The priority for Affordable Beauty owner Kristy Saad last year was the reopening of her South Lismore salon post natural disaster, which was completed on July 1.

Once that box was ticked, Kristy switched her attention to the Goonellabah salon with the idea of not only expanding the floorspace but getting in the Northern River's first sensory deprivation pod. Once the pod arrived from overseas, the problem was how to get it into the shop as it clearly wouldn't fit through a doorway.

"It needed to be the first thing in here before construction," explained Affordable Beauty's receptionist Thomas Mackney.

Affordable Beauty Goonellabah reopened the week before Christmas on December 19 after suffering some delays like many businesses in 2020.

Office Manager Jamie-Lee Fitzgerald told the Lismore App, "We had nine girls working out of three rooms down in South Lismore so it was a juggle but we got there."

(Afordable Beauty's Jamie-Lee Fitzgerald and Thomas Mackney in the Goonellabah salon)

When Affordable Beauty Goonellabah first opened in early December 2020, it was in a small space in The Village Shopping Centre. The February 28 2022 flood caused the closure of the Ballina salon which was to Goonellabah's benefit as Kristy sought to expand her footprint to offer more services and give clients more space.

The initial conversations with The Village owners McGees Property was to expand to the left (while looking at the building). Thomas explained this proved to be problematic with plumbing and water. The closure of Lismore Shoes, the shop next door, gave Kristy the first bit of luck she had in quite some time, so she expanded to the right.

"This was a blessing in disguise," Thomas said.

Affordable Beauty say they have Lismore's only sensory deprivation pod. The tank is filled with water to about 30cm, then magnesium is added so your body floats on the water. In terms of volume, to set the tank up took 25 bags of 20 kilos of magnesium.

Thomas explained the benefits of an hour session.

"The sensory deprivation pod goes hand in hand with our sauna and facial and massge treatments."

"So, it's designed to alleviate the body's stresses and pressures and aches and pains through weightless environment. Now you'll see I've just put some magnesium in there to increase the buoyancy of the water. And so I'll run another filter and get that fully dissolved in there (see photo below).

"The pod has a filtration system and it will filter and drain the pod multiple times a day and certainly after every use. The level of alkaline and pH is balanced so that nothing can grow in there."

"There is an anti-vibration mat underneath the pod so there is no clicking or clunking or bumping or grinding."

Each client needs to shower before and after their session which is best complimented with a massage, facial or pedicure and if you need assistance in any way, there is a panic button inside the pod.

As the title suggests, sensory deprivation means you will be floating inside a pod that is light proof and sound proof from the outside world. If you are claustrophobic you can have the pod open while you float. This is not optimum though as the pod is designed to run the water and air temperature at 35.6 degrees which is the temperature of the body.

"You may get cold on the parts that are exposed to the air," Thomas said.

To book an hour long session in the sensory deprivation pod, call Jamie-Lee or Thomas at Affordable Beauty Goonellabah on (02) 6624 4869 or call in and see them at The Village, 1 Simeoni Drive, Goonellabah.