Layla Kiffin wants fitness to feel like a party at her new hot yoga studio

Growing up surrounded by athletics has given Layla Kiffin a well-rounded perspective on fitness and wellness. 

Her new hot yoga studio, now open across the street from Tiger Stadium, reflects this balanced view.

LIVIN Studio was a dream a long time in the making for Kiffin. She began practicing yoga 20 years ago when she lived in California and has kept up with it ever since. She still remembers taking her first hot yoga class. She says it felt like the hardest workout she had ever done, but after a few sessions, she was hooked on the heat. 

Now, her studio features an infrared heated space for yoga, sculpt and strength classes. Infrared warms a space with electromagnetic waves. It heats a body from the inside out, reaching the joints and muscles as well as the skin. The founder says infrared light is better for the body when working out than a normal heater.

Three class types are offered: sculpt, flow and strength. Sculpt is a fast-paced cardio class that utilizes light weights. Strength classes are classic weightlifting classes, and flow is a modern twist on traditional yoga practices. All classes take place in an infrared-heated room that stays at about 105 degrees and 30 percent humidity. 

LIVIN Studio’s classes use upbeat music and hands-on instructors to keep up the vibes in this heated environment. 

“I want [guests] to have the best time, kind of like they’re coming to a party,” says Kiffin. “I want them to have a great time, get an awesome workout, and then love it so much—or at least feel like they got such a good workout that even if it was super hard, they still feel really good.”

Besides working out, the studio also promotes recovery.

The space has three red light pods. These rooms are not heated, but instead use a smaller amount of infrared light to penetrate the skin. Red light therapy has become a trend in the wellness industry, and some studies have shown potentially promising results for those who use this technology. Reported benefits include quicker healing, pain relief, reduced inflammation and more. 

Kiffin says that for athletes in recovery, sitting in the pods for 30 minutes a day can make a difference. 

“Coming from a family of athletes, you end up trying everything because 90% of the time you get injured,” says Kiffin. “It’s just exciting to see new technology is helping out.”

The pods also include red light masks, which can be used to treat skin conditions like acne and even lessen the appearance of wrinkles. 

The name LIVIN Studio comes from an inside joke formed when Kiffin lived in California while her husband, Lane Kiffin, was a football coach at USC. Now, the name represents the studio’s vision and encapsulates Kiffin’s feelings about this time in her life. 

“‘Livin’ is to be healthy, be happy, to make the best of a situation,” she says. “We had just moved to Oxford, and then bam, now we’re here. I’m like, I’ve got to make the best of a crazy situation. So that’s where it came from.”

LIVIN Studio is located at 3636 Nicholson Dr. Visit the website for more information on classes and memberships.