Manhasset resident Maria Gioino has been a hairdresser for 27 years, but has recently decided to open Blast Spa and Fitness, an all-in-one boutique fitness spa that offers a variety of services from fitness classes to blowouts in the salon. While Blast Spa and Fitness offers classes, salon services, massages and saunas, the boutique got its name from their unique offering—fascia blaster treatments, treatments that release bound fascia, an underlying layer of tissue that can be found anywhere in the body.
“About six years ago I started developing severe arthritis in my knees and I was going through cortisone shots every couple of months,” said Gioino, explaining how she got into fascia blaster treatments. “I’m a hairdresser, so I’m on my legs a lot. One of my friends told me about this thing called the Fascia Blaster. Ashley Black invented this device that you use to release the bound fascia in your body. Everybody has this layer of fascia between their skin and their muscle tissue and sometimes fat cells get stuck to it and block off circulation. I started using the fascia blaster on my knees and it opened up the circulation and allowed my knees to heel.”
While the fascia treatments helped with Gioino’s arthritis, other benefits include reduction of the appearance of cellulite, pain and inflamation and stress on joints.
“Clients experience a variety of benefits from blasting including increased circulation, nerve connectivity and muscle activation as well as a reduction in inflammation,” explained Lauren Cornea, FasciaBlaster technician at Blast Spa and Fitness. “Blasting also restores unhealthy, bound fascia and reduces the appearance of cellulite by eliminating restrictions, adhesions and distortions.”
Gioino was thinking of going down to the Ashley Black Studio in Texas for a treatment one day when she realized she should open up a place on Long Island that offers the treatment, but also offers the fitness and spa aspects.
“I made this fusion type of place which is very unique to have all these fitness classes, do blowouts, massages and add fascia blaster treatments and we have saunas,” said Gioino. “It’s kind of this all-in-one boutique fitness spa. It’s a very unique thing.”
Blast Spa and Fitness offers a variety of fitness classes including yoga, TRX, Zumba, floor pilates and fusion classes where a few classes are melded together. The most popular fusion class is the spin TRX fusion class where the class does a half hour of spin and a half hour of TRX. The unique boutique offers a silent spin room where everyone in the class wears headphones, allowing class goers to control the music volume and hear instructors right in their ear. Along with the many fitness classes, Blast Spa and Fitness offers three pilates reformers for almost one-on-one pilates sessions.
“I think the thing that makes Blast really unique is that the classes are small so when you go to Equinox or LA Fitness or Lifetime, they pack these people 20 to 30 in a class and it doesn’t feel intimate, but here, the classes are small and the trainers really give you the one-to one attention like you’re getting personal training,” said Gioino.
After clients are done with their fitness classes, they can step into individualized infrared saunas. Blast has a regular infrared saunas and a Himalayan salt sauna which offer benefits such as detoxification, weight loss, relaxation, pain relief, inflamation reduction, blood pressure reduction, improved circulation and more. Once done in the sauna, clients can get a blow out or other salon services.
While using the gym or other services, clients can take advantage of complimentary towels, gym wipes, water machines with filtered water and a digital keyless locker room. Other amenities Blast Spa and Fitness will soon offer include facials, laser hair removal, spray tans and waxing.
“This is a unique fusion of a spa and a gym so you can come in do a fitness class, then sit in the sauna for an hour and then get your hair blown out,” said Gioino. “We also have a very unique reward program so everyone here gets 10 percent back in rewards and they can use it toward anything.”
Blast Spa and Fitness offers a grand opening package consisting of 10 classes for $125. New clients can also take advantage of trying any one class for free. Blast Spa and Fitness is located at 550 Northern Blvd., Great Neck. For more information about the new boutique, visit www.blastspa.com or call 516-570-6300.
