A New Iberia businessman is bringing a new body sculpting and weight loss concept to Baton Rouge in early 2017.
Reve is a one-year-old, Kentucky-based chain of body sculpting centers that uses LED light technology, full-body vibration and nutritional and weight loss counseling to help customers lose inches and pounds. Bruce Reynaud, the New Iberia franchisee, is opening the first such center in Louisiana sometime in late January or early February in a 1,500-square-foot space in the Highland Place shopping center at 16645 Highland Road.
Company founder Courtney Pearce says both she and Reynaud hope it’s the first of several centers in the local market.
“We’ll see how it goes,” she says. “But we expect there will be others.”
The Reve location will be the sixth for the nascent chain, which has locations in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Florida and Mississippi so far.
Pearce says Reve offers a holistic, total body approach for fast fat and weight loss, though its primary product offering is treatment with LED lights. The technology is centered on the theory that rays from the LEDs emulsify or melt fat cells so they can be carried out of the body more easily.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved certain laser therapies for fat reduction, but the safer, lower-light LED therapies have not been proven to reduce body fat long-term.
Pearce says the technology is ideal for clients who have a healthy body weight but can’t seem to shake off stubborn fat cells in a particular part of the body.
“If you need to lose 50 pounds, sitting under the light is not going to get you your dream body,” she says. “But if you come in and you’re relatively healthy it’s as simple as just sitting down and letting the light do the work.”
For customers who do have more challenging weight-loss issues, Reve offers a complement of services that include nutritional counseling and a tailor-made weight loss plan.
The Highland Place space specifically and the Baton Rouge market in general are both idea for a Reve location, says Pearce.
“There is demand for it in any market, really,” she says. “There is nowhere where people don’t want to look and feel better.”
—Stephanie Riegel
