Kika Stretch Studios

STRETCH & FITNESS

Kika Stretch Studios

Patty Beall knows the importance of stretching firsthand. A combination of experience, research, and evaluation led her to a method with the potential to benefit not only herself, but also people of all ages and abilities.

In the months since Beall opened her own Kika Stretch Studios in downtown Frederick, the value of its gentle assisted stretching process has become evident to a wide range of clients who want to move naturally. This includes young and old, elite athletes, people with disabilities or injuries, and those who have lost mobility from surgery, said the non-practicing attorney and mother of three. People who are anxious or depressed, she added, benefit from the combination of tension release, and being touched and social. The goal is to loosen tight muscles, freeing the body from pain and stress, and helping to increase flexibility and overall ability. Kika also reversed the difficulty Beall’s 77-year-old father encountered in turning his neck while driving.

Kika is unlike massage where the client is passive and in prone position, Beall said. In contrast, Kika clients are relaxed yet still engaged – moving from standing, then seated and finally prone positions. “The coach works slowly and methodically toward extending, or lengthening, the muscles while they are relaxed,” she explained. Kika is also unlike physical therapy, which is targeted to an injury. “Kika is whole body every time because tension in one part of the body can affect other body parts,” Beall said.

Beall was first exposed to assisted stretching in 2019 after taking part in a 36-hour endurance event in Stratton, Vermont. “I could really use this, especially in my quads,” she remembers thinking. She returned home, bent on finding something comparable in Maryland – but there was nothing of the kind.

Considering filling the gap herself, Beall had “ample time to reflect” and bounce around ideas while she and the rest of the world were confined to home during the pandemic. After evaluating three available franchises, she said, “Kika appealed to me most, with its one-on-one model, and more private spaces.”

Kika coach candidates must have a “body knowledge background, a basic understanding of how the body works,” Beall said. “They also have to be ‘people-people,’ with excellent communication skills.” Coaches must undergo an intensive 20 hours of in-house training where they learn Kika methods such as proper alignment for the client and following the client’s breathing pattern.

For newbies, Kika offers a free 30-minute introductory session. Regular sessions are 45 or 60 minutes long. At least one session a week is recommended for optimal results.