KMB: StretchLab

“Hit your body’s reset button. Decrease pain, move better & feel better”: This header from the StretchLab’s home page characterizes my experience here. I couldn’t have said it better myself. 

StretchLab appears to be the new kid on the block when it comes to fitness and wellness facilities. Before the final 2022 KMB feature shoots, the last coach-led stretching sessions for me were back in the early days of my career in the 90s while I was a fitness competitor and had a gymnastic coach who would “torture” me before our training session. If someone watched the stretching “support” I received back then, it would look like torture, but it truly helped me achieve more flexibility, thus helping me perform better.

Moving through a few decades to today’s busy lifestyle, StretchLabs is a brilliant idea. People from all walks of life — from top athletes to the general person who has experienced a more sedentary lifestyle — realize they cannot move as easily anymore. Stretching is a much-needed service for all.

As an athlete and health coach for almost 30 years, I understand how imperative stretching is for our bodies and how challenging it can be to maintain a quality stretch routine by yourself. So I was intrigued and excited to do this KMB session and experience it firsthand.

Arriving at StretchLab was easy, and my GPS found it with no problem. Since I was going to be out all day, I had Camy the Doxie with me, and she was greeted fondly and allowed to stay in her bed next to our station so she could keep an eye on me.

My flexologist, Molly Collins, greeted me warmly and asked me if I had any issues that she’d need to know about as well as what areas were most concerning to me. After sharing my concerns with my lumbar region and right quad, we got to work. 

Molly took me through their customized one-on-one, 50-minute, deep and extensive full-body stretch session that focused on all major muscle groups and extremities. Throughout the session, she explained what she was doing and how it would help me along the way, and I immediately felt comfortable and confident that this was going to be quality time spent. 

Molly was knowledgeable about the body and shared that the flexologists must complete 60- to 70-plus hours of theory and hands-on training on the muscular system, a variety of assisted stretches and understand how to work with a variety of clients of all ages and body types. 

Besides the individual sessions, StretchLab offers group memberships, too. During group memberships, the flexologists will assist and guide members through a series of seated and standing stretches as well as how to work with stretching tools such as stretch straps and foam rollers. It doesn’t matter what your flexibility level is — anyone looking to kickstart their flexibility journey is welcome! 

Some of the wonderful benefits of utilizing StretchLab services include the following: 

• It improves your sports performance.
• It increases your range of motion and flexibility.
• It reduces your muscle and joint pain.
• It improves your posture and reduces stress.

Now, who wouldn’t want any of these awesome side effects? I walked out completely relaxed, ready to tackle the rest of the day and with less pain. Some might have said that I even appeared taller because of my improved posture. 😉

During this past year, it’s been an honor and joy to showcase Austin’s finest fitness and health practitioners and facilities. I give StretchLab (and flexologist, Molly) a 10-out-of-10 rating and, though they may not have my butt kicked this time, after an entire year of getting beat up, this was a real treat! This KMB feature on StretchLab was the perfect way to wrap up an amazing year with Austin Fit Magazine.

Thank you, AFM, for the wonderful opportunity to join you in the adventure of 2022!