Business is definitely picking up
Affordable Pet Waste Removal · independent-business coverage
View available clippingOriginal clipping shown. A clearer full-page image will be added when available.
AARON THOMSON / FOUNDER & OPERATOR
Built from
experience.
More than twenty years inside businesses. Starting independently. Growing with a franchise. Connecting an industry. Building again.
01—02 / WHERE IT STARTED
From a local service to a growing franchise.
The early businesses matter. They are where Aaron experienced both the demands of operating independently and the value of having other operators beside him.
01
FALL 2003
THE INDEPENDENT START
Build it. Learn it. Make it work.
In fall 2003, Aaron started Affordable Pet Waste Removal. He was building a local service business himself: finding customers, doing the work and learning how to keep an operation running. Newspaper coverage documented that early chapter.
He later joined Pet Butler and became its first franchisee in America. His original clippings preserve both sides of that progression: the independent business he started and his place in a growing franchise system.
02
THE FRANCHISE YEARS
SYSTEMS & PEOPLE
The people inside the system.
Aaron’s path included independent, licensed and franchised operations. As Pet Butler’s first franchisee in America, he worked closely with its founder and experienced a growing franchise from inside. He describes roughly twenty years of experience within that evolving system.
For Aaron, some of franchising’s strongest value came from the other franchisees: their experience, judgment and hard-earned lessons.
THE EARLY BUSINESS RECORD
Five clippings. A real operating history.
Newspaper coverage from Affordable Pet Waste Removal through Pet Butler. Open an image to inspect the clipping or archived source page.
Pet Butler’s first franchisee in America
The transition from his independent start
View available clippingOriginal clipping shown. A clearer full-page image will be added when available.
Pet Butler is “dog owner’s best friend”
Ocean County Observer · Adam Taliercio · June 12, 2006
Read the archived article PDFBusiness keeps picking up
Asbury Park Press · Zach Patberg · May 22, 2007
View available clippingFull readable article not yet recovered. A clearer full-page image will be added when available.
When Opportunity Knocks, Put on Your Gloves
NJBIZ · Martin C. Daks · 2006
Read the NJBIZ articleOriginal image quality varies. Several copies are small or cropped; opening them larger cannot restore missing print. Where an original publisher or archive has been recovered, a source link is provided. Other dates and outlet names remain unverified.
03 / FLOATATION LOCATIONS
Connecting a growing industry.
03
FLOATATION LOCATIONS
AN INDUSTRY HUB
Give people a useful place to connect.
As co-founder, CEO and operator of Floatation Locations, Aaron helped build an environment serving several groups at once: consumers finding places to float, independent centers being discovered, and partners reaching a relevant audience.
Directories, education, offers, advertising and ambassador relationships gave the industry reasons to gather. Media attention and partner feedback became part of that record.
More of the historical record
A customer’s perspective
Jared Roa’s testimonial described referral value for Sacred Floats & Gems Co. and Thaisolate Float Spa, including centers in the United States and Thailand.
The website as an environment
The archived homepage shows the directory, education, Float Saver, manufacturer links, media and ambassador material in one place.
FLOATATION LOCATIONS IN THE MEDIA
Look who was talking about Floatation Locations.
National reporting, on-screen source credits and reader referrals. Open any publication below to see the relevant evidence here.
TIME named Aaron as a source for the growth in float centers, misspelling his name as “Aaron Thompson.”
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Reporting cited Aaron as chief executive of Flotation Locations on the industry’s growth. Fox also published the same story.
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Reporting cited Floatation Locations as a directory tracking nearly 300 float studios.
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Forbes used Floatation Locations as its source for the number of float studios in the United States.
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CBS2’s Floating Therapy report displayed “Source: Floatation Locations” beneath its national center counts.
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The opening float-tank image credited and linked FloatationLocations.com.
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Harper’s Bazaar India directed readers to FloatationLocations.com to find a float center.
