Welcome.

I’m excited that you’ve made your way to this post. First, it means people are visiting the website (YAY!), but it also means that folks are looking to see what’s going on over here at lujo bar and that makes me very happy – so thank you!

My name is Ivonne or Ivy (like eeee vvvv). Take your pick.

Born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut - I am a daughter, aunt, sister, friend and mama to a 10-year old rescue dog named Yoshi.  I am also the founder of lujo bar.

For as long as I can remember, I have been a creative. I spent my early days as an aspiring musician. I moved on to work in philanthropy and then to deploy my creative skills in corporate settings as a graphic designer and digital marketer. More recently, I directed a program providing employment and educational training for justice-involved youth.  A bit random on the face of it, but in actuality, it was during that last position that a switch was flipped; connecting the dots of what seemly was a windy career path to paint a clear vision and purpose for my life.

lujo bar was founded at the start of 2018 with a dual mission in mind. To locally handcraft premium artisan bath + body products that shower your skin and our community with love.

What’s love got to do with it? 

Love has everything to do with it. The act of showering itself is an expression of self-love. So why not shower with a product you can feel good about?

Here are five reasons to feel good about showering with lujo bar.

1. We formulate our handcrafted products with premium nutrient-rich ingredients that are free of phthalates, parabens, sulfates and other harmful synthetics. Why? Because our skin is the body’s largest organ and absorbs about 70% of what we put on it, so it’s important that we feed it with nutritious ingredients.

2. We take great care to ensure our products are made, packaged and shipped following FDA and CDC-compliant safety and hygiene practices because the well-being of you and your family matters to us.

3. We continually work to reduce our carbon footprint by minimizing our use of plastic packaging and sourcing materials from reputable suppliers that follow sustainable and fair trade practices.

4. We pay it forward by donating soap and care packages to organizations serving vulnerable populations throughout Greater New Haven because lifting people up is important and we all know the power of a hot shower.

5. We’re in this together. When you shop small, your money stays in the community, contributes to lujo bar’s growth and puts community members to work.

Love is a theme around here and I’m definitely into celebrating all the ways we can show and give it.  As founder, I am deeply committed to improving my community through acts of love, art and relationship. I strongly believe that soap, as basic as it seems, can be a life changing vehicle for both the maker and its user.  

I invite you to join me on this journey as we continue to build and explore all the ways this little soap company is going to shower the world with love.

xoxo