienced my first float. The experience was truly life-changing. I remember thinking that this was something my community needed. We all need a place where we can step away from the noise and demands of everyday life and have the opportunity to deeply rest, reset, and reconnect with ourselves.
I spent the next several years researching, learning, planning, and fundraising before finally opening Float North in 2018.
Today, Float North is a 4,000-square-foot wellness center offering float therapy, massage therapy, sound therapy, yoga, day long retreats, memberships, and wellness packages. What started as a vision inspired by my own experience has grown into a place where we get to support people through all of the seasons in their lives.
We help people sleep better, manage pain, reduce stress and anxiety, and feel more at home in their bodies. But beyond any particular service, I think what we really offer is a space where people can be embraced exactly where they are. We educate and empower people to take an active role in their health, while providing a supportive place to rest, heal, and explore what wellbeing can look like for them.
It has been an incredible joy to serve our community and to watch Float North grow from an idea born during my own healing journey into a place that can be part of someone else’s.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. The learning curve has been enormous. Before Float North, I had never employed people, so I had to learn how to run a business while simultaneously learning how to train, lead, and manage a team. Thankfully, my years as a practitioner (and the amount of interpersonal work I had done) gave me a strong foundation for building relationships. Relationships are incredibly important to me. I want clients and employees alike to feel valued, seen, and welcome.
At the same time, caring deeply about people can make some of the hardest parts of being an employer especially difficult. When an employee relationship doesn’t work out, for whatever reason, I can lose sleep over it. I tend to look closely at my own role, think about what I could have done differently, and try to learn from each experience. Over time, the accumulation of employee challenges, financial stress, and the enormous disruption of COVID has taught me to become more resilient.
COVID was, of course, a major challenge. We had to close our doors, take on loans and grants, and negotiate with our landlord just to survive. I remember being afraid of taking on more debt and wondering whether I would ultimately be able to pay it back. There were many moments when I genuinely thought we might have to close, and our finances remained shaky through 2023. We are still feeling the financial impact of the loans we took on to make it through that period.
At the same time, COVID reinforced something I’ve always cared deeply about: the details matter. We even ran a marketing campaign during COVID called “We were sanitizing before it was cool.” I’ve always taken enormous pride in creating a clean, welcoming, well-maintained space. From how we set up our towels to how carefully we clean each room and maintain the equipment and facility, those details are one of the ways we communicate to our clients that we care about them. Our more than 200 five-star Google reviews reflect that commitment.
Ultimately, being a business owner has taught me that resilience isn’t about never struggling. It’s about continuing to learn, adapt, take responsibility, and keep going even when you’re not sure how things will turn out. At the end of the day, I’m responsible for whether Float North is here or not, and that is both a tremendous responsibility and a privilege.
That philosophy is also part of why we as a team are now exploring becoming a worker-owned cooperative. I’ve been researching cooperatives for more than a year. Since 2020, I’ve increasingly included our employees in larger decisions because I genuinely value the insight and perspective they bring.
I believe worker-owned cooperatives can create businesses that are more equitable, stable, and resilient than businesses that depend entirely on one owner. I love seeing people take ownership of their work, and I believe that when people take meaningful ownership and contribute to the success of a business, they should be able to share directly in the fruits of that labor.
The challenges have shaped the direction we’re heading with Float North. They’ve taught me the importance of relationships, the wisdom of letting go, and the value of creating something that is bigger than just one person.
As you know, we’re big fans of Float North. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
What I want people to know about Float North is that we’re not just a place to tick floating off your bucket list. We’re a wellness center built around personalized, consistent care. We believe people heal in community, and that the relationship you have with your practitioner and the space you’re in can be just as important as the modality itself.
We’re known for the quality of our services and the level of care we provide. As a massage therapist myself, I’m very intentional about hiring highly skilled, emotionally intelligent, massage therapists. We also train our float facilitators to have a practitioner mindset. That means we don’t just put you in a float room and send you on your way. We get to know you, listen to what you need, and help you get the most out of your experience.
For a first-time client, that starts the moment you walk through the door. We greet you, give you a tour, answer your questions, and make sure you’re comfortable with the space and know exactly what to expect. If you need an extra pillow or towel, we’re there. Our massage therapists do a thorough intake, talk through what you’re experiencing, develop a plan with you, and make sure that plan is actually what you’re looking for. Afterward, we check in with you and keep detailed notes so that each future session can be more personalized.
That consistency is something I’m particularly proud of. In my 18 years as a practitioner, I’ve noticed a pattern in myself and in many of my clients: we get regular massage or float therapy, we start feeling better, and then we stop coming. We often wait until we’re hurting or completely overwhelmed before we take care of ourselves again.
We’re here to change that.
Our memberships are designed to make regular care accessible and flexible. We think about wellness as a practice, not something you turn to only when something is wrong. Regular restorative care can help us stay ahead of stress, tension, and pain rather than constantly trying to recover from them.
One of the things that makes Float North special is that we really excel at taking care of our community. We love welcoming visitors and tourists, but we’re especially proud of the people who have been coming every month for years… our neighbors and those who work nearby have made Float North a community I’m proud to be part of.
