A stretch a day keeps the doctor away

Just three months after its grand opening, StretchLab already has a leg up on its competition in the Jacksonville area.

StretchLab was originally founded in Venice, California in 2015, and has since expanded nationwide, with the Duval County studio (located at 13475 Atlantic Blvd.) being the first in Florida. Two more locations are set to open in St. Johns and Clay counties soon.

This assisted stretching studio focuses on helping clients achieve a greater range of mobility and flexibility through various one-on-one or group stretching exercises targeting individual muscle groups.

After experiencing the impact proper stretching had on their health, two passionate athletes brought this new concept to the east coast.

“My wife, Tricia, and I are both lifelong fitness enthusiasts,” said Aaron Novak, co-franchisee of the Atlantic Boulevard studio, located in the Intracoastal West area. “While everyone knows they should stretch, the ability to go to a stretching studio is a very new concept for, not only the U.S., but also Jacksonville.”

The studio is an open, friendly environment that is meant for anybody and every body. Trained “flexologists” help identify the problem areas and recommend picking between a 25-minute or 50-minute stretch depending on the client’s needs. The result is a pain-free, energized feeling.

“We have people come in from 11-year-old soccer players and athletes to 90-year-old folks who don’t workout that just want to be a little more active,” said Novak.

“My son, Luke, started experiencing tendonitis in his elbow about two years ago,” said Dawn Lemasters about the 16-year-old, who has been playing baseball since the age of 5.

After many attempts at doing home stretches and being unqualified for physical therapy, Luke Lemasters started going to StretchLab in February to help alleviate his pain.

“Within a month, he wasn’t having any issues at all and continued to play baseball the entire season,” said Dawn Lemasters.

Gayle Leinwohl, 48, decided to go to StretchLab after experiencing severe back pain and inflexibility due to sitting at her work desk for hours at a time.

“I definitely saw an improvement within the first few weeks or so,” said Leinwohl. “They gave me tips on how I can sit better at work and how I can improve my back and flexibility issues.”

Though skeptical at first, Leinwohl found StretchLab to be a completely different experience from yoga or Pilates.

“Yoga can only do so much. If you can’t do the pose, you can’t do the pose,” said Leinwohl.

However, for Novak, mastering yoga poses was not the biggest challenge to overcome; it was a lack of awareness regarding this concept and the benefits found in proper stretching.

Many people are unaware of what exactly StretchLab is or how the process works, mentioned Novak.

“Just come check us out at the studio,” said Novak. “I highly recommend scheduling a demo stretch and feel it out for yourselves.”

If you have a flexible schedule, call StretchLab at (904) 440-0334 to book a 15-minute demo stretch. More information can be found at StretchLab.com.