COLTS NECK, NJ — Before opening her own luxury pole dance and aerial fitness studio in May 2024, studio owner Taylor Franklin said she practiced pole dancing for almost five years.

Now a certified flexibility coach and business owner, Franklin said she found pole dancing to be an “alternative form of fitness” after she got bored with lifting weights.

As she traveled from studio to studio, Franklin created her own dream studio space in her head. Eventually, she decided to make the dream a reality, and on May 8, 2024, Bada Bling Fitness (named after the famous Bada Bing Club from “The Sopranos”), was born.

“It just felt to me, naturally, that it was time to take everything I love and create my dream space,” Franklin said. “So instead of training in other people’s spaces, I’ve traveled around, gone to different pole studios, and created what I would love to see a dream pole and aerial studio be.”

At Bada Bling Fitness, the studio offers premier pole, floor, chair, and aerial dance training. No experience is required, and Franklin said she wants the studio to be a welcoming place for anyone who may be interested.

Though Bada Bling officially opened in May, Franklin said there were still plenty of challenges the studio had to overcome on the way to their grand opening.

“Obviously, there are connotations with pole dancing,” Franklin said. “People confuse us with a strip club opening in the plaza, which confuses me. What strip club opens in a mall?”

Though Franklin wasn’t offended by residents confusing Bada Bling for a strip club, she said the confusion led to hostility from community members and people online. As plans for the studio were underway, Franklin said a photo of her in a split position was brought to a town hall meeting and publicly criticized.

“It [the photo] was brought to Town Hall saying how inappropriate it was, and how it was not a good look for the town and for me,” Franklin said. “But it was an extreme flexibility move I’ve been trying to get for three years. I’m so proud of it.”

Though misconceptions about Bada Bling continued online, Franklin said she tries to take advantage of any confusion to “kill the negativity with kindness.”

“Anytime I see people get confused, I take the opportunity to be like ‘Hey, thank you so much for noticing we’re open. I’d like to clear up some misconceptions,’” Franklin said. “And I’ll tell them ‘This is me. This is what we do, and this is what we offer. Our mission is to dance for fun, dance for fitness, and dance for you.’”

Yet even within negativity aimed at the studio, Franklin said she’s seen community bonds and friendship come out of misconceptions as well.

When one post asked if people were offended by what girls were wearing going into Bada Bling Fitness, Franklin said women came together in the comment section to push back.

“It was kind of nice seeing a lot of women in the community be like ‘You don’t like what you see? Maybe you shouldn’t go to the beach,’” Franklin said. “Or, ‘If you don’t like to see women working out, close your eyes.’”

For Franklin, women’s empowerment is a cornerstone of Bada Bling Fitness. As a millennial woman who didn’t attend college, Franklin said she aims to empower others through the studio and wants to encourage people to chase their dreams.

“The best advice I can give to people is ‘the only thing stopping you, is you,’” Franklin said. “You can really do anything you want. That’s the biggest thing I’ve found through pole dancing and being part of this great community.”

“This is a space for everyone,” Franklin continued. “Especially women in the community. I want to see people come together.”

To learn more about Bada Bling Fitness, you can visit their website.

Bada Bling Fitness is located at 340 Route 34, Colts Neck.