Barre3 in Baton Rouge

Nicole Cummins has opened the first barre3 franchise in Baton Rouge after falling in love with the company's approach

Nicole Cummins speaks about barre 3 with the enthusiasm of a religious convert, or a kid in a candy store. “It’s kind of like the Disney of fitness; it is the happiest place!”

Cummins was not always so easily excited by the prospect of working out. At 29 years old, she was on an unsustainable wellness path. She didn’t eat fruits and vegetables, didn’t work out, and was overweight. She was ready for a drastic change; by the time she turned 30, Cummins resolved, she was going to be living a different lifestyle.

And so it was. She began taking yoga and barre classes, running, eating well, etc.— loving the results but not necessarily loving the workouts. But when a barre 3 studio opened in her New Orleans neighborhood, just three blocks from her house, she determined that its proximity was an advantage she couldn’t pass up. She fell in love, joined the studio, and very soon became an instructor.

That was in the summer of 2013. Now, three and a half years later, Cummins has opened her own studio in Baton Rouge at 3535 Perkins Road in the same shopping center as Trader Joe’s.

Barre 3 is a combination of many familiar exercise traditions: fitness fiends will recognize elements of barre, yoga, Pilates, aerobics, and other popular routines. But one of its advantages, according to Cummins, is the resources it offers outside the gym. Hundreds of healthy recipes are available online, and she swears they are edible—“I’ve come across my fair share of recipes that are healthy but are not so tasty … parentheses wheat grass shots”—thoughtfully designed, and boasting easy-to-find ingredients. Also online are hundreds of workout routines ranging from ten minutes to one hour and targeting different circumstances or goals.

Cummins opened in January and one month later knows she will need to add more classes. In the meantime, there may still be some special introductory rates available for future converts. barre3.com/studio-locations/batonrouge.