Barre workouts are a big thing these days. Triggering memories of ballet lessons, the classes use a mounted barre as the centerpiece of a regimen of targeted, isometric movements that tone and strengthen the glutes, quads, arms and core.
At locally owned Body Sculpt Barre Studio, barre basics are combined with cardio, strength, yoga, Pilates and other exercises, says founder Shelly Saurage, who started the Prairieville-based company in 2013. It’s now grown to include a second location in Central and franchise locations in Brusly and Zachary.
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“One of the things that separates us is that none of our classes ever repeat,” Saurage says. “I train our instructors to follow a certain road map, but how they stack it is up to them. Depending on the cues they receive from the class, they’ll toggle back and forth between really challenging and less challenging work.”
Moreover, Saurage says her business balances enhancing fitness with building community, both within the walls of the gym and across greater Baton Rouge.
A former primary school teacher, she’s never out of ideas for high-energy activities and special events. Saurage regularly coordinates onsite popups at restaurants to encourage her audience to try locally owned small businesses. She and her team have also held group workouts at community events like Live After Five. And she has coordinated drives and fundraisers to support organizations that include Woman’s Hospital, the Bella Bowman Foundation and Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital.
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Such social gatherings provide Body Sculpt Barre’s members a social outlet that boosts their mental health, Saurage says.
“Our clients are the most amazing, and we strive to be a support system for them,” she says. “I’m all about women supporting and empowering women.”
This article was originally published in the March 2022 issue of 225 magazine.