By Jill Nagy

For people feeling a bit stiff and out of sorts after a day at the desk but too tired to head for the gym, the Stretch Zone, a new business in Clifton Park, may be the answer. 

“Basically, it’s stretching,” said John Bladek, owner of the business, located at 54 Crossing Boulevard.  There are no weights or machines involved, just the client and a practitioner, he said.

Stretch Zone is a franchise of a Florida company. Bladek worked for the parent company,  certifying and managing trainers. He has a background in anatomy and physiology, as do the other four  practitioners in his business. In addition, all of them have completed an accreditation and certification program at the company’s Florida headquarters.

Clients range from those needing the stretching experience to people with serious medical problems. Many are completing physical therapy programs and need further work, he said. The practice also works with people with medical conditions such as cerebral palsy or Parkinson’s. 

By Christine Graf

Cindy Rosenberg, a licensed acupuncturist with almost 20 years of experience, recently opened a new practice in Wilton. 

The Los Angeles native relocated to the Capital Region in early 2021. Her husband, Leigh Rathner, lived in Saratoga for 10 years before moving to Los Angeles to work in the television and film industry. 

“We met in California about 12 years ago, and for as long as we’ve known each other, we’ve been visiting Saratoga,” said Rosenberg. “Every time we would come visit, we would say ‘Why are we living in L.A.?’ We had a long-term plan to get out of L.A.. When the pandemic hit, it sort of accelerated.”

After moving to Saratoga, the couple established Night Work Bread, a bakery that produces long-fermented sourdough bread products. They currently sell their breads and other baked goods at farmer’s markets but will be opening a store in Ballston Spa in 2023. 

While living in Los Angeles, Rosenberg operated a thriving acupuncture practice. 

“I had a really busy practice in L.A.,” she said. “I had a high-rise office with multiple treatment rooms and was seeing 12 patients a day. When I moved here, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep practicing. I had gotten a little bit burnt out.”

After devoting herself to Night Work Bread, Rosenberg realized that she missed seeing patients. She began returning to Los Angeles every two months to treat patients and recently made the decision to open a practice in her home office on Edie Road. 

By Susan Elise Campbell

Dr. Steven Shamosh a specialist in internal medicine with a focus on preventative care, has  become a part of St. Peter’s Primary care in Malta and is hiring a staff to provide services for the community.

The facility is at 2537 Route 9 in the heart of Malta’s business district. According to Dr. Shamosh, this location will allow him to tap into the growth of the Malta community as well as provide resources of award-winning St. Peter’s Health Partners.

“The opportunity here in Malta is to be in a place where business, including nanotechnology, is flourishing,” he said.

“We are always looking for opportunities to meet the needs of growing communities,” said Meg Doherty, a practice manager focused on primary care and development for five of the past 10 years that St. Peter’s Health Partners has been serving the Capital Region.

Doherty said that with St. Peter’s practices in Clifton Park and Saratoga Springs, “it made sense to get involved in Malta, both for families and business folks in general.”