AQUAHAB - AQUATIC THERAPY - Interview with the Founder Les Littman - LET THE HEALING BEGIN

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Hello All:

Les Littman Interview

AQUAHAB BALA CYNWYD

Last summer, in 2017, I had a near death experience when a clot went from my legs to my right lung, landing me in Roxborough Hospital in Philadelphia, and  subsequently in a convalescent hospital for a period of four months. I can't say enough for the doctors who made sure that I did not become one of the Ancestor/Angels. Thank you!

It's been a bit of a climb, and I'm still not 100%, but I have to take this time to say how wonderful these doctors and medical centers are here in Philadelphia. I am especially impressed with the fact that they are still working with me to make sure that I return to complete and total health – or as close as humanly possible. 

One of the biggest side effects of the experience was difficulty in walking – partly a residual effect of an earlier automotive accident. Since I was not yet ready to have knee replacement, my physician recommended physical therapy, utilizing the specialized protocols offered by AquaHab, an unique center that offers both aquatic and land therapy. And I can't say enough about them, as well.

I was initially concerned about getting into a pool of water, because I am not a swimmer. But, not only is swimming not an issue, but the water was so warm, soothing and inviting, if there was any concern, it immediately disappeared. Plus the exercises, instructions and attention to details provided by the Physical Therapy staff, helps immensely. 

Therapy Pool is no more than 4 feet deep, 93 degrees warm

Of course, I wanted to know who the genius was behind the whole concept.   As luck would have it, met him at the center, utilizing the machines in the workout room himself - Mr. Leslie 'Les' Littman.  And it's clear that definitely walks his talk – working out on the treadmill, Exercycle, steps, and other equipment – in excellent shape for his 75 years.

He admitted that he was in a totally different field, before he decided to change his lifestyle about 26 years ago:

“I had decided to take control of my physical life. I had reached middle age by that time, I was in my early 40s. So I decided to go out and practice and train for triathlons. I did that for three or four years - I did the Iron Man in Hawaii.”

At that time he, and his wife Michelle, were in the garment business, designing, manufacturing and distributing of ladies' wear in the department stores, with a warehouse in Philadelphia, and showrooms in New York:

“After the Iron Man, I decided that I needed to work in an area where I could have more passion and commitment; so we decided to sell the clothing business and look for something else. And I found what was just a small fitness center in Northeast Philadelphia. It was very run down and the owner had passed; the manager was running it. And when I went there they had a grand pool - a full Olympic pool. Not high school Olympic! I'm talking about a full 15 meter Olympic pool! And something occurred to me that maybe we could turn this into a wellness center, not only just a gym. It could be something where people who have orthopedic problems can rehab in the water. So I built a land clinic as well, because, after all, you don't swim out of here, you walk. And that was the first one, back in 1991.“

Unfortunately, their flagship building burned down three years ago:

“It was horrible. It burned down. No one was injured. It was early in the morning, and there were at least 70 people inside the facility. We got them all out in 15 minutes. Some of them were in the locker room, some were in the water, some were there – and that building burned down suddenly, and you couldn't go in there after a half hour. It was a big building. It's a sad day, but in retrospect, nobody got hurt. So, it's just bricks and mortar. So after we opened that one up, we opened a few more up and in 1998, I purchased this building. It was originally a tennis, racquet ball and fitness center. We got rid of some of the racquet ball courts, we got rid of some of the tennis courts, and we built rehab pools here and that's how we got started here. So it's been my passion to work out and be healthy, and this way my work became my passion.” 

I could tell from the smile on his face and the energy in his voice that he had found his passion. And while many of us have dreams, not everybody can take a vision and a passion and make it a reality – especially one that has a such broad range of benefits for others as well:

“No, not everybody can. There was a lot of thought put into it. Plus, I had four children then. I was probably 48 years old. But I felt strongly about it, so we built it – my wife and I.” 

With his experience in the triathlons and Iron Man, Les had access to a variety of models and resources for setting up the center. His rehabilitation model was:

"A lady in California who was doing a lot of water therapy with Wilt Chamberlain. So, I contacted her and I flew her in to visit from California.  Her name is Linda Ewing and she's still out there doing it – what she would do with Wilt  (Chamberlain) was aquatherapy, and she was in the forefront long before anybody did that. She would work on Wilt Chamberlain, making sure he was injury free, stretching in the water. You can do a lot more with your muscles there, and you're more relaxed, than you can on land."

7 Feet Deep Therapy Pool with flotation belt for traction

After they went over the basics for water therapy, he  followed her guidelines and hired a professor with a PhD in Physical Therapy, under a consultancy contract, to help set up the proper rehab therapy techniques:
 
“After that consult, I went out and interviewed several physical therapists. And I found one that I really liked that was very capable of running the start up. And that's how we got started. The fitness part, because I had been training all those years, came so easy for me.”

