The glow of red light therapy and a punchy, Sunday Funday playlist of ’80s disco hits and Post Malone fills the room. At the head of a massage table, an array of claw-like tools is neatly arranged on a credenza.

Those claw-like tools are FasciaBlasters, a set of devices invented by Ashley Black that Jessica LaBella has spent the past 12 years mastering. Then, six months ago, LaBella turned her passion into a professional pursuit, renovating the Thrive Hives Spa & Wellness Suites, which serves as the home of her Fascia Flow Studio. 

“The most common issue clients come to see me with is neck and shoulder pain,” she explains. “My treatment focuses on releasing the tendons at the base of the skull, down to releasing tendons along the spine. Then I focus on the muscle belly. My technique allows me to go very deep into the layers of the muscle, releasing tension and restoring mobility and flexibility.”

Smoothing Things Over

For most people, the goal of wellness is to maintain a body that feels fluid and capable of keeping up with the demands of everyday life. Strength training, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness often come to mind. But the stringy connective tissue that surrounds and supports muscles, bones, nerves and organs, called fascia, is usually overlooked. For many people, focusing on fascia has changed their lives, LaBella says.

She began researching the power of this connective tissue system in 2014 after seeing a Facebook ad for a FasciaBlaster that promised to rid her of cellulite.

“I remember I was 45 at the time and was at the end of a lifetime of sports, weight lifting, running and difficult training such as CrossFit,” she recalls. “I had leg pain that was so debilitating I could barely walk or bend over without feeling it through the back of my legs.”

After much deliberation, she decided to purchase her first FasciaBlaster device—and it changed her life. At the time, the devices were primarily advertised for cellulite reduction. But over the years, fascia manipulation has become a popular option for helping relieve a variety of concerns, including chronic pain and inflammation. 

“The study and interest of fascia grew through the years, and it became my passion,” LaBella says. “I realized through my journey how to feel the breakdown of fascia, what it looks like on the body and how to contour the body using the tools, how to break down scar tissue and release fascia from the bones for relief, and how to see an adhesion without even touching it.”

Breaking It Down

Make no mistake, there are plenty of skeptics. And, as with any wellness treatment, there are risks for certain populations. If the process of blasting away adhesions in your connective tissue sounds a bit painful, that’s because it can be, especially for first-timers, LaBella notes. 

“The first treatment can cause discomfort based on your adhesions,” she notes. “This discomfort does not last long once the nervous system accepts the treatment, and I have yet to have a client not return due to discomfort.”

For many people who walk out of Fascia Flow Studio, the innovative bodywork is nothing short of a miracle. And those miracles have kept LaBella’s schedule full.

“FasciaBlasting has been one of the most complicated things to explain to people,” she says. “But because of the results I have been able to achieve with clients, the word of mouth has grown my business rapidly.”

For LaBella, the FasciaBlaster tools offer far more than aesthetics. They are integral to her mission in life. She isn’t just getting rid of cellulite. She’s helping people feel and move better in their bodies. 

Learn more about LaBella and Fascia Flow Studio by following @fascia_flow_studio on Instagram.