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Welcome to LA Stories, a section where I interview people from all walks of life that have made LA their home.
I met Tara, owner and founder of spiritual store, Xol y Luna, in the summer of 2021 at a pop-up in Highland Park. From herbal remedies to intention candles, her brand has been featured in publications like the LA Times, Byrdie and Hum Nutrition.
She emanated this calm and peaceful energy that was so infectious. We started talking and she said she had moved to LA from the Bay area many moons ago. So of course, I wanted to pick her brain on the differences between Northern and Southern California and her brand. We had a brief conversation about our favorite LA neighborhoods and we both concluded that we loved Long Beach.
Rather than doing an in-person interview, Tara decided that writing her answers was a better way for her to convey her thoughts more thoroughly. So here it is!
What is Xol y Luna and why did you start it?
Xol y Luna is my ever evolving baby. We started off with just herbal medicine, and now we take care of both spiritual and physical healing. When we first started Xol y Luna was a way to deal with my own healing, and figuring out a way to mend my body without pills. I really wanted to give back to my community and give a modern twist to how we view our treasured botanicas.
Can you give me a quick overview of the brand?
We are a small batch wellness botanica. We focus on healing with herbs, essential oils and crystals. We took our love for our culture, plants and community and made a space for healing.
So far, what have been some of the most rewarding moments in your journey with Xol y Luna?
I love love love when people reach out and tell me how much our products have helped them. When they send me pictures of their products. Or tell me when their abuela’s pain has gone away because of our pomada, it makes my heart happy.
Why did you choose that name?
My cousin was telling me about a child she was teaching who had the name Xol, and I loved that they spelled it that way. It was also around the time I was trying to figure out a name for the business. I kept thinking of this kid’s name, and I’ve always had a deep love for the moon. So I went for Sol y Luna, but that name was taken so I tried it with Xol. And it worked!
I know this question will be like choosing a favorite child, but what products would you recommend for someone who’s trying Xol y Luna for the first time?
Hahah! Absolutely like choosing a favorite kid! If you’re looking for something spiritual to set intentions to, I would recommend a candle. All our candles are made for different needs. So we have self love, abundance, motivation, healing etc. But if you’re looking for something to heal physically, I would suggest our First Love, which is our pain pomada. It’s a salve you can rub anywhere you’re in pain. We’ve had construction workers, cancer patients, soccer players, etc use our pomada and it’s helped them in their healing.
I’m curious about the anxiety essential oil blend and your herbs! Can you tell me more about them?
Yeah! So our anxiety essential oil blend is a nice small roller you can pretty much take with you anywhere. It’s an extra tool to help you get through those tough moments when you feel like your anxiety is getting the best of you. It’s made with CBD, Jojoba oil, Vetiver, and other essential oils. All to help support you through an anxiety or panic attack. I like to use it in addition to breathing techniques I’ve learned. It helps a lot and is one of our biggest sellers.
Do you have a best-selling product?
Our incense. They’re handmade by me and it takes tons of time to make, but they are so beautiful smelling. They’re a mix of Copal, Palo Santo and Lavender flowers. They take the most time to make but are sold out within minutes. They aren’t made with toxic ingredients, so they’re safe to use.
A few items are sold out on the website, when do you usually restock?
Not until the following week.
What is your self-care ritual?
Right now, it’s meditations. I’ve been focusing a lot of my time on connecting with the moon and meditating with her. This helps me so much in calming my mind and relaxing my body. With meditation, I make sure to light a candle and drink some tea. It’s definitely a ritual that I want to share soon with everyone so they can also experience and gain some mindfulness with it.
How did you take care of yourself mentally during the pandemic?
Oh goodness, the pandemic has been such a rollercoaster! It was physically and mentally wearing on me. I absolutely give thanks to the sun! I made sure most days I was out in our backyard taking in some vitamin D. I also made time to talk to friends, and keep those connections going. I avoided the news at least 1/2 times a week. It was all very hectic. As the pandemic changes course, so does the way I take care of myself. Hand sanitizer is still my number one, I make sure I’m using that and washing my hands. I drink a lot of fire cider and garlic honey for my immunity and I drink my wellness tea once a day. This helps me feel protected when I need to leave the house.
What do you like about living in Los Angeles?
LA is such an amazing cultural space! I feel like I’ve learned more about my culture and other cultures living here. LA has the best foods, the greatest communities. I’ve fallen in love with being here.
What are your favorite restaurants in LA?
For Mexican food I love going to Frijoles near LAX, for good breakfast I love The Pan in Gardena. For Mediterranean, I go to Chicken Maison. For Chinese food, I love Little Asia in Inglewood. For burgers, I go to Brolly Hut in Inglewood. For late night eats, we like The Kettle in Manhattan because they’re open 24 hours. I could literally talk about amazing food and restaurants for hours haha.
What about your favorite places in LA to decompress?
The beach! I love that we can go hang at the beach and watch the sunset. The ocean is such a beautiful relaxing place.
Favorite neighborhoods?
I lived most of my life here in LA in Inglewood and Hawthorne. I love both places. Gardena is another place I love to eat in. I’ve started to explore Echo Park recently and really like it there too.
Since you’re originally from the Bay Area, what are some major differences between NorCal and SoCal?
Oh goodness, well the culture is absolutely different. I feel like folks in the Bay just get along better, and enjoy the craziness of the Bay a bit more. The people are more lively and happy.
In LA. It’s so diverse and you can never get tired of going places, there are always new adventures everywhere all the time. The concert venues here are great too!
What are your favorite places in the Bay Area?
Bud’s Burger and Sac’s Hot Dogs in Vallejo, these are staples that you HAVE TO eat at when you’re there. There’s also a Filipino bakery called Star Bakery and they make these breads called señorita bread and they are sooooooo good!!
Berkeley used to be a place my friends and I went to hang out and walk around.
San Francisco’s Castro district is a fun place to go to bars.
How often do you do pop-ups? Are you planning on expanding or are you only selling online?
We’ve only done a couple pop-ups this year due to the pandemic. But we’re planning on doing more next year. We actually have a couple shops that sell our stuff: Kaleidoscope and Part Art Community (Art On 30th). We are also working on getting our candles at Simon Limon in San Diego.
What are the future plans for Xol y Luna?
Oh man! Our plans are forever changing haha. We definitely want to have a space so we can hold classes one day. Right now, we’re focusing on new ways to help folks heal and ways we can give back to our community.
