Ara’kai Beauty is a skincare and beauty space in Copenhagen with a focus on nourishing treatments and carefully curated skincare and beauty brands. "The brands chosen are based on their efficacy, environmental footprint and aesthetics. Sustainability is an important part of Ara'kai Beauty and we apply the same high standards to ourselves as the artisans we work with. Knowledge about beauty and skincare is what we look for in our partners, who all have a good story behind their brands - and like DAMDAM, a more thorough and slow approach to craftsmanship and production is fundamental to clean beauty," says founder Heydi Vásquez.
The lovechild of Heydi, Ara'kai is a space aligning high quality, aesthetics, self-care practice and mindfulness. "Ara´kai grew out of my personal desire for beauty products that were more exciting then what I could find locally. I was surprised there was not one single destination offering more authentic international brands here, so I immediately felt the urge to raise the bar in terms of the clean beauty offering in the city."
"Our four mantras Nature, Rituals, Balance, Radiance are the foundation of Ara´kai Beauty, which reflects our desire to inspire and cultivate a feeling of wholeness and inner harmony. I have worked in close collaboration with Creative Consultant Barbara Hvidt, to create a more modern beauty universe where the senses & mind are stimulated the moment you enter the space. The interior & furniture design has been custom made by Nikolaj Lorentz Mentze from Studio 0405 who has perfectly captured this vision."
"Ara´kai is formed out of two Taino words. Tainos were the indigenous people of the Dominican Republic & the Caribbean where I come from. Ara = people, Kai= nourishment. The aim is to nourish people into wellbeing through simple acts of self-care, whether it be by beauty rituals with Ara´kai Beauty or yoga and meditation via Ara´kai Yoga Retreats. I wanted to offer a holistic approach to honouring oneself."
"My favorite self-care ritual is soaking in the bathtub for 20 minutes with Epsom salts to unwind and detoxify the body. It is my gateway to escapism. A place to gather my thoughts, a great space for contemplation. Once a week I apply DAMDAM Skin Mud mask during my soak."
"I think the pandemic has made people more anxious of what lies ahead and how they fit in, while also being made a lot more aware of the important things in life. Many people start looking inward to find comfort and balance in chaotic times. Taking time to come back to yourself, nourish the soul, mind and body. They have also become more focused on a sustainable life and planet. I am happy to be able to provide a little sanctuary where people can cultivate that sense of connection to themselves while encouraging a more sustainable self-care practice."
