Josephine Martinez, a mother of six boys, ages 7 to 14, each diagnosed with autism, ADHD and anxiety, understands the ups and downs of parenting. Her philosophy, she said, is not to judge other parents because no one knows what life is like at home.
“I see another parent with a screaming kid and I toss them a smile and I’m like, ‘You got this,’” Martinez said. “We’re all out here just trying our best whether you have one child or 10.”
Josephine Martinez, owner of We Rock the Spectrum in Woodbury, on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
In December, Martinez and her husband opened We Rock the Spectrum, a sensory gym created with the wants and needs of neurodivergent people in mind. The space features engaging equipment like a rock wall, zipline and multiple swings. It also provides imagination stations, a room dedicated to teens, an infant and toddler space and more.
“I saw the need,” Martinez said. “I have the need within my own family for a space like this and talking with my friends and support group here, I saw the need in them.”
The indoor gym has 12 pieces of equipment specifically designed for children with sensory processing disorders. The equipment encourages skills like self-regulation, motor coordination, socialization and more. Sensory-specific equipment appeals to sensations that are especially comforting to neurodivergent people, like a safety blanket, Martinez said.
For one of her boys, it’s the feel of air across his face as he swings, eyes closed, back and forth.
People of all ages and abilities can enjoy the gym’s facilities, although equipment including the trampoline, zipline and swings have a weight limit of 300 pounds.
Creating an inclusive environment
Hannah Bauman of Woodbury has children ages 2, 5 and 8, one of whom is on the spectrum. She said her family has visited We Rock the Spectrum multiple times and she appreciates that the space supports anyone, not just kids on the spectrum.
“The Twin Cities is doing such a great job of creating sensory-friendly spaces, but a lot of the time, I think it’s hard for siblings of children with special needs or on the spectrum to feel involved as well,” Bauman said. “To have a gym where we can all have an experience together is really special.”
Alison Kacer, the mother of 12-year-old Lucas, who has autism, and 8-year-old Drew, who is neurotypical, is from Andover and said the 40-minute drive is well worth it. Her family has already visited twice since opening weekend and will make their third visit soon.
“It’s amazing, I can’t sing the praises enough about this gym,” Kacer said. “Being a family with a child who struggles in public situations, going to the gym gave him an outlet to be himself in a safe environment. But also for my neurotypical son being able to play with his brother and others is amazing, too.”
In December, Martinez received an email from a man in his 30s who said he was on the spectrum and asked if he’d be welcomed in the space. She said the message brought her joy because she wants the space to be inclusive and does her best to make it so.
“We think play ends at childhood and it really doesn’t,” Martinez said.
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The price for open play is $18.99 per child, with a sibling discount of $16.99, for up to three hours. Monthly memberships and bundles of three, five or 12 visits are also available at different price points.
“We ask that people don’t stay more than three hours, but if people do and we’re not busy, we don’t bother them,” Martinez said.
Because Bauman’s family has and will visit the gym often, she purchased a bundle which saves money in the long run, she said.
“I really feel you are getting a bang for your buck because there’s just so much there,” Bauman said. “I feel like when you go to a place that’s smaller, maybe you’ll get that imaginative play but you don’t get an entire zipline.”
Bringing the space to Woodbury
On opening weekend, Martinez hired a clown and his wife to perform and make balloon animals. She also hired a face painter and Sheletta Brundidge presented a live broadcast comedy show.
Martinez said one of her favorite parts of opening weekend was when a parent brought her teenagers in to experience the space and play. She said she had moments of awe seeing the teenagers and kids play while parents watched their kids, knowing they were safe and could sit, relax and drink a cup of coffee.
“That’s also something I wanted to bring to the community – a safe space for parents to feel like, ‘I can bring my kid here and I’m not going to be judged,’” Martinez said. “The people here know what it’s like, they know what this life entails and they’re not alone.”
We Rock the Spectrum is a franchise founded in 2010 by Dina Kimmel – a mother of a child with autism, like Martinez, who found herself apologizing at “every children’s gym, play area and restaurant” where she took her son, according to the gym’s website. Kimmel opened the first location in California and now has gyms in more than 150 locations in 30 U.S. states and eight countries.
Kimmel curated the gyms with specially designed sensory play equipment, with the goal that no one would ever have to apologize for playing.
The first We Rock the Spectrum to open in Minnesota was in 2019 in Brainerd. Like many other businesses, the gym lost traffic during the pandemic and eventually shut down. Martinez’s gym is the second to open in Minnesota and a third will open in Eagan in January. The Eagan location’s grand opening is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25.
A family journey
A climbing wall at We Rock the Spectrum in Woodbury on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. The space features engaging gym equipment like a rock wall, zipline and multiple swings. It also provides imagination stations, a room dedicated to teens, an infant and toddler space and more. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
Martinez moved with her husband and boys from Georgia to Minnesota in 2022, in search of support and community. In Georgia, her family struggled to find services to care for the needs of her children.
“I told my husband I can’t do this anymore,” Martinez said. “‘We’re doing an injustice to our children to not have therapy and to have schools that push our nonverbal child around.’”
Martinez’s family journey with neurodivergence began in 2010 when she and her husband welcomed their first son followed by another in 2013.
“He turned life upside down,” Martinez said.
Her second-oldest wouldn’t sleep through the night, but unlike a normal baby, he would sleep for 15 minutes, then stay awake crying for hours, Martinez said. She said she knew something wasn’t right, but didn’t know what. At age 3, he was diagnosed with autism as a nonverbal child.
Martinez then had her first set of twins, who were diagnosed with autism six months after birth. After having her second set of twins, Martinez knew quickly that one of them was autistic because he didn’t like skin-to-skin contact or being held and needed to be swaddled very tightly.
“I was like, ‘Well, this is where we live now – in this world of autism,’” Martinez said.
Having six neurodivergent boys was not something Martinez imagined for her life, she said. It has presented challenges, but “has its own beauty, too.” Each one of her boys is uniquely creative – one with music, another with Legos, another with “anything you put in front of him.”
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Their family first discovered We Rock the Spectrum while living in Georgia. The 45-minute drive was tiring, Martinez said, but it was worth it after seeing how much fun her kids would have.
“There was something for everybody really and they had a blast,” Martinez said.
Martinez said she has high hopes for the possibilities the space holds for the Woodbury community, for children, parents and anyone in need of play.
“I want them to find acceptance here and joy,” Martinez said. “I want them to say, ‘I need a break, I’m coming here and I know there won’t be judgment and I’ll probably make a friend.’”
We Rock the Spectrum
Where: 2101 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury; Eagan location opening on Jan. 25.
Hours: Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week with a temporary closure from 2:45 to 3:15 p.m.
Cost: $18.99 per child, with a sibling discount of $16.99, for up to three hours. Monthly memberships and bundles available.
More information: werockthespectrumwoodbury.com.
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