Baton Rouge resident Ashley Chapman wraps her body around a metal pole and skillfully flings herself around it, exuding confidence as she spins.
It’s a normal part of Chapman’s workout.
She is a student at Teaze Fitness on Essen Lane, where workouts consist of yoga, pilates and pole aerobics.
Pole fitness is a trend slowly catching on in Baton Rouge, and Teaze Fitness, which opened in July, is one of the few studios offering pole-dancing classes as a form of exercise.
Only opened six months ago, The Perfect Poleforma on Florida Boulevard was the first pole fitness studio in the area. Both studios are for women only, to minimize shyness.
Soy Nouandy, owner of Teaze Fitness, said the classes aren’t popular in Baton Rouge yet because of the local mindset.
“Everyone is so sophisticated, and they have a mindset that it’s raunchy,” she said. “But it’s a good about.”
“After my first time, everything was sore,” she said.
Ashley Torrence, owner of The Perfect Poleforma, said some of her clients have noticed observable changes in pounds and inches lost after just a few weeks of class.
Torrence prefers the term “pole fitness,” as opposed to “pole out.”
Torrence said she wanted to bring pole fitness to Baton Rouge after seeing its success in other cities like New Orleans.
“It’s a way for women to let loose, learn confidence, be sexy and get in shape,” she said. “It’s important to have it fad.”
 
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Contact Emily Herrington at [email protected]