Layla Kiffin is bringing a new heated fitness concept to Baton Rouge with the launch of Livin Studio, a workout and recovery studio near Tiger Stadium that is scheduled to open by the end of August.
She says the idea grew out of her own longtime fitness routine and a desire to create the type of studio she could not find after moving to Baton Rouge.
“It’s kind of something that I’ve done for about 15 years, and love,” Kiffin says of working out. “When we moved here, there wasn’t quite anything like it. There are really awesome studios, but nothing that provided the heat the way I wanted it, or the infrared the way I wanted it. It’s kind of a different type of workload than I think a lot of the places offer here.”
She says the idea of opening a similar studio in Oxford last year was thrown around while coach Lane Kiffin was at Ole Miss. She adds that yoga and exercise have been important to coach Kiffin, and that the two had been talking about opening a studio for a while.
“A lot of these coaches on the LSU staff, we’ve known for like 20-plus years,” she says. “I think they may have all gone to their first hot yoga class with me in California. When they got to Oxford last year, it was like, ‘Oh man, we need to bring something here,’ and I kind of threw the idea around. My daughter also is Pilates certified and she at the time was wanting to do something as well. We were thinking about it and then we came here.”
Kiffin signed a lease to occupy a roughly 1,700 square-foot space in the grocery-anchored retail center across from Tiger Stadium that features such tenants as Matherne’s, Torchy Tacos, Starbucks and Fat Boys Pizza.
Ben Graham and Justin Elliott of Stirling Properties represented the landlord in the transaction and Clesi Camden of Lee & Associates represented Kiffin.
The studio will combine infrared-heated fitness classes with a separate red light therapy recovery space. Kiffin says the concept goes beyond traditional heated workout studios by pairing exercise with recovery services under one roof.
“The actual studio room is heated with infrared panels,” she says. “Infrared panels are good because it really heats your body rather than the room around you.”
Livin Studio will offer sculpt, flow and recovery classes through a membership model.
Kiffin says she selected the LSU-area location to appeal to a broad customer base, including students, athletes and nearby residents.
The former AT&T space is undergoing a complete build-out, which Kiffin estimates will cost roughly $300,000. Domain Architecture is one of the firms working on the project.
She says the studio also plans to host pop-up events and guest instructors while emphasizing accessibility.
“It’s very modern and chic. It’s not like anything we’ve ever seen,” she says. “I also don’t want people to be scared of the heat. All levels can do it. You can take the workout that’s being taught and modify it to what your level is.”
