Health & Fitness in Baton Rouge

More akin to a small, self-contained town than a fitness center, each of Spectrum Fitness’s seven locations kowtows to packed schedules and multitasking parents. A slew of classes arranges social body blasting—customers can tone their torsos with squats, presses, and curls in a BodyPump barbell class or sweat in spinning classes atop a stationary bike equipped with pursuit-style handlebars, adjustable resistance, and a front-mounted E.T. Members of Spectrum Fitness can swing by its Central location and trot on the treadmill until dawn. They can drop off their tykes at the childcare center and take a yoga or kickboxing class. And they can follow a swim by basking in the bronzing light of the tanning bed before sauntering up to the Pro Shop for smoothies.

The staff takes great pains to accommodate newcomers of all ages, levels, and car-stacking abilities. Personal trainers concoct customized fitness regimens during solo and group training sessions, and Silver Sneakers and water aerobics classes bring seniors into the fitness fold.

When students of optometry learn how to fit contact lenses, there’s a good chance they pick up The Fitting Guide for Contact Lenses, a textbook co-authored by Dr. Roger F. Shaw, III of Southern Eye Center. As an authority on lens fitting, Dr. Shaw carefully scrutinizes each eye and pinpoints factors that make it a candidate for specific lenses. In addition to continually exercising his skills at Southern Eye Center, he disseminates his knowledge as an adjunct professor with three colleges of optometry. Dr. Ann Hardin Shaw joins Dr. Roger Shaw at Southern Eye Center, contributing expertise in the areas of nutrition and vision care for children with special needs. The duo draws on a full repertoire of ocular measurement equipment to determine prescriptions, prep eyes for corrective LASIK surgery, or tailor comfortably curved pairs of contact lenses or eye umbrellas.:m]]

At Juban Dental Care, Dr. Michael Juban and a team of skilled technicians fortify smiles with preventive and cosmetic services. A doctoral graduate of the Dawson Center for the advancement of dentistry, Dr. Juban has the experience to handle complex, full-mouth restorative cases and employs the latest technology, such as digital x-rays and Opalescence or Zoom! teeth-whitening products. Visiting guests can abandon their stresses in the office's calm environment, marked by beige-colored walls, plush leather furniture, and paintings of saxophonists. As a dental expert cleans plaque or sets crowns, patients can watch the flat-panel television positioned above the treatment chair or stare through the window to awkwardly lock eyes with the tooth fairy hiding in the bushes.

Cody King understands muscles. Aside from graduating as the valedictorian of his class at MTC, the licensed massage therapist spent 10 years working as a certified fitness instructor, allowing him to bring a unique understanding of the body's need for recovery, relaxation, and frequent fist bumps to the massage table. Drawing on his expertise in musculoskeletal anatomy and physiology, he integrates multiple massage techniques––including Swedish, hot stone, and neuromuscular therapy––to customize treatments that address specific pain- or stress-related complaints. He also works in tandem with a licensed physician at Capitol Spine and Rehabilitation, where physical therapy and chiropractic medicine meet spa-like services, to help clients find relief from injury and get back on the leapfrog circuit as quickly as possible.

Pole Play Diva Fitness Studio's flirty fitness classes blend sassy entertainment with a calorie-burning workout, bolstering women's self-esteem and diminishing their waistlines. During sessions with five students, experienced instructors provide encouragement while guiding dancers of all skill levels through the variety of fitness classes and pole-dancing lessons. From Pole Fit, which focuses on rudimentary technique, to Pole Pleasure 102, an advanced class that teaches tricky dance moves, bodies of all shapes and sizes spin, twist, and shimmy on the practice poles. Each lesson has a suggested wardrobe, and pole pupils should wear shorts with a fair amount of exposed skin to help them to grip and acclimate poles to human contact.

Founder Kerry Jenkins infuses 225 Dance with her passion for moving arts that she developed through her 17-year dancing career and a childhood love of dance. To boost cardio fitness, guests can shake hips through Latin-inspired Zumba classes that whip bodies into shape with heart-pumping dance steps. Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Kerry works to pass on her family’s tradition of Cajun dancing with classes on Cajun waltz, two-step, and shuffle and hosts an energetic dance party and dinner on Saturday night.