We also work hard to make the experience as welcoming and user-friendly as possible. We have state-of-the-art float tanks, beautiful private suites for massage and other treatments, and we are proud to offer the only wheelchair-accessible float room in Portland.
One of my favorite examples of what we do is a client I’ll call Doug. He came in for his first float because he was having trouble sleeping. When he came back for his second float, he told me that after his first float he had slept well for four nights in a row. He was genuinely elated and asked me if that was normal. I told him that better sleep is one of the benefits people report noticing immediately and that, with regular session, he’ll notice more benefits.
After his second float, he started noticing something else: tension in his hips and shoulders. Based on what he was telling me, I recommended one of our massage therapists. For his third visit, he booked a float-and-massage combination.
The therapist was able to loosen tension in his shoulders and hips that had developed over decades of working at a machine. Over time, he went from being someone who was struggling with sleep and chronic pain to someone who was sleeping well and no longer experiencing pain. He is now a member who comes in monthly.
What I love about Gary’s story is that we didn’t just sell him a service. We listened to him. We paid attention to what was changing in his body and helped guide him toward the next thing that might support his health.
We see that in different ways with many of our regulars. We have an athlete who is incredibly hard on her body and uses weekly floating as her opportunity to do a body scan, stretch, reset, and have some much-needed “me time.” She believes it has helped her manage stress and has contributed to extending her athletic career.
We also have a doctor who describes Float North as one of the most peaceful and relaxing places in her otherwise chaotic life. For her, floating is a reset from a busy week.
That’s really what we’re trying to create: a place where you can reset and receive the care you need to feel like yourself again.
For someone who has never been here before, my favorite first experience is usually a float and massage combination, with the float first and the massage second. You’ll spend about 2½ hours with us, and it gives us an opportunity to learn what your body responds to and help you figure out what kind of care might be most beneficial going forward.
If you’re already very stressed, hurting, burned out, or haven’t received care in a long time, however, I may recommend starting with just one service and building slowly. Our bodies are incredibly resilient, but they can also become accustomed to stress, tension, and even pain. Sometimes we need to unwind gradually rather than trying to fix everything at once.
We encourage our clients to communicate with us. If you’re receiving a massage, tell your therapist what is working and what isn’t. If you’re floating, talk with your float facilitator and ask for recommendations about frequency based on what you’re experiencing. We genuinely want to know!
Our goal isn’t to keep you dependent on us. It’s to help you get to a place where you feel better, understand your body, and know what you need to stay well. When you’re hurting or overwhelmed, we can help you get back to baseline. Once you’re feeling good, we can help you find a maintenance rhythm that supports the life you want to live.
Ultimately, we’re here to be part of your support system. If you’re looking to rest, recover, feel better in your body we can help you create a life with less pain, less anxiety, and more joy.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
There are lots of ways to connect with and support Float North and our mission. Number one: take a deep breath. Check in with yourself and ask, “What do I need in this moment?”
That’s really where taking care of yourself begins. Sometimes the answer is a float or a massage. Sometimes it’s a walk, a good meal, a nap, time with someone you love, or simply giving yourself permission to slow down. Our mission is bigger than any one service. We are here to help you build a relationship with yourself.
If you’re new to Float North, the easiest place to start is by signing up for our newsletter at FloatNorth.com. You’ll receive a discount on your first float and massage, along with tips and guidance to help you have a great first experience. We have a comprehensive FAQ on our website, and we’re always happy to answer questions by phone or text. If you’re curious but not quite ready to book, we can schedule a tour so you can see the space, meet us, and make sure Float North feels like the right fit for you.
We’re in-network with some health insurance plans for massage therapy, can bill auto insurance for massage related to motor vehicle accidents, and accept HSA and FSA cards for all of our services. We have discounts for minority groups, teachers, nurses, veterans, and more.
For businesses and organizations, we offer corporate wellness options designed to help take care of your team. We work with a number of small and medium-sized businesses that send their employees to Float North to de-stress, recover, and take better care of themselves. We’re happy to create options that support your team and your goals. Well-cared-for employees do better work, and when people feel valued and appreciated, they’re more likely to stay.
The simplest way to support us is to book an appointment or tell someone you love about Float North. We have a referral program where you can share a discount code with your friends and earn points toward a free float when they visit.
You can also support us by following and interacting with our content on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube. Every follow, comment, share, referral, and appointment helps this small local business continue doing what we love.
If you’re wondering whether Float North might be right for you, reach out. Ask questions, take a tour, or come experience it for yourself. We’d love the opportunity to welcome you. Thank you!
Pricing:
- Float Massage Combo (1 hour each) $212
- Introductory 3 Float Package $195
- Thursday Happy Hour Float $74 (regular price $94)
- Float Massage Combo $212
- Gift Cards Available online and in-store
Contact Info:
- Website: https://floatnorthpdx.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/floatnorthpdx/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FloatNorth/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/59357003
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@floatnorthpdx
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/float-north-portland-3
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@floatnorth
