Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on July 2011

“Tokyo is too niche, too specific,” says Travis Johnson, a corrective and performance exercise specialist, of the city’s fitness scene. It’s true, if you want to study yoga, you go to a yoga studio; Pilates is practiced in Pilates studios, weight training at a gym. At the other end of the spectrum are the mega-gyms like Tipness that pack in everything from tai chi to aerobics in one overwhelming, impersonal complex. Still, if it’s recovery from an injury that you’re after, you’ll have to seek out a separate bodywork or rehabilitation center. Synergy Center in Shirokanedai, which opened in January, aims to be none of the above. Instead, it offers a selection of complementary services all in one immaculate and airy space.

“We wanted a combination of manual therapy and movement training,” says Johnson, who manages the center along with his partner Kaori Tani and another international bilingual couple, Kazutaka and Kristine Ara.

“There are so many methods out there. None of us thinks that just one of them works. Each person is unique. We want to give them options,” adds Tani.

Synergy Center has a diverse collection of instructors and therapists from different disciplines; what they have in common, Johnson explains, is a commitment to working together to treat clients as individuals. Both Johnson and Tani are health-fitness professionals with plenty of credentials. Tani is also certified in Rolfing, a manual therapy that improves mobility and posture through work on the body’s connective tissues. The Aras specialize in MAT, or Muscle Activation Techniques, a form of bodywork that jumpstarts inhibited muscles. Kristine combines MAT with Gyrotonic exercises designed to stretch and strengthen the body, particularly the spine.

Rounding out the team are a massage therapist and an acupuncturist, plus Pilates, Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis specialist instructors. Oh, and then there is the oriental medicine practitioner-cum-sound therapist who leads crystal bowl healing sessions on evenings of the full moon. According to Tani, the aural sensations and sound waves encourage intense relaxation.

All of the above is in the name of that elusive, much-cited goal: mind-body balance. Synergy Center’s philosophy is this: a balance of different modalities leads to a more balanced body, better overall health and fitness, and less injury. The recovery and relaxation provided by bodywork balances out more strenuous activities like resistance training. Johnson notes that many of his regular clients who go in for strenuous exercise already lead stressful lives; he is more than happy to see them defect to the other side of the room for bodywork.

Everything at Synergy Center happens in just one room. In one corner are the classic tools of resistance training: a power rack, cable column, and dumbbells. There are also some new things to try, like a vibration plate that can loosen up joints and improve bone density, a True Stretch station and TRX Suspension Trainers; all are imports from the United States. In another corner is the Gyrotonic equipment, an oddly graceful yet archaic-looking system of pulleys and wheels. Curtains provide privacy in another corner for bodywork. The design is minimalist, with white walls, polished wooden floor, and a smattering of plants. Broad windows on two sides let in plenty of natural light. The music is ambient, the air is scented with essential oils.
The open layout is in sync with Synergy Center’s cross-discipline approach, as members can move freely from one corner to another. “People’s interests change as they work out. It also depends on their stage of life. They might come to us for manual therapy and then see what is going on the other side of the room and want to start moving,” says Tani.

Johnson also hopes that the openness will help to dispel myths. “There is this image of resistance training as something for meatheads. But it is just another way of challenging your body and increasing your health and vitality,” he says, adding: “There is no screaming and throwing down weights here.”

5-11-2 Shirokanedai, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-5422-7100 (call for appointment). Nearest stn: Ebisu, Shirokanedai. http://synergycenter.jp