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Its water-therapy article directed readers to the directory to find a facility near them.
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The article named and linked the directory as a place to find float therapy.
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The article recommended the directory, its beginner guide and its location-search tool.
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Penn’s alumni magazine cited FloatationLocations.com for the number of U.S. float centers.
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Select a publication name or “Read the proof here” to see its relevant excerpt and context without leaving this page. External source links are optional and may have access restrictions. These are historical sources, referrals and coverage, not endorsements of Vavora.
THE PEOPLE AROUND FLOATATION LOCATIONS
A wider circle.
The historical site brought together athletes, researchers, entrepreneurs and center owners. The record below explains the different relationships and what people actually said.
FLOATATION LOCATIONSTHE HISTORICAL NETWORK
03 / USEFUL RELATIONSHIPS
The connections were real.
Consumers, athletes, independent operators and industry partners found different kinds of value in the same environment.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Aubrey Marcus
His original Floatation Locations ambassador testimonial, published by FloatationLocations.com on 25 July 2015.
Watch on YouTube · Archived video record
A historical Floatation Locations testimonial; it does not imply a current Vavora endorsement.
REFERRAL & DISCOVERY 01
Frankie Edgar
Former UFC lightweight champion
“Thanks @floatlocations for finding me a place to float. Very cool experience. Check them out.”
His referral thanks appeared on the site’s Ambassadors & Endorsements page.
Internet Archive capture · 24 March 2025
ADVERTISING & PARTNERSHIP 02
ONNIT
“Onnit is thrilled to be partnered with Floatation Locations.”
The historical testimonial describes connections with float spas and reports that incoming inquiries from float centers had almost tripled.
Internet Archive capture · 20 January 2025
ANOTHER PARTNER PERSPECTIVE
Muse
Its advertiser feedback describes reaching the float community and working with Aaron and his team.
A VERIFIED MOMENT OF REACH · 14 JANUARY 2015
Joe Rogan shared the partnership announcement.
Joe Rogan reposted The JRE Fanpage’s announcement of the Onnit and Floatation Locations partnership. His live repost and a same-day capture of his timeline preserve that moment.
View Joe’s actual repost · View the archived timeline
The fan page authored the post; Joe amplified it. This is evidence of historical reach, not a current Vavora endorsement.
ATHLETES · PARTNERS · OPERATORS
In their own words.
The complete recovered statements are available here, with original source links. Joe Rogan’s entry documents a repost; Keith Jardine’s surviving excerpt is marked as incomplete.
Joe Rogan
Re-tweet from The JRE Fanpage
Reposted the Onnit and Floatation Locations partnership announcement.
Frankie Edgar
Former UFC Lightweight Champ
Thanked the directory for finding him a place to float.
Aubrey Marcus
ONNIT founder · historical role
Recommended the directory to people looking for a float center.
Ariana Kukors
Swimmer
Recommended FloatationLocations.com after her first float at Float Clinic.
Keith Jardine
Former UFC Light Heavyweight
Credited Onnit and Floatation Locations for his first float experience.
ONNIT
Total Human Optimization
Recommended the directory as a floating-information resource.
Graham Talley
Co-founder/CEO of Float On
Praised the team and recommended the site to both floaters and businesses.
Ashkahn Jahromi
Float Conference Organizer
Described using the global directory while traveling.
Sean McCormick
Owner of Float Seattle & Float Bellvue
Recognized the team’s work advancing the float industry.
Float Clinic
Torrance, CA
Praised access to the right audience and the wider float community.
Pro Float
Float Tank Manufacturer
Recommended the directory to the float community.
East Coast Floats
Orlando, FL
Credited the site with attracting first-time customers.
The Float Place
Long Island, NY
Praised the exposure and ongoing updates that helped a new center.
Float SNJ
Marlton, NJ
Valued the connection between independent centers and people seeking a float.
