Your new BFF

Most of you reading this probably have a best friend forever, also known as a BFF. But if you're like me, there's a different kind of BFF missing from your life: your body's friend forever. It's a massage tool -- created by a local Jewish entrepreneur -- that aims to soothe tight muscles, exfoliate your skin and even help with hair removal.

You might wonder (as my wife does often) where does he get this crazy stuff? It all happened very organically.

While purchasing new running shoes, I mentioned to the salesman an article about people using car buffers on their body. The salesman then pulled out the BFF. The massager oscillates and vibrates when lightly (or not so lightly) pressed onto your muscles. It did not take very long to relieve my tight calf muscles.

There are many products in this market place that might not be your new best friend, but still aid in muscle relief. These are some of my "close friends" I have at home:

• Foam roller
• Lacrosse ball
• Tennis balls
• Max Percussion Massager
• The Stick Self Roller Massager
• Thera-Cane Massager

What's the difference between this and the foam roller at most gyms? This feels good. It's similar to the difference between a good massage therapist and a bad one: The good one warms up the tissue before digging deep into fascia (tissue around your muscles).

Being slightly obsessed with this tool, I tracked down the founder of the company, Joshua Grabowsky, a local chef turned inventor who it turns out is a Jew You Should Know.

Years ago Grabowsky dropped out of massage school with the thought that one day he'd be back. Fast forward 20 years, a massage therapist uses a car buffer on him at a party and an idea pops into in his head. "I couldn't stop thinking about making a buffer that was just for people."

Once he had a prototype he kept tinkering with it, and he continues to refine it.

Grabowsky does not brag about his celebrity clients, but Derrick Rose is a big advocate, as are the New York Jets. Joshua said the best compliments, however, come from those suffering from bodily pain.

"A woman with arthritis told me, she can't live without it, and this is the best way to relieve her symptoms," Grabowsky said.

As he looks to grow the business, Grabowsky is focused on the fitness world, therapy and personal care. He endeavors to be creative and entrepreneurial, so he is branching out with other products and looking for investors to work with him.

Grabowsky credits his creativity from his grandfather, who owned Smokey Joes, an iconic clothing store on Maxwell Street.

"My papa was super creative," he said. "He told me the best stories about the various legends that shopped at his store."

I look forward to seeing Grabowsky's other future creations, but mostly, I look forward to Chanukah in hopes that one of my BFFs might buy me a BFF.