Kym Herjavec Brings New Life to Richard Simmons' Old Studio Space: See the Stunning Before and Afters

Dream Come True

Dancing with the Stars pro Kym Herjavec had always wanted a dance studio when she was younger, and now her dream is a reality with the opening of The BOD in Beverly Hills.

"People love to work out dancing because you don't realize that you're working out," Herjavec, 40, tells PEOPLE. "[I wanted] to actually have a proper space to be able to go to and teach people."

When she heard Richard Simmons was closing his Slimmons workout studio, she knew that's where she wanted to open her dance fitness studio.

"It's such a special space, and what he did there was amazing," says Herjavec.

Freshening Up an Iconic Studio

While Herjavec loved the energy of the space, she wanted to give it a fresh new look.

"Nothing had really been done in over 40 years, so it needed a little bit of an update," she says. "It was still great, but it was very 80s. I just wanted to make everything fresh, white and bright."

Herjavec sanded and stained the floors, painted everything white, added new bright lighting, and gave the bathrooms a makeover.

"We really freshened it up," she says.

Paying Homage to Slimmons

The BOD will feature a variety of dance-based fitness classes including ballroom, barre, hip-hop and sculpting, and an 80s BOD class that pays tribue to Richard Simmons.

"I'm hoping that people come dressed up like Richard Simmons in short shorts and headbands," says Herjavec. "I'll definitely be dressing up myself, so that's very encouraged! I grew up with the Jane Fonda DVDs, doing that with my mom. And then obviously Richard Simmons was the king of 80s fitness. I'm paying homage to Richard and Jane, and it will be dance cardio to all the greatest 80s hits you can think of."

Herjavec thought she may frame the iconic Slimmons sign, but she ended up returning it to Simmons. She's also made it clear the fitness guru has a standing invitation, “I would love [for him] to come back and christen the space,” she told PEOPLE.

An Inviting Space

"I want the studio to be a safe place where people don't feel like they're being judged," says Herjavec. "There's a lot of dance studios around, but they can be a little intimidating. I want this to be a place where dancers, non-dancers, any age group, anyone can come to and have a great time and dance and get the best out of themselves. I want it to be somewhere people can come and feel great."

One-Stop Shop

In addition to dance cardio classes, The BOD will have an on-site nutritionist and will offer meditation, yoga and foam rolling classes for active recovery days.

"It's so important to rest and recover," says Herjavec. "We'll have all of these classes that are great for your mind and spirit."