The wider ambassador roster +
Justin Feinstein, Ph.D. · Horace E. Walcott, DVM, MSPH, MSc · Aubrey Marcus · Mickey Gall · Liam McGeary · Jeremy Stephens · Myles Jury · John Baker · Erin TJOE · Andy Hnilo · The Centre for Epigenetic Expression
The Centre for Epigenetic Expression entry also named Dr. Wanda Lee MacPhee, Dr. Michael Acanfora and Dr. Noah DeKoyer. These are historical roster listings and biographies. Andy Hnilo’s separate customer testimonial praised Float Clinic.
Explore the original ambassador roster ↗Testimonials are the speakers’ historical statements. Reported results are attributed to them. These relationships concern Floatation Locations and do not imply present-day endorsement of Vavora.
WHAT IT DID FOR BUSINESSES
A directory became a business tool.
Centers could be found, advertise to a relevant audience and offer float packages through a shared service.
Discovery
A searchable directory and map connected people looking for a float with independent centers.
Visibility
Center listings, photographs, links and promotional placements gave businesses ways to reach that audience.
Float Saver
Customers could buy float packages through the site. Participating centers had tools to track sales and mark deals redeemed.
A CENTER OWNER’S EXPERIENCE
“Bringing hundreds of floaters to my doorstep.”
Jared Roa described the value for Sacred Floats & Gems Co. in the United States and Thaisolate Float Spa in Thailand.
His complete historical testimonial is preserved in the original screenshot.
Float Clinic
Up to 30 new floaters a month
The center reported tracing as many as 30 new monthly customers to the website.
Float Clinic
East Coast Floats
A source of first-time customers
Mark and Laurie attributed at least one-third of first-time customers to the directory.
Mark and Laurie · East Coast Floats
Float SNJ
A bridge to the nearest center
Tom valued the connection between people looking for a float and nearby independent centers.
Tom · Owner, Float SNJ
Dharma Floats
More new customers
The center reported more than a 50% increase in new floaters from its Standard Ad.
Dharma Floats · Porterville, CA
These summaries reflect historical testimonials on Floatation Locations’ Add Your Location page. Reported customer outcomes were not independently audited and are not promises for Vavora. Original archived source; some archived scripts may prevent its body from displaying.
THE PARTNER EXPERIENCE
The business model mattered, too.
Graham Talley, identified on the historical page as co-founder of Float On and Float Tank Solutions, described Float Saver as a way to bring in customers and gain exposure. The archive also preserves Thomas Wunk’s account of an early purchase through Float Saver and Chaz Allen’s experience recommending the directory before joining the program.
These old services and terms describe the prior business. They are not current offers.
MORE FROM THE CENTER OWNERS & INDUSTRY
The full partner record.
Thirteen distinct testimonials recovered from the Add Your Location page. Read the stories without navigating the archived sales page.
ON SCREEN
See the original references.
The company’s name and work, visible in the historical footage.
CBS · Floating Therapy
2 August 2015. The report used Floatation Locations as the source of its national center counts.
Watch part 1 · Watch part 2 & source credit
The archive plays in one-minute windows. Together these cover the report through its return to the studio.
Float Nation · Documentary
The film shows the Floatation Locations website and North American location map at 37:26.
Official FloatNation upload, 27 December 2014. The website appearance is verified; no separate closing credit is claimed here.
RESEARCH RESOURCE
PLOS ONE
A 2018 paper by Justin Feinstein and colleagues links the directory in its discussion of where float facilities can be found. This is a resource citation, not clinical validation of Floatation Locations or Vavora.
Read the paperBOOK REFERENCE
The Concussion Repair Manual
Dr. Dan Engle’s 2017 book directs readers to FloatationLocations.com to find a center. Printed page 30, PDF page 53.
Open the publisher’s PDFThe wider history also includes The Float Tank Cure, recalled by Aaron and represented on the historical press page, plus podcasts and other industry appearances. Explore the archived press collection. The book’s precise page has not been recovered for this review.
