Stretch*d Studio Staycation: Body Roll*r Review

I don’t know about you, but my muscles have been feeling extra tight lately. My back is one big knot! Ugh!

I was super excited when Stretch*d in Flatiron reached out to me about their new, contactless services. The pop-up of services they’re adorably calling “Staycation” includes various treatments for warmth and relaxation… something I’m sure we could ALL use right about now.

I opted to try the Body Roll*r which kind of looks like the most intense foam roller you’ve ever seen. As someone that likes foam rolling in theory, but sucks at forcing myself to do it in actuality I knew I had to try this out.

[Check out my full review of getting actually stretched at Stretch*d a few months ago!]

Body Rollr Review at Stretchd

What is the Body Roll*r?

According to Stretch*d the Body Roll*r is:

A lymphatic massage using infrared heated rollers moving at an optimal speed. The heat and pressure also offer an acupressure massage that relieves muscle tension and stimulates lymphatic drainage.

Think of it as the most intense foam rolling experience of your life on the biggest roller you’ve ever seen.

How the session works:

You follow a video that tells you which muscle to focus on (i.e. calves, hamstrings, glutes). The roller will then roll at the optimal speed for that body part. The key is for you to continue to move your body around the roller.

Stretched offers different packages that focus on different muscle groups: Core, Low Roll, or Whole Roll. I was able to experience the Whole Roll which covered just about every inch of my body — even my feet!

The Experience:

I would describe the feeling as “hurts so good!”

Some areas of my body felt more tender than others, but after a few seconds, it would feel more like a massage than something painful. I’m a bit ticklish so things like my feet took some getting used to!

I like that it’s easy to follow, just watch the video and go! My only issue with the program was that sometimes the video would get way ahead of the machine. At one point I accidentally hit the emergency brake on the roller and once the machine started back up I was now a few minutes behind the video that demoed how to roll each body part.

As far as COVID safety goes, I overall felt safe. Masks at all times (I almost forgot to even mention this as it’s the norm everywhere in NYC). My temperature was checked at the door and I filled out some forms. During my time no one else was in the room with me after the staff showed me around and any other clients I saw in the space were super far away from me. Of course please use your own discretion.

After I felt like I had just experienced a deep tissue massage, but minus the actual masseuse. I felt a bit sore the next day. Not so sore that I couldn’t work out or move, but definitely tender like I sometimes get after an intense massage. So maybe not the best thing to do the day before a big race, but great for recovery after. My muscles definitely felt looser teaching yoga that night and demo-ing a barre class the next day.

I do want to point out that the videos shown have some messaging about body fat and cellulite. If you’re sensitive to that kind of content and messaging, I’d skip this treatment.

All in All?

My body definitely needed some love from the Body Roll*r. I’d 100% go back, but probably just as a special treat or after a grueling week of teaching when my body needs some extra care.