S’porean Actress Says She’s Still Undergoing Medical Treatment Over A Year After Flotation Therapy Centre Accident

In November 2024, in what seems like a scene that can only happen in a Final Destination film, local actress Judee Tan shared in an Instagram post on her ‘near-death experience’ at Palm Ave Float Club.

During a session in one of their sensory deprivation tanks, Judee’s hair became trapped in the filtration system, nearly causing her to drown. 

Judee, who is in her 40s, is best known for her roles on Mediacorp comedy show The Noose from 2011 to 2017. Most recently, she hosted a two-part special on domestic violence for CNA Talking Point.

Sensory deprivation tanks, aka flotation therapy, are enclosed, soundproof, and lightproof tanks filled with body-temperature salt water. They are marketed as wellness treatments designed to promote deep relaxation.

In early 2025, Palm Ave Float Club said they had issued an apology, and provided a full refund of Judee’s membership.

In a February 2025 statement, the company said, “At the time, no injury was reported to us, nor was emergency assistance requested or required. The guest was able to complete a separate Red Light Therapy session before leaving. She later requested additional compensation for ongoing psychological care, and we have since asked for medical documentation to evaluate this request. To date, we have not received any records.”

However, Judee disputed their claim, saying the business only refunded the session during which the incident occurred.

She also alleged that the company’s initial denial, and what she described as continued misrepresentation of the incident have caused her further distress.

In another IG post, Judee shared more about her experience at Palm Ave Float Club after her accident.

“I remember bumping into the staff of #palmavefloatclub after my accident and they gave me dirty looks, like I killed one of their family members. Like I was the one who caused them harm,” Judee wrote.

“How did they turn themselves into victims of this story, and then had people attack me on their behalf?” she asked.

Judee adds that she almost gave up fighting.

“But the support of so many people who helped create awareness about my incident and the fact that my article reached someone overseas whose loved one drowned in a similar accident, made me go on. I can’t speak about this properly due to the PTSD. But I have to,” she wrote.

Palm Ave Float Club has since ceased operations, with its Instagram page indicating its closure in May 2025.

However, its owners, Sarah Chan and Derrick Foo, opened a new wellness space, Nowhere Baths, in April 2025. Located at Dempsey Hill, the communal bathhouse offers facilities such as cold plunges, hot pools, saunas, and steam rooms.

The new venue does not offer sensory deprivation tank experiences.

On April 3, Judee posted another strongly worded message on Instagram after seeing Nowhere Baths featured on NUS Enterprise’s profile.

“They have not offered any apology or sincere recompense. All I received was a phone call from them that they were sorry, then public media and social media accounts that are blatant lies and mischaracterisations of what happened,” she wrote.

Judee also revealed that she is still undergoing medical treatment following the incident.

Describing the owners as “unethical and irresponsible,” she questioned whether they should be allowed to continue operating in the wellness industry.

“Derrick claims their initial dismissal of my claims as setting boundaries, Sarah simply wanted to know how to settle. I took the call as a sincere gesture, but little did I know their next steps were a blatant misrepresentation of what happened, and a public media post insinuating I was being uncooperative and essentially lying about my accident,” she wrote.

She also says that Sarah and Derrick were ignoring her request to pull down their social media post, correct their statements, and continue to deny that her safety was their responsibility.

Judee added that her experience highlights the need for tighter regulation within the wellness sector, particularly for services involving specialised equipment and potential safety risks.

“How and why can we let individuals who adopt unsafe and harmful practices run or design or consult another wellness centre of this nature?” she wrote.

8days.sg has reached out to both Judee and Nowhere Baths for comment.

Nowhere Baths referred us back to Palm Avenue Float Club’s statement from Februay 2025.

"Since January 2025, the Float Club’s insurer has handled all communications with Ms. Judee Tan regarding her claims. As this matter is currently being addressed through the appropriate legal channels, we will not be providing further comment at this time," they replied.

Photos: judeetan/IG