Sweatheory Brings LA Healing Style to Crossroads

By Kevin Collison

West Hollywood arrives in the Crossroads this month when Sweatheory brings its healing array of hot yoga, saunas and a shot bar that is just that, injections including “Liquid Zen” and “Power Up.”

Brandon Presley is the owner of what will be the first Sweatheory to open outside the original in LA about six years ago. The grand opening is scheduled for June 21.

He’s renovated a 112 year-old building at 170 E. 19th St., last used as shoe warehouse, creating an infrared, cedar-lined hot yoga studio for up to 20, five private sauna/shower spaces and the shot bar.

“In general, Sweatheory is a place to come and when you leave, you feel healthier,” Presley said. “It’s the first one outside West Hollywood. I thought it might work in Kansas City.”

The new place is next door to Afterword Tavern and around the corner from EAST + WEST, part of the revival of the corner of 19th and Grand. Presley decided to open there after looking at the Plaza and Leawood.

It took a lot of his own sweat to get the place up and running. When he found it, the space was a raw floor with brick walls. The saunas and showers required extensive plumbing and electrical work.

Sweatheory includes a hot yoga studio that can accommodate 20 practitioners and a meditating panel that glows with a variety of colors.

Now that it’s finished, its a warm blend of brick and wood, with the shot bar and its distinctive menu greeting patrons when they enter.

“One of the biggest thing is creating a comfortable atmosphere for relaxation,” Presley said.

Kirsty Alexander, director of operations and sales manager, said Sweatheory wants to provide a holistic approach to health.

“This will be different than a lot of places in Kansas City,” she said.

“Health and well-being is more than just physical, it’s also mental. People will be able to meditate and listen to podcasts and get their brain right.”

They’ll also be able to painlessly, according to the owner, inject vitamins and other health-oriented formulas ordered at the shot bar or for a more intense treatment, have them administered intravenously.

A registered nurse will do the injections, and a physician will be on call to meet health department standards.

The shot bar offerings, which range from $40 to $65,  include Liquid Zen, Achy Joints and Immune Charger and Totally LA. The IV therapy selection includes Anti-Aging and Hangover Helper and cost $115- to $175.

Sweatheory’s menu includes an array of health-related services.

There also will be alkaline water, Kombucha and juice drinks from Ruby Jean’s Juicery.

Individual classes start at $25, and a $150 monthly membership entitles you to one class per day and one free power-up shot. There’s an introductory $99 monthly membership. Members receive a 15 percent discount off other services.

There are four instructors currently on board, all with a minimum 200 hours of yoga certification. Other healing services include Angel Cards and Reiki.

The hours will be 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The hours of the shot bar and IV therapy service are yet to be determined.