Today we’d like to introduce you to Zoe Brown
Hi Zoe, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Kwesi and I first crossed paths in 2016, just after I made the big leap from the UK to the USA. I’m a Brit and a graphic designer by trade, while Kwesi was a personal trainer with background as a former pro basketball player. Long before we met, Kwesi had learned the art of one-on-one stretching from his friend Julie in San Diego. He also knew firsthand the benefits of stretching and rehab from his own athletic days.
Kwesi started incorporating stretching into his personal training sessions, and it was a hit! His clients absolutely loved it and kept coming back for years. So in 2017, we had this brilliant idea to spread the “stretch love” even further and launched StretchSPOT. Our first studio, StretchSPOT Torrance, opened its doors in September 2017. It was a cozy little space—just 400 square feet! We squeezed in three tables, a front desk, and a tiny waiting area, and before we even officially opened, people were already calling us, eager to book their spot.
As we started out, we slowly but surely grew, with more and more people discovering the magic of our stretch therapy and myofascial release sessions. Then, 2020 threw us all a curveball with Covid, forcing us to close for nine long weeks. But when we reopened, our clients returned, many of them now working from home with less-than-ideal desk setups, causing all sorts of aches and pains. We were there to help, and it felt amazing to see how much relief we could bring to people struggling with stiffness and mobility issues.
Fast forward to 2022—what a whirlwind! We tied the knot on August 6th, and then just over a month later, on September 19th, we opened our second location in Hermosa Beach. It’s been an incredible journey so far, and we’re excited to keep growing and sharing the stretch love with even more people!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Covid was a big struggle as it was for most of the planet. Since we both work full-time in our business we did not have another income source to fall back on so Covid was tough. Thankfully we were able to get both PPP loans and have both forgiven which helped us get through the tough time. Since many people were stuck at home working at less than ideal desk set-ups we were able to help a lot of people during Covid. We set our studio up from virtually nothing as we did not have a huge injection of cash from anywhere to rely on. It has been a tough grind at times but the satisfaction gained from helping so many folks has always made the journey worthwhile.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
StretchSPOT is a health and wellness studio based in South Bay LA, California. We have 2 locations: one in Torrance and one in Hermosa Beach. StretchSPOT came into being in September 2017 at our original location in Torrance where we have been helping people feel better ever since!
Our focus is on improving body health and performance through stretching and movement. StretchSPOT’s goal is to help people move freely to the best of their ability and live a pain-free life in the most holistic way possible. We welcome all types of people of all age ranges, from nine-to-fivers and weekend warriors through to elite athletes. Most humans can gain health and movement benefits from the practice of stretching.
StretchSPOT offers various length sessions at 30, 40, 60 and 90 minutes. For those wanting to get a taster of what we do we reccommend the introductory new client offer of three 30 minute stretches for $99. We do not tie you into a contract like other studios: we have 3 options for services. 1. Roll in, roll out, or pay-as-you-go. Pay by the session each time you come in. No strings! 2. Packages of 5, 10 and 20 sessions which offer a saving on buying sessions individually. 3. Monthly memberships of 4 or sessions in the various lengths. We have an option to suit everyone.
What are we most proud of? Most other stretch studios do not offer myofascial release with the stretch so our combination of these 2 techniques is pretty unique. Each session is tailored to the individual on the day they receive their therapy. Our staff is trained to work on whatever bodily issues are occurring at the time of the therapy. We do not offer a generic set of stretches like some other studios. Many of our clients have mentioned that our services are preferable for them to traditional physical therapy and we are frequently asked if our business is a franchise, which it is not but we take that as a compliment since it is generally inferring that we look and act professionally.
We have many 5 star reviews for both of our locations on Google, Yelp, ClassPass, and Facebook.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We have worked with many local business over the 7 years we have been in business including setting up pop-ups where we invite potential clients to try a taster stretch for 5-7 minutes usually. We have done this at many locations including Orange Theory, LA Fitness, various local gyms and fitness/wellness studios, the beach tennis association, local businesses, golf clubs, chiropractors and stores. We have collaborated on social media and in local business groups including the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce.
Pricing:
- NEW CLIENT OFFER: Three 30 Minute Stretches $99
- 30 Minute Stretch $53
- 40 Minute Stretch $70
- 60 Minute Stretch $106
- 90 Minute Stretch $158
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stretch-spot.com
- Instagram: @stretchspot_torrance. @stretchspot_hermosa
- Facebook: @Stretchspot. @StretchspotHB
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/stretchspot-torrance-torrance https://www.yelp.com/biz/stretch-spot-hermosa-beach-hermosa-beach-2
