Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Melekian.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Brian. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I spent years as a competitive runner and triathlete, along with being a frequent business traveler. Around 2015 my back ‘went out’ and I simply could not run without pain and numbness. It may have been the years of training and competing, the thousands of miles on airplanes, my age, or some combination of all three, but I just couldn’t perform anymore.
I tried lots of different modalities – massage, chiropractic, physical therapy, and stretching. I found that consistent, methodical stretching was the only thing that relieved my pain and allowed to at least run slowly without the pain.
The other thing I discovered along the way was that many people shared a lot of the same symptoms I did – low back pain and tightness, numbness and an inability to live the lifestyle that they were accustomed to because of the limiters they thought their bodies had imposed upon them. I opened Stretch Zone in 2016 as a place for people not only to feel better in the short term but to perform better in the long term. We pride ourselves on truly caring for our customers, taking an active interest in their well being and empowering them to learn techniques for stretching and movement when they aren’t in the store.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Ha, absolutely not!
The most painful lessons I have learned along the way have also been some of the most important. As much as I am proud of the hundreds of people we have helped in the last three years, the biggest source of pride I find comes in employing and (hopefully) leading a group of employees. Needless to say that’s not without its moments and challenges.
I joke that I could have saved a lot of money on business school by simply opening my own business.
Please tell us more about your work. What do you do? What do you specialize in? What sets you apart from competition?
We stretch you. It’s that simple, but not really.
When you’re at Stretch Zone, you’re on the table for 30 or 60 minutes getting stretched. The reaction we get from 99.99% of our clients is that they have been looking for something like this for their entire life and where have we been for so long?
We are the only business of its kind with the proprietary table and method you will see the first time you walk into our store.
Your process begins with an initial assessment in which we spend some time getting to know you, stretching you to gauge your functional range of motion and learn about limiters such as injuries, surgeries, and goals that are part of your story. We are then able to draw from the library of stretches we each have to design a custom program for you.
All of our practitioners are certified in the Stretch Zone method and are trained on the equipment you see when you come into our store, but no two practitioners are the same, either. Some may be more skilled in chiropractic or massage, coaching or athletic training and we try to match you up with the perfect fit for you.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
This may sound like business blasphemy but one of my favorite moments is when a client says they don’t need to come in for a while because they have seen so much improvement. It is really a beautiful thing when someone who could barely bend down to tie their shoes is back on the golf course.
Pricing:
- Sessions are 30 to 60 minutes each and prices range from $40 to $60.
Contact Info:
- Address: 191 N. El Camino Real, #207
Encinitas, CA 92024 - Website: www.stretchzoneca.com
- Phone: 858.247.3539
- Email: encinitas@stretchzone.com
- Instagram: Stretch Zone Encinitas
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