The Stretch Garden (189 Main Rd, Aquebogue, 631-502-0001), a new wellness space offering multiple healing services, has opened in Aquebogue.
Operated by mother and son team Carissa and Nick Kretchmer, the business offers assisted stretching, a cold plunge, infrared sauna, compression chair sessions, full spectrum light therapy and a meditative salt room. Services are offered a la carte, but packages are also available. There is also a “Day at the Garden,” where patrons can experience all the offerings for $225.
The studio is quiet and welcoming, with locally sourced driftwood and beach rocks accented with plants and natural light.
Carissa and Nick had the opportunity to open in Nassau County, but opted for the North Fork because it was more peaceful and allowed them to work at their own pace.
“We wanted to create an environment that is calming, that is anti-stress, that is relieving people of tension, and we just felt like this was just a perfect melding of everything, and then Aquebogue offers connections to the north and south shores so easily,” says Carissa.
(Photo credit: Amanda Olsen)
Carissa, who is visually impaired, says that Nick always planned to help her as he got older, so going into business together was the right move.
“When it started to unfold, it made perfect sense,” says Carissa. “He drives us back and forth. He knows he’s committed. So it made a lot of sense coming together that way, and he went to school for business.”
The idea for the business started with a trip to Colorado. After a long day of hiking and snowboarding, Nick was feeling extra sore. Carissa, a stretch therapist, gave him an assisted stretch and he was back on his board the next day. This lead to conversations about what a family stretch studio might be like. Nick’s business acumen and Carissa’s fitness background fit together perfectly.
Nick says that his first job at a café unlocked his love for business and customer service.
“I loved everything about unlocking the door and opening the shop, then setting up and everything else,” Nick says. “It just always felt really good to me to be able to open up a place. That’s what I wanted to do. I’m going to turn my own key. I wanted to have my own business one day.”
Opening a wellness business, rather than a food and beverage venue, allows the duo to promote health and help people improve their lives. “Something that I love about this particular [business] is that I can focus on my body, my health, as my career,” Nick says. “It’s really important to me for my own health and longevity.”
The studio does not offer medical or beauty services, instead focusing on improving a patron’s overall wellbeing without causing trauma.
“We really dug deep in areas that we wanted to focus on, and we eliminated places that we didn’t want,” says Carissa. “We’re all about sending our clients away feeling amazing without being too invasive. So it’s not about intruding into their bodies with medicine, with any sort of difficult or painful treatments, and it’s not about looking beautiful. It’s about feeling great.”
Learn more about The Stretch Garden at thestretchgarden.com.
