'Shark Tank' Shows A New Business For Babies

Would you ever consider sending your infant to a spa? Heck, did you even know such a thing existed? Well, now you do thanks to Shark Tank business Float Baby, which, as explained on its website, was launched in Houston by mother-of-two Kristi Ison and offers a hydrotherapy and massage therapy program... for babies.

It may sound like a slightly over-the-top concept, but hey: Babies get stressed too! According to the Float Baby website, Ison first got the idea for her company from her three-year-old that used to struggle to sleep through the night.

If you live in or near Houston, Texas, you can take your child — if they are between the ages of two weeks and six months — to Float Baby now. A one-hour class costs $55, can include up to three babies, and is comprised of floating time, followed by a massage. You can also book a private session for $160. The website explains that the 20-25 minute floating session takes place in tubs that are sanitized after each use, which is especially important for young infants who haven't yet been immunized (and yes, in case you were wondering, Float Baby provides its customers with swim diapers). The babies spend their time in the tubs floating with their head supported by an inflatable ring much akin to a tiny, tiny innertube. This method of floating ensures that their arms and legs are free to move as they want (incidentally, this freedom of movement is part of what Float Baby is all about).

Next up? The massage, of course. Following their float session, the babies get all wrapped up in a warm (and anti-microbial!) towel to dry off, and they are next treated to a 20-25 minute massage at the hands of a certified instructor. The website claims that this combination of floating and massage has numerous benefits, ranging in scope from bowel movements to increased circulation, strength, and lung capacity.

However, pediatrician Dr. Claire McCarthy told Today Parents, "I don't think this is necessary, and I think that babies can get the same health benefits from active play at home with their parents — with the additional bonding benefits, and for free." But whether or not the spa actually incurs such benefits, McCarthy said that it is safe with supervision and if the pool is clean, while founder Ison told the website that babies enjoy it. "The newborns especially like it, we see them float and then have a little cat nap while they’re floating ... The older babies, they really like to kick around and splash and socialize," said Ison. Plus, as she points out, it allows the infants a range of motion that's hard to find elsewhere. "Before they can roll over, they want to move and they’re not able to — they’re either in a carrier or being held — and so when we put them in the water and they experience that freedom, they really enjoy it." Now we just have to wait and see if the Sharks enjoy Ison's pitch.

Image: Michael Desmond/ABC