A new fitness business is taking root in Rye. Oxalis sprung up on McCullough Place in late March near the police and train stations.
By Jon Craig
A new fitness business is taking root in Rye. Oxalis sprung up on McCullough Place in late March near the police and train stations.
Co-owned by Ken Luttman, a licensed massage therapist, and Elizabeth Gengembre, a certified personal trainer, Oxalis offers at least two workshops weekly in yoga, and a program they call “stasis.”
“Everything is tailored to the individual,’’ Gengembre said, and can incorporate meditation, breathing, or more rigorous exercise and stretching.
If you spot a foursome training near the Rye Train Station on Saturday mornings, it may be an Oxalis session led by Luttman and Gengembre. The stasis workshop is a tough circuit workout that includes time on fitness equipment followed by a full-body stretch routine.
The couple offers tips and guidance on fitness, posture, orthopedics, and lifestyle. Training begins by assessing each client’s health history, lifestyle, and goals.
“We are personally invested in the success of every individual we work with,’’ Gengembre said. “It’s about listening and providing clients with the experience they truly want. We find it inspiring to work in a town that places great value on personal wellness. We welcome the opportunity to prove ourselves one customer at a time.”
“We work with all different types of people,’’ Luttman said, including professional athletes, college students, and local residents just before or after they commute to or from work.
“There’s plenty of competition in the wellness field,’’ Luttman continued, “but plenty of clients to go around.”
Pamela Baur and other local yoga instructors offer private sessions for up to four people at a time. One-on-one to four-on-one sessions are personalized for beginners, or others with intermediate or expert yoga experience.
Oxalis specializes in Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, and myofacial stretching. Massage therapists include Sarah Palmer and Kris Sullivan. Sullivan and Luttman also offer personal training, but Oxalis is open to renting space to other fitness experts, he said.
Luttman previously worked at Altheus health and performance center. He played football in high school and said he enjoys a strong connection to fitness through cycling and running. He’s a 1998 graduate of the Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy and licensed in New York.
Gengembre said she’s lived a life of fitness by exploring dance, mixed martial arts, CrossFit, and Bikram yoga. She’s completed a marathon, a 500-mile cycling tour of southwestern Colorado, and conquered the Tough Mudder race.
The co-owners named their new business after the Oxalis plant, from the clover family, because it is resilient, hardy, opens in the sun yet can thrive for long periods of time in a closet or shade.
Training and fitness workshops are by appointment only. Call 441-2341 or email info@OxalisofRye.com.
