We’re always up for trying new workouts – from spinning to boxing to circuit training to cardio dance. If it’s going to help us break a sweat, we’re in. But sometimes, lower-impact exercise is actually just as important. Enter: Stretching studios. You might think of stretching as an ancillary part of your routine, but it actually yields serious benefits, keeping muscles healthy and flexible, protecting mobility, minimizing joint pain, and reducing risk of injury. Plus, stretching just feels good. Ready to integrate some serious stretches into to your routine? Here are five stretching studios in Bergen County that’ll have you loosened up in no time.
Englewood
Founded by dancer/actress/trainer/mom Hakika Dubose, who majored in dance at Montclair State, the Kika chain has become so successful, it now boasts seven area locations plus an eighth in Dallas. All clients take a test to determine what their current stretch age is (please don’t let ours be 80, please don’t let ours be 80) and then Kika Method therapists focus on gentle, passive, assisted stretching that utilizes simple gravity. Kika boasts that it’s results go beyond the physical, providing bonus perks like increased energy and mental clarity.
Montvale
The recently opened studio offers something called Fascial Stretch Therapy (FST), an innovative stretch therapy that focuses on planes of tissue, lines of muscles, and fascia, rather than individual muscles. The results range from relief from low back pain and tight hips to an increase in range of motion and posture improvement. Let Loose promises you’ll see improvement with just one session but recommends trying it weekly for four to six weeks. While you’re there, check out the cryotherapy and IV Vitamin Drip services along with Emsculpt body contouring, which it says can get you the results of 20,000 sit-ups in one half-hour session. Um, if that’s true, we’re moving in.
Wyckoff
Chris Kerber (aka The Stretch King) is a certified personal trainer and a certified fascial stretch therapist who works with clients one on one to increase mobility, posture, balance, coordination, and overall performance while alleviating that exercise enemy: tightness. Kerber recently began offering his services at Wyckoff’s Venom Fitness and the results – according to clients – have been miraculous, helping them do everything from finally standing up straight again to becoming muscle and joint pain-free.
Tenafly
The state-of-the-art, equipment-based stretching studio is staffed with certified stretch therapists who guide clients through their sessions. The studio, located within Jumping Frog Pilates, programs are based on core principles of alignment, opposition, breath, and hands-on guidance and manipulation, utilizing that aforementioned equipment to help decrease muscle and joint stiffness and increase flexibility and range of motion.
Morristown
This soon-to-be-opened studio may be in Morris County but it’s going to be worth the ride for its one-on-one assisted stretching sessions and flexibility training classes. During the private sessions (either 25 or 50 minutes each), you’ll work with a trained flexologist who custom designs the sessions to fit your needs. Group stretches, also led by trained flexologists, focus on increasing flexibility and improving range of motion. Bonus: You can still get in on their pre-opening specials.
