New Idaho Falls studio aims to help you move — and age — better

Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.

BIZ BUZZ

IDAHO FALLS

Tired of sitting all day, he made a change. Now he’s helping Idaho Falls do the same

IDAHO FALLS – Like many working professionals, Scott Gudmundson has spent more than 20 years behind a desk, only to stand up at the end of the day with stiff joints.

The lack of mobility motivated him to seek a life change and, ultimately, a new business venture. He and his wife, Carolyn, opened The Vital Stretch at 3482 South 25th East next to Burly Burger in September 2025. It’s the franchise’s first location in the western United States and offers customers one-on-one assisted stretching sessions.

Much like a massage clinic, customers pay for a monthly membership and come in for an hour-long session. Through the end of April, the first visit is complimentary and includes a mobility assessment to determine what areas to focus on. Customers lie on a table while a Vital Stretch practitioner stretches limbs and joints in a way catered to clients’ specific needs.

“The part of wellness and fitness that we’re missing is the recovery and the longevity,” Katie Smith, the business’s general manager, tells EastIdahoNews.com. “Mobility is our main focus.”

Smith says all the practitioners have educational training in the field of sports and exercise science, or something related. The company also provides an additional 60 hours of training for all new employees.

Since opening, practitioner Kelsi Schlenker says they’ve helped a variety of people with mobility issues. Some, like Scott, are people who spend a lot of time sitting down. Others have sports or trauma-related injuries, arthritis or other neurological or auto-immune disorders, such as multiple sclerosis.

Regardless of the circumstances, Smith says the services are a benefit to anyone who comes in the door, whether they’re “weekend warriors” or “graceful agers.”

“We ask our members to be involved. We’re talking the whole time about tension, comfort level,” says Smith. “We like everybody to start with a commitment of 90 days. That gives us time to help the body believe what we’re doing and establish goals. The body doesn’t believe anything is real unless you’ve done it for a significant amount of time.”

Gudmondson says mobility is the key to aging well, and he says he’s noticed significant improvements in his mobility since incorporating a stretch routine into his day.

“I’m hitting that window of aging gracefully, and I’m looking for anything that can help me extend the amount of time I have to do the activities that I like to do,” Gudmondson says. “This particular franchise became available in Idaho Falls. It’s a new concept, but it’s something that other cities have adopted, and it’s pretty popular.”

The Vital Stretch was founded in 2019 by Rob and Melissa Goldring, according to the company’s website. Rob, a chiropractic physician, and Melissa, a physical therapist, had 50 years of combined experience and noticed that tightness in one part of the body created a chain reaction and affected how the entire body moved and felt.

They opened their first location in Norwalk, Connecticut. Since franchising in 2022, it’s grown to include 25 locations nationwide. The Idaho Falls store is the first location in the western U.S., the website says. Locations in San Antonio and Minneapolis are the closest locations to Idaho.

Gudmondson says he’s grateful for the positive response from the community and hopes to see the business continue to grow.

“A lot of people have said they’ve been waiting for something like this to open,” Schlenker says. “We’ve had great feedback and have been able to see the changes (in people’s mobility).”

The Vital Stretch is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday with a 5 p.m. closing time on Friday. It’s open until 1 p.m. on Saturday.

To schedule an appointment or learn more, visit the website or call (208) 419-3207.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

Popular chicken restaurant now coming to Idaho Falls

200 gather for grand opening of Raising Cane’s restaurant in Chubbuck

‘First of its kind in Idaho’: Good Help Operator School opens its doors in Chubbuck

Local Amazon station marks 3 years, 21 million deliveries — and counting