Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Gabriella Gonzalez.
Hi Victoria Gabriella, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m Victoria Gabriella, owner and Spa Director of Moon & Vine Spa in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. I’m also a mother of two, an herbalist, esthetician, spa therapist, educator and entrepreneur, but I’ve always considered myself an artist first. I simply work with a unique medium: the human body.
With every treatment, I envision the skin and body as a painting, sculpture or musical instrument. Through intentional touch, plant-based ingredients and close attention to detail, I layer nutrients, release restrictions, restore balance, and create meaningful change for the skin, body, and mind.
I entered the spa industry in 2009 after graduating from the Aveda Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. My original plan was to add esthetics to my background in makeup artistry, photography and graphic design. I imagined becoming a celebrity makeup artist and photographer, but once I discovered skincare, massage and whole-body wellness, I never looked back!
Today, I love helping guests achieve healthy, radiant, “no-makeup-needed” skin while creating space for the body to soften, release tension and reconnect. After so many years of hands-on work, I’m also finding a new passion in teaching my craft to our growing team and to local students pursuing holistