Welcome

 I’m Tara, and I wanted to share a few things you may not know about Lemongrass.

As you may already know, Lemongrass specializes in a holistic approach to hair, skin, and body care.  We offer high quality multi-sensory experiences that deeply nourish your mind, body, and spirit.  What you may not know is that I’m the original founder and owner of Lemongrass.

Since opening the doors in 2003,  I‘ve noticed that Lemongrass has been an example of transformation.  Our continual focus on evolving our business in positive and progressive ways, inspires many of our guests to step out of their comfort zones and try something new because they know they are in a safe and supportive environment to do so.

This makes me so happy!

I’m Deeply Proud Of

I love the community impact Lemongrass and our multi-talented team has created.  When people find out I own Lemongrass, they share their stories of how Lemongrass helped change or bring more clarity to their life.  I know how much heart and soul our entire team pours into making every guest look and feel amazing.  It’s so fulfilling to know all that attention to detail is making a positive difference in peoples lives.

Pivotal Moments That Inspired Creating Lemongrass

I started to dream about creating a place like Lemongrass after a visit to Minneapolis in 2001.  When I walked into a pop up shop developed by Aveda founder Horst Rechelbacher’s, I had a profound sensory experience by the aroma being diffused throughout the shop called… Lemongrass.

On a visit to Encinitas, a friend took me to visit the Self Realization Fellowship Gardens.  I was overwhelmed by the beauty and energy of the gardens.  The space was magical and blew my mind.  I walked in one way and felt transformed when I left.  I felt something powerful had just happened to me and knew I had to live in Encinitas.

During a 10 day yoga retreat in 2003, I met a kindred spirit that wanted to invest in my vision of Lemongrass.  On break one day I saw a rundown 1914 house for rent across the street from the yoga retreat and immediately knew I found the perfect space where I could bring my vision to life.  And, the rest is history!

11 Things People Are Surprised To Learn About Me

I love Love LOVE helping people find their center and maintain balance.  It is my passion and joy! I love hearing what a difference it makes when people really take time and honor themselves.

I don’t believe in selling.  I believe in educating people, so they can make different choices.  Knowledge is power, so I am constantly looking to learn and share as much as I can with my team and our guests.

I became a massage therapist and esthetician for 17 years and before Lemongrass, co-owned Another Dimension An Aveda Concept Spa in Colorado.  I retired as a dual therapist when I had my daughter, Maia Grace.

We all have a desire to be living on purpose and make a difference in the world.  It totally lights my fire to continue to rediscover that in myself and help others figure out what that is for them too.

My quest to understand the meaning of life started when I was 11.  I was blessed with a mom that took me to a woman who turned into my mentor.  To this day my mentor is a treasured advisor in my life.

I’ve never gone to any formal college or school.  Everything I’ve ever done was a blend of my gut instinct and entrepreneurial spirit.  I’ve always believed that if you have a passion for something you can figure it out

I was a floral designer and have a love affair with flowers to this day.  Sometimes, I still do weddings for family and friends as an excuse to get creative, put on my designer hat, and bring more beauty into the world.

As an Aveda Purefessional I traveled around the country training practitioners in the spa department.  I tucked away different things I loved about each place that I drew from when creating Lemongrass.

I love cooking, nutrition, and bringing people together.  One of my favorite ways to bring all three together is feed people.  I have a strong belief that what we feed our body is how we feed the world through our emotions and thoughts.  I host a lot of dinner parties, casual get-togethers, and every year as part of our Season of Gratitude, we gather food at Lemongrass for a Nutrient Dense Food Drive that supports a soup kitchen during Thanksgiving in Oceanside and host a family in need for Thanksgiving dinner.

I’m a spa junkie.  I love to give and I love to receive.  I always get a treatment at a different spa when I travel and learn something new to bring back and share..

My spiritual exploration and global travels have opened me up to appreciate and value the newfound insights we all learn through diversity in people, food, cultures, traditions, and beliefs.  When I studied at the Oneness University in India, I took away a great nugget of wisdom I adopted as my personal philosophy,  “When you have a grateful heart, life will give you more to be grateful for.”  I feel extremely lucky to have a community where we get to share and learn from each other on this journey of life.  It truly takes a village!

Thank you for allowing us to be apart of your life and trusting us with your hair, skin, and body care.

with Gratitude,

Tara