SOUTH WHITEHALL TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The benefits of stretching before and after a workout have long been known in the exercise world, but what about stretching as the exercise?
A new spot dedicated solely to stretching now is open in the Lehigh Valley.
“I watched them build this place, and when I came in one day they gave me a stretch and I wasn't stiff anymore,” said Sam Iorio of Macungie, who has stenosis and has had back surgery.
"I come twice a week and I find that I don't have the issues that I had before.”
“People are starting to realize how stretching can be a part of their overall routine and that it's necessary to keep them healthy."Tom Seibold, owner, Stretch Lab Tilghman Square
Iorio has become a regular at the Stretch Lab, an assisted stretch studio that opened in fall in Tilghman Square in South Whitehall Township.
“Some stretches you can't do on your own," he said. "You need someone there to help you stretch parts of your body that you can't stretch for yourself.
“You can't get to some muscles by yourself.”
Stretching the body is a proven way to prevent or improve injuries and that’s the basis for the Stretch Lab.
“People are starting to realize how stretching can be a part of their overall routine and that it's necessary to keep them healthy, and then keep them injury free,” said Tom Seibold, who owns the Stretch Lab with his wife, Gina.
“This is a one-on-one stretch — certainly the kind of thing that you can't do on your own.
"It's definitely different from chiropractic — falls into the wellness space. And it's really just an effort to work on people's flexibility, extend their muscles, and work on helping them with their mobility."
'Meet them with their needs'
The Iorios said their flexologists all have a background in some type of physical activity, such as degrees in exercise science or kinesiology or are yoga instructors.
“You can get the benefits of assisted stretching without us pushing too hard on them and without them pushing too hard back," said Gina Seibold, who was a yoga instructor.
"They don't need to be at a 10 in their pain or anything like that. You meet the clients where they are. So we have everyone from an 8-year-old to over 80.
"So everyone's going to be different and you meet them with their particular needs.”
“I wake up in the morning without discomfort. I'm able to stretch myself in the morning enough to get here. I'm amazed at how tight your body gets."Stretch Lab client Sam Iorio
Tom Seibold said, “It's people who want to work on staying injury free. People who work desk jobs, that kind of thing, where they find themselves just doing repetitive motions and very tight.”
All of the flexologists go through a certification course and give everyone who comes in a needs assessment to see what type of stretching is right for them.
“I wake up in the morning without discomfort," Iorio said. "I'm able to stretch myself in the morning enough to get here. I'm amazed at how tight your body gets."
Sessions last about 25 to 50 minutes and cost $30 and up. The Stretch Lab also offers a membership program.
