A new fitness boutique, coveted hair products, and summer skin treatments top the local wellness charts this season

by Jessica Jones Gorman

COCONUT CRUSH!
AF Bennett Salon & Wellness Spa has formulated a new body treatment for summer that aims to cleanse, polish, smooth, and hydrate skin. Its Coconut Crush Scrub uses a blend of crushed coconut shells combined with pineapple enzymes to gently buff away dull skin cells and unclog pores. The rejuvenating cleanse is followed by an application of hydrating body lotion enriched with fresh coconut milk, which will rapidly hydrate and soften skin. 350 New Dorp Lane, afbennett.com

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FIT FOR LIFE
Kimm Russo, a Certified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor, loves burpees. Otherwise known as squat thrusts, they’re a heart pounding, sweat inducing form of cardio with a terrific calorie burn and strength training component. They are just one of the techniques she applies in her newly opened boutique fitness studio, Fabulously Fit.

Describing early days as an instructor, she recalled that, “One of my very first clients lost about 50 pounds; that’s when I realized how life changing this career can be. I saw her transformation happen before my eyes, and not only did her body change, her entire mindset and life did as well.”

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Russo started her own fitness journey in 2005. “I had honestly never worked out a day in my life,” she said. “But I wanted to make a change, so I searched Staten Island gyms and printed a two week pass to Bally’s. I fell in love with the culture as soon as I walked in. I couldn’t wait to wake up and work out.”

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After building her own training regimen and becoming certified, she was offered a position at Synergy Fitness Club, where one client quickly multiplied to nine. She began teaching kickboxing classes at CKO in Great Kills and her client list grew via word of mouth. She also worked in the fitness department at Goldman Sachs and became a group fitness instructor at Limitless Fitness Studios on New Dorp Lane, where owner Tricia Rega allowed her to rent out a small training space of her own. She continued to grow her client base there, and even taught classes throughout the span of a recent pregnancy.

“That was a challenge for me because fitness has been my life for so long, and the idea of gaining weight, even in a healthy manner, was scary,” Russo said. “But I used my pregnancy as a platform, a tool to show women that you can stick to a healthy routine no matter what.” Her eight month old daughter, Olivia, served as additional inspiration for the launch of Fabulously Fit, which had its opening in June.

“I do everything here from Plyometrics to HIIT and weight training,” she explained. “There’s a lot of functional training with ropes and sleds, and I like to incorporate free weights, TRX, and the Bosu (a balance trainer and now one of the most successful fitness products in the world). Everything is based on the individual, though; I tailor each workout to the person it’s not a one size fits all routine. Having my daughter really opened my eyes to how the body changes, so my goal with each client is to listen to their wants and needs and teach them to change up workouts to get optimum results.” 99 New Dorp Lane, rufabulouslyfit.com

ADIOS, FLYAWAYS
It has its own celebrity cult following and hundreds of five star reviews on Amazon; it’s even been called the “best hair product ever invented” by the Today show’s Hoda Kotb. Why is Color Wow’s Dreamcoat such a game changer? Experts say the $28 anti humidity spray is just that good at warding off flyaways and taming unruly locks. “Encapsulates and transforms the texture of strands so they fall in smooth, silky alignment,” the packaging notes. Is it a frizz defying miracle? Our early tests say so. colorwowhair.com

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