In addition to the aquatic portion, AquaHab offers a land-based therapeutic arm.  They have state of the art exercise equipment; which was of equal importance: 

“Equipment was the easy part. The hard part was having the right staff, and offering the right atmosphere for everybody. And we've always been the company that's welcomed everybody, and that's always been a very important part of what Michelle and I wanted. Over the years my oldest son got involved in the business in 1991. He now owns the business and runs it. I still oversee the therapy.”  Colleen McGinley, a DPT - Doctor of Physical Therapy - runs all the operations."

Recumbent Bikes in the Exercise Therapy Room

Most of us don't realize there is a difference between aquatherapy and aquaerobics, but according to Les:

"There is a big difference. Aquaerobics, if you will, is very cardiovascular to get the heart rate up. What we try to do in the water is to actually try to get you moving better. The temperature of the water makes your muscles more viable, it's also more welcoming atmosphere. Who doesn't feel good in warm water. You don't have to swim, you don't have to be a swimmer – you don't have to be afraid of the water because it's three to four feet deep, 93 degrees. And the therapists use different techniques to instruct the people. And what we've found is that people would feel really good after getting out of the water."

Most of us, however, are not aquatic creatures and have to interface with a concrete jungle, so according to Les: 
"It's also very important to get them on the land, too, because we live on the land, and out there you don't have a 93 degree temperature, and you're not floating around. So the difference between what we have is aquatherapy and physical therapy – a licensed physical therapist is trained in all muscular and in all orthopedic and muscular parts of the body. They can identify looking at what the problem is, and make sure that you get the therapy that you need." 

Treadmill in Exercise Therapy Room

And the gravitational pull that immediately returns once you transition from the water back to land is immediate - where you were virtually weightless in the water, you have to now shift what you learned there back to your normal existence:

"That's why people on land, before they even start the stretching, should be warming up like I do. I just had spinal surgery – it's going on seven weeks, I had a fusion with some metal screws in my vertebrae. And that's why I'm here. It's been for me now – about 26 years ago I had decided to take control of my physical life. I had reached middle age by that time, Middle age then was in early 40s. So I decided to go out and practice and train for triathlons. I did that for three or four years; I did the Iron Man in Hawaii. When I finished that and got back, my wife, Michelle and I were in the garment business. And we were in the designing, manufacturing and distributing of ladies' wear in the department stores and wherever. The warehouse was in Philadelphia, the showrooms were in New York. funny but after finished the Iron Man, I don't think I ever really went in the water again, because I had to swim 2.4 miles in the ocean; and that was fine. I was finished with it, so most of my therapy I do on the land. I'm lucky, I haven't had a problem with my knees, which is really helpful. But I have had two hip replacements, two shoulder replacements, three surgeries, three fusions. It's probably a result of all of the training and running 35 hours a week and I was training because it was three disciplines.”

Now, first of all, you look at Les and don't see any of these surgeries. In fact, at 75, he is in excellent condition. No flab, no limping, no sagging. Eyes clear, and a head full of hair:

“So, I'm 75 years old and my body can't contend as much any more. But I feel good.” 

So when my doctor at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine wrote the script for me, she was not that familiar with aquatherapy, but took into consideration that it would be better for me if I didn't have  to endure the knee pains that were a result of the impact of gravity on my body.  It made it difficult to follow any regular exercise protocol.  The aquatherapy mitigates that problem.  However, many doctors are still not up to speed on the benefits of aqua therapy:  
“We had to educate the doctors, because back then in 1991 doctors would say it didn't work. And in order for us to do it, it's very costly because you have build pools. And you have to have staff for the pools, as well as for in here (the work out room). So as a result, not that many people – not that many companies, like Nova Care, where they say they have aquatic therapy, but they have 100 to 200 facilities. There's very few people that do it. Plus running a business is very difficult – operational costs to maintain that is hefty. If you didn't have a pool, you're less in demand. Plus you have to have a locker room to change in and other facilities”

AquaHab is a fully functional gym, indoor tennis clinic, racquetball, body building, weight training, and dietary management center. They offer membership programs for those who are not there for Doctor prescribed therapeutic programs that you might want to investigate independently.  Their facilities include whirlpools, saunas, etc. They are also part of Medicare's Silver Sneakers program:
“Membership here for someone who's not a senior - a single membership - is something like $80 dollars a month. There's 80 different classes. There's everything you can imagine here. What's most important though, is that you have the most educated and really good, caring staff. You have to have a good staff if you're going to charge $80.00.

The facility just underwent a multi-million dollar overhaul, from top to bottom, and had their grand re-opening the week of October 22nd.   
"You must keep up with everything – we have a wonderful, diverse staff, and a wonderful, diverse membership.”

A one hour session at AquaHab includes a series of stretches before going into the prescribed therapeutic exercises that are customized for each participant. One of my co-patients has just had knee surgery, and is now going through the therapy to re-establish full range of motion. He appears to be doing remarkably well; as are some of my other therapy-mates (is that the appropriate term?) After a hour, many of the patients spend half an hour with a therapist getting hot or cold compresses, stretches, and other exercises that are specifically geared to land exercises. 

