A temperature-controlled fitness program is turning up the heat in Franklin in a new way. The Infrared Room, which opened in June in the Temple Fitness space, offers a variety of workouts and stretches in infrared sauna rooms.
At the company’s ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by Williamson, Inc. on Nov. 8, owners Kelly and Joey Barbera explained their concept.
“When you’re in the infrared heat, it’s not like a typical sauna,” Kelly Barbera said. “It penetrates through the skin and it’s going to raise your core temperature. When you raise your core temperature you’re burning two times more calories.”
Joey Barbera, who was a Division 1 wrestler in college, said he has been familiar with the restorative benefits of saunas for a long time.
“I’ve been doing [saunas] since I was 14 years old,” he said. “It’s mental clarity for me — how I feel when I get out of there.”
So when the Barberas heard about infrared heat, it wasn’t a far leap for the fitness coaches to incorporate it into their lives and Temple Fitness.
The space now has six infrared saunas — small, wood-paneled rooms with color-changing lights and TV screens showing training videos — that are open access to members from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. Plus, Temple Fitness still shares the space, so gym members can use the open gym space with weights and basic equipment or the upstairs personal training area.
“That was the goal, to have that accessibility and the convenience and flexibility because everybody’s busy,” Kelly Barbera said about their extended hours. “It’s hard to show up and do your workout, but this kind of takes away some excuses.”
As for results, Kelly Barbera said consistent infrared workouts will definitely help you lose weight, but they’re also a way to sustainably train your body and achieve wellness goals that typical workouts don’t offer.
“Weight loss is going to happen, that’s always the icing on the cake, but we have to think about our wellness and longevity because we’re all aging,” she said. “When you’re in here you’re going to experience better circulation, you’re going to lower your blood pressure, your joints are going to hurt less, you’ll have less inflammation, [and] mental clarity is a big thing.”
This longevity, Kelly Barbera said, is both due to the benefits of infrared and the low-impact nature of their workouts. The training videos that play in each sauna throughout the day offer members everything from yoga and stretches, to high intensity equipment-free exercises, to stationary bike circuits and more.
Kelly Barbera said she and her husband’s passion for fitness is based in their faith, and they hope to share both each client at Temple Fitness and the Infrared Room.
“People come in here thinking they’re coming in here to get fit and our hope is always that they come in here and they meet Jesus,” she said.
Find more information about the Infrared Room at https://theinfraredroom.com/.