By KIMBERLEY MONARI | Uptown News
If you’ve ever wanted to increase your flexibility but were held back by muscle or joint pain, you know that the solution is rarely do-it-yourself. That is exactly where StretchLab in Hillcrest can assist. At StretchLab, deep stretching services are designed to increase range of motion and flexibility and improve posture and sports performance. Other benefits include improved relaxation and lowered risk of injury and reduced muscle and joint pain.
Located in The Hub in Hillcrest, the newly opened StretchLab is a fitness and wellness business like neighbors Cycle Bar and Row House. Owner Janeth Kim is in a unique position to lead the studio’s staff of “Flexologists.” She was a Naval orthopedic surgeon for 16 years, where working with conditions related to muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments was part of the professional routine. Kim made the decision to channel her medical training into her passion of business ownership.
“As a trained orthopedic surgeon, I know how the common workday affects your posture and spine over time. Sitting has truly become the new smoking, as your job can sometimes override the need to move and stretch,” she noted. “With StretchLab, wellness comes first. Our one-on-one assisted stretching services give you a stretch that you can’t do on your own, and the transformation is night and day.”
StretchLab is a bright, welcoming studio that features 10 benches and a staff of Flexologists who are trained to introduce people of all fitness levels to the health benefits of assisted stretching.
The pride of StretchLab is its the staff. Members have different backgrounds, from certified athletic trainers and corrective exercise specialists to scholars receiving their master’s degrees in kinesiology, rehabilitative science, or athletic training. They all complete rigorous courses in kinesiology and physiology.
“The core of our business is our staff and the personalized, concierge service that you get,” said Kim. “Whether you’re attending a class to increase flexibility, regulate imbalances, or identify tightness areas, our Flexologists are ready to help out.”
The studio offers a variety of one-on-one personalized stretching services, including a 25-minute stretch focused on a client’s current stretching needs. There’s also a 50-minute head-to-toe deep stretch addressing all major muscle groups. Besides one-on-one stretching services, small-format group stretches are available where staff lead clients through a warm-up and stretches that address major muscle groups. Monthly memberships are available. The StretchLab studio is open Monday to Friday from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Call the studio at 619-436-4673, visit StretchLab.com, or email at [email protected].
— Kimberley Monari is the past news editor of Good Times News & Entertainment Weekly in Santa Cruz, CA. In broadcast journalism, she has been honored by the Associated Press for her work as a radio news anchor.
