From Their House, to Yours Vida

y Alma: House of Beauty

There is no better way to nurture a 17-year-friendship between two women in love with a beauty industry that’s never felt inclusive, than to start their own business and watch it bloom.

Long-time friends Erika Parada and Roxana Pasillas-Luevano got tired of waiting around to find a boutique that met all of their beauty, wellness and spiritual needs in one place, and one day, four years ago, decided to open up their own business.

The two friends opened Vida y Alma: House of Beauty four years ago as a boutique that specializes in aura esthetics, lash extensions, eye brow shaping, spiritual healing, and therapeutic massages all under one roof. In what could be an elevator speech, aside from the services, Vida y Alma, which translates to Life & Soul, the two friends-turned-soulsisters would like to emphasize that their boutique is not “your average beauty house.”

“Beauty houses don’t always make women like us feel comfortable,” said Parada, adding that when she says women like us, she means women of color and women who have just never felt like they fit in. “Over the years, we always talked about opening up a space where women feel comfortable, not judged. Vida Y Alma is a new type of boutique that specializes in being inclusive of all people.

“We’re not you’re average beauty shop, we’re about wellness, self-love and self-appropriation. When you leave our shop, we want you to leave feeling amazing about yourself.

Pasillas-Luevano said that she looks up to Parada like a big sister.

“She’s my person,” said PasillasLuevano. “Erika keeps me grounded and she knows when I need help even without me asking.”

The feeling is mutual for Parada, and said that she admires PasillasLuevano’s work ethic. “Roxy inspires me and keeps me motivated,” she said. “She is driven and focused and oftentimes, I find myself convincing her to make times for herself.”

The same way they take care of each other, is how they take care of their clientele, Parada added. “When people walk into Vida y Alma, we want them to feel seen, we want them to feel like they’ve known us their whole lives.” ♦