A new boutique fitness studio has planted itself on U.S. 190 in Mandeville, filling its studio floor with barre bars, free weights and yoga mats under one roof. The Sculpt Studio opened Aug. 3 at 2985 U.S. 190, offering four signature class formats and a founder who built the business around a workout routine she started while raising her two young sons.
From a Home Workout to a Storefront on U.S. 190
Rachel Higgins Bissinger is the founder and owner of The Sculpt Studio, according to NOLA.com. Bissinger first joined a local barre studio while raising her two sons, then kept up at-home classes before deciding to open a space of her own, the outlet reports. She eventually brought the idea to life with help from her husband, former instructors, and roughly 10 women who had trained alongside her at her former studio.
The result is an independently owned studio, not a franchise, that NOLA.com describes as offering four core class types: Sculpt Barre, a full-body low-impact workout; Sculpt Ignite, a cardio-driven class; Sculpt Flow, a yoga-inspired session; and Sculpt Strength, which prioritizes heavier weights. The studio said it wants to promote holistic wellness through the mix of formats.
TRX and a Founding Membership Deadline
Looking ahead, the studio's report notes plans to add TRX, a suspension-training workout that uses adjustable straps suspended from above to build strength and core stability, to its future class lineup. No start date, frequency or pricing for TRX classes has been announced.
The Sculpt Studio is also holding its grand-opening celebration in October, though a specific date or venue hasn't been detailed. In the meantime, founding memberships are available through Oct. 31 at a guaranteed monthly rate of $189, per the same report.
Pop-Ups and Partnerships on the Horizon
Beyond regular classes, the studio plans occasional wellness experiences and local-business pop-ups. Those plans include an event with About Face Mandeville and a color-analysis pop-up with Kelly Fairchild of The Fifth Season, according to the report.
The Sculpt Studio's arrival fits into a broader pattern researchers are tracking nationally. A record 81 million Americans belonged to a gym, studio or other fitness facility in 2025, pushing membership penetration to 26.1% of the U.S. population ages 6 and older, according to healthandfitness.org. The same report points to continued growth in strength training, mind-body formats and coach-led training, alongside a decade-low industry churn rate and rising average membership tenure.
Boutique Studios Leaning Into Community
Industry data suggests boutique studios like The Sculpt Studio are increasingly positioning themselves as more than workout spaces. Marianatek.com reports that boutique class attendance was nearing pre-COVID levels by the end of 2024, even as average class prices rose about 6%, from $20.10 to $21.32, over the year covered in its report. The same analysis found studios increasingly offering wellness and recovery add-ons such as sauna and ice-bath experiences, alongside collaborations, themed classes and pop-ups that the report calls crucial to keeping members engaged.
That framing echoes what Marianatek.com describes as studios becoming “third spaces” where members build belonging and connection beyond exercise itself — a description that lines up with The Sculpt Studio's stated plans for pop-ups and wellness events alongside its regular class schedule.