EXPERIENCE ACROSS INDUSTRIES
The work continued.
After Floatation Locations, Aaron shifted into real estate and Web3. Different markets brought new experience, while a familiar question kept returning: what changes when capable people have better access, relationships and support?
THE REALIZATION BEHIND THE WORK
“This didn’t start as a business idea. It started as a realization.”
Aaron’s earlier description of Vavora begins with a pattern he saw across businesses: capable people working hard, yet struggling to move forward without the right conditions, support and relationships.
That observation became a personal responsibility to build something people could enter and contribute to. His operating history gives that conviction context.
TODAY / THE CURRENT CHAPTER
VAVORAMore of what people bring deserves a useful place.
“We believe people are capable of far more than their current conditions allow them to express.”
The businesses were different. The experience carries forward: building independently, working inside a shared system, connecting an industry, and living through the loss of a business. Vavora brings a broader ambition: bring talent, knowledge, relationships, technology and resources together so more of what people contribute can become useful to them and to one another.
The through-line is human: better conditions, useful relationships and room to do something meaningful with what you have. Ground Zero is intended as the first public founding chapter.
Vavora is being developed. This page presents the Founder’s experience and the direction behind the company; it is not a product launch or an offer to purchase.
THE RECORD, OPEN TO INSPECTION
Optional external sources & context
Original images are preserved. Open an evidence image to enlarge it or view the full file. The present-day arrangement of historical images is editorial; it is not presented as an original site screenshot. Archive dates indicate when a page or asset was captured, not when a statement was first published.
Publication receipts
- TIME · 2015. Mandy Oaklander’s archived original feature names Aaron Thompson as a directory operator and source of industry figures. The article misspells Aaron’s name as “Aaron Thompson.” Archive capture: 22 December 2015; that is not asserted as the publication date.
- The Wall Street Journal / Fox. Laura Johannes, “Can Floating in a Tank of Water Help Your Mind and Body?” The Fox republication names Aaron as the business’s chief executive. This is one syndicated reporting instance.
- Forbes · 11 December 2017. Jordi Lippe-McGraw, “Floating On An Arctic Lake Might Be The Coolest Experience Ever.” Cites Floatation Locations for studio counts. Publisher access may require a subscription.
- New York Times reporting · October 2015. Julie Turkewitz’s story identifies Floatation Locations as an online directory. Read the Express-News syndication or the original NYT article. Access may vary.
Images, ambassadors & partner statements
- Portraits and Frankie Edgar’s statement. Original assets from Floatation Locations, captured 25 September 2024; accompanying names and historical roles appear on the Ambassadors & Endorsements page, captured 24 March 2025. The twelve portraits are preserved from the original homepage mosaic, with names grounded in the historical site metadata. Their present order is an editorial choice.
- Aubrey Marcus video. The original YouTube video is embedded on the archived ambassador page. Its archived YouTube record identifies FloatationLocations.com as uploader and 25 July 2015 as publication date.
- Onnit and Muse. Testimonials on the Corporate Advertising page, captured 20 January 2025. The images reproduce those statements as displayed; reported outcomes have not been independently audited.
- Historical banner and homepage. Banner asset captured 25 September 2024. Homepage captured 10 February 2025. Floatation Locations’ servers are down and the service is not currently operating, according to Aaron. Archived promotions are not current offers.
- Joe Rogan’s repost. Live repost, 14 January 2015; independently preserved in his same-day archived timeline. Original post by The JRE Fanpage, then @JoeRoganEXP; the author’s account now uses @ShayneOnChayne.
- Pet-business clippings and Jared Roa’s testimonial. Originals supplied by Aaron. Clipping dates and publication names are not reliably legible. The first-franchisee clipping names the independent start in fall 2003; no precise franchise year is assigned here. The Jared Roa screenshot has no established publication date.
Historical record updated 3 October 2026. Past media coverage and relationships do not imply current Vavora partnerships or endorsements.