“Stretch was definitely a trend going into COVID and probably got ramped up because of it,” she said, noting that ClassPass found that stretch classes were among the most popular online during COVID. That includes taking some activities and training online.Īnother business, Stretch Society, with two locations in Georgia, has added one-on-one stretching to its Stick Stretch classes and other offerings, according to its website.īeth McGroarty, vice president for research at the non-profit Global Wellness Institute, said growing interest in stretch coincides with a new focus in the fitness world on recovery rather than just activity. “Our goal has always been to make it highly accessible to people - accessible from a price standpoint, from a location standpoint,” Chu said. “And as long as they’re not, or purporting themselves to be licensed medical professionals, then I don’t see much of a distinction between what they’re doing and offering a gym membership or a Pilates class or anything like that.”ĭesperation for physical touch and socialization during COVID-19 lockdowns came just as the stretching industry was already transitioning from an elite service centered in places like New York, Miami and Los Angeles to a retail model, said Vanessa Chu, who co-founded Stretch’d in New York City three years ago. “The essential question we have to ask ourselves related to any of these organizations that spring up is are they causing folks harm,” he said. He said the concept sounds like a hybrid between recreational fitness and insurance-covered wellness services. Loren Anthes, who follows the healthcare industry as a researcher at the Cleveland-based Center for Community Solutions, said stretch studios appear to be using a franchise model to offer lower prices for services resembling physical therapy and massage but delivered without the overhead and certifications required of skilled nursing facilities or hospitals. “We may not even know the other person, and yet we can still benefit in part from just the attention and the sense of connection that we have, but also from the touch itself.” Touch, he said, “is beneficial even when we don’t have a solid, strong emotional connection to the other person” - which can be the case with assisted stretching. A lack of casual touch - holding hands, hugging, putting one’s arm around somebody, shaking hands - can have a significant negative impact, Floyd said. Kory Floyd, a professor of communication and psychology at the University of Arizona, said activities that provide social interaction and some relief for “skin hunger” can help people manage stress better. “We’re being deprived of social interaction, we’re being deprived of hugs and people who are familiar, and … it’s just so comfortable being there.”Įven before the pandemic, assisted stretching studios - with names such as Stretch Zone, Stretch Pro, LYMBR and Stretch(asterisk)d - often featured just eight or 10 widely spaced tables in a shared area they say is conducive to good air circulation. It is,” said Laura Collins, 39, who visits a StretchLab near her home in White Plains, New York, twice a week. Others cite some intangibles offered by assisted stretching during the coronavirus. “I get plenty done after I get done here because you just feel like you’ve warmed up really well.” She said her legs and feet ache after her shift at a grocery store in southwest Ohio - often plus overtime because of COVID-19 demands. “It’s like a workout, but you feel way more flexible,” a masked Kelly O’Neal, 51, said as her leg was being pulled across her body during a recent session at a newly opened StretchLab studio in Centerville. Print.ĬENTERVILLE, Ohio (AP) - Pandemic-weary Americans starved for human interaction and physical touch are taking advantage of a growing wellness option once reserved for Hollywood actors, rock stars and elite athletes: boutique stretching. Business & Finance Click to expand menu.
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