Meet LaVonna Jackson | Owner of Royal V Room

We had the good fortune of connecting with LaVonna Jackson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi LaVonna, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I come from a family of successful entrepreneurs and understand the importance of embracing risk to advance and expand your personal horizons. To begin with you have to understand that sometimes risk pay off and sometimes they don’t, however you will never know if you never take a chance. I honestly believe that you only regret the risk that you didn’t take, particularly when it’s something that you’re passionate about or strongly believe in. Looking back, I can recall switching careers and starting several businesses during times when my life was pretty comfortable and financially stable. If it’s something I’m passionate about, I am going to pursue it because the “what if’s” would bother me more than a failed try. This is how I felt when I made the decision to invest a good portion of my savings into the Royal V Room.

What should our readers know about your business?
The Royal V Room is a Yoni Steam Parlor. The Yoni Steam is a simple, gentle, and sacred process whereby a woman sits over a pot prepared with water and healing herbs. As a licensed mental health counselor, I typically care for the minds of others, but I also believe that the mind and body work in unison. I have always sought out holistic practices for my body and I routinely steamed for my feminine health long before deciding to open my own parlor. I learned about both the physiological and psychological benefits of yoni steaming after doing my own research and begin to implement it as a part of my regular self-care routine. My daughters also begin to implement the practice into their lives as well. I recall one day we were at a family gathering just talking when someone mentioned they needed to steam. We talked about how much we all enjoyed steaming but wished we could do it in a better setting other than the bathroom. Because the practice of yoni steaming allows one to relax, refresh and reconnect with their feminine energy, we liked the idea of providing an atmosphere that mirrored the experience and this is when the idea of opening our own yoni steam polar was born. I am extremely proud of the luxurious environment that my daughters and I have created for our clients, whom we refer to as our “Queens” because that is exactly who they are! Like any new business, we also faced many challenges dealing with the unknown. All three of us took a financial risk by using our personal funds to start Royal V Room and faced financing issues towards the completion of our project. Additionally, we faced decision making issues because we each had our unique viewpoints. I would say our biggest challenge came when we were forced to shut the business down due to covid-19. I remember the week prior to closing we were celebrating our busiest weekend since our grand opening; it was really a disappointing. Fortunately, we were able to pivot and during this time and turned our efforts towards online services. By selling yoni products online for women to steam at home during the pandemic we were able to stay connected to our client base. Most of our clients returned after we reopened, and we have been steadily growing since. We give God all the Glory for our success.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well a week is a very long time, 3 days is normally my max for visitors, LOL! However my itinerary would most definitely begin with a relaxing steam at the Royal V Room for some much needed catch up time! As an avid traveler myself, whenever I visit a city, whether domestic or international, I love seeing the historic districts because it always seems to possess the most character. That’s true for my city as well. Since one of my favorite hang spots is Ponce City Market, we would definitely need to go there and have a few drinks while viewing the skyline. Next up is some shopping and eateries along Old Fourth War. The next day more shopping and eateries at or near Perimeter Mall. At night we’d catch a show at the Atlanta City Winery. Somewhere in-between we would visit Georgia Aquarium, World of Coke museum and the King Center just to name a few places.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, this is a family business. I must give credit to my two daughters, Iesha and Tanisha who are also co-owners of the Royal V Room, because they both bring areas of expertise to the business that I do not have and we would not successful without them. Iesha for example is very logical and principled, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and handles many of the operational and financial issues pertaining to the business. Tanisha is a visionary; she holds a Master’s degree in Education and has used her drive, creativity and confidence to expand our business tremendously, particularly when it comes to marketing. We sometimes run into challenges trying to merge our ideas and different perspectives, however in the end we have a mutual trust and respect for each other as both family and business partners.

Website: www.royalvroom.com

Instagram: royalvroomllc

Facebook: Royal V Room

Image Credits
Photographer: Dionne Matthews