Flotation Noodles and Weights for Weight in the Water Aerobics and Weight Training Classes

Among the services the private membership recipients receive:  

“There are people who just do aerobics, and there are people who go up to the weight room; there's Yoga, and nutrition, because we have a full time, registered dietitian. We have a certain kind of seniors, 62 and over, who have an HMO, or Keystone, that have Silver Sneakers, covered by their insurance company, so they don't have to pay. So when they come in, they just have to swipe their card, to let the insurance company know that they are participating – they don't just do it – and they only pay when you come in. So, as I said, we have everybody from 18 years old to 90. That's why we have something for everybody.  So when a member gets hurt – Sunday afternoon athlete playing basketball, etc. - we have the therapy and rehab right here. So they go to their doctor and get a prescription, and they can be taken care of. We also have therapists here that are allowed to take direct access without a prescription, for non-Medicare. We take all Medicare, all personal insurance, financed, Workman's comp – just about all the insurances. There's a few we don't take. And I know that it's very expensive today for people with high co pays, with the high co-insurance and it wasn't like that 25 years ago, at all."

Their philosophy is to do without overdoing:

Usually when we do therapy, 3 times a week is generally ideal, with a day in between to rest. Obviously - for me, that's what I'd do when I was involved in all my stuff. Because you notice, I don't limp. I'm 75, but I don't look it. I have full range of motion – I stayed the course here and I wasn't just going to accept the negative diagnoses. It's harder for people to be able to afford to be able to come here. You know people naturally get better over time, - hopefully – especially when they passed the acute stage. Then again, there's being better and being better. And so, that's what it is. The staff is a wonderful staff. We transferred them from one of the other clinics here – they're really a great team.”

In addition to the Bala Cynwyd location, there are also AquaHabs in  Jenkintown and Newtown:

I had one on Arch Street – but Arch Street was a different fitness center there. We just had our rehab center, because they had a pool. They went out of business – the gym called Sweat moved to someplace else without a pool. We couldn't just be there so we had to move. And the original one on Grant Avenue is the one that burned down. That was the Mothership – the one that started everything. There we had 5,000 members. We're having a grand re-opening in 2 weeks, and this gym room won't look like it looks now. We're painting and upgrading the equipment, making more room. We had some other equipment that we had to put away, plus we didn't have an additional room for all this stuff. That's what we usually do. We make a major improvement. There will be a whole new lobby, and that's where everybody will come in, instead of having to use the emergency side exit that was opened up during the renovation. 

Additionally, they are constructing a boutique hotel on a stretch of vacant land that formerly housed an abandoned factory, and had been an eyesore for years:

"The hotel is going up across the road, and it's going to be beautiful; absolutely beautiful. There will be a trail that will go all the way to Valley Forge – it goes all along the river and all the way up to Valley Forge. It's going to come right to the edge of our property. It's there now, except for the last 100 feet of it, and it will be debuted once they open up the hotel."

Rendering of Pencoyd Landing Hotel currently under construction at AquaHab

It would be great if they put the ferry back in service, for which Righter's Ferry Road got its original name:

"Yes, and you know that there's a bridge that you can walk across and you can drive across at certain times from Manayunk. There are steel buildings that were abandoned and left to rot since 1998 that are being removed, finally in 2018. We've been 20 years here. The center was a fitness center long before we came on board. My wife has been in the business for the entire time. She did all the design, the locker rooms, selected all the furnishings – everything. Except this time. We're semi-retired, and I don't have the weight of the responsibilities on our heads now. I don't have that 800 pound gorilla on my head now. I can relax. My son is here and running around here with construction people. He's wonderful. He started out in maintenance – from the ground up, and he knows everything about the business from the inside out. That's how you gain the respect of other people as you climb the ladder."

That makes Les a very rare person.  Unfortunately, most families, when it comes time to pass the baton, have not provided the training to their progeny so they can maintain the quality and tradition of good service.  The tragedy is that many time honored businesses meet their demise as a result.  But in this instance, this continues to be a successful family affair.

Les' message to those who are looking for a better quality of therapy:
"If you're suffering from a minor injury, you had an accident, or something is interfering with your movement and healing, and you're looking for a therapy that may be different from the standard therapy, we welcome you. We can help you." 

No doubt about that - So all you week end warriors, back yard gardeners, sports champs,  Do-it-Yourselfers, AquaHab is just what the doctor ordered   Thanks to them, I'm definitely on the mend.  ###

AquaHab is located at 601 Rghters Ferry Road in Bala Cynwyd - 
You can reach them by calling 610.257.7362 or
https://www.aquaphysicaltherapy.com/

Now that you know

What are you going to do about it?

Stay Blessed & 
ECLECTICALLY BLACK 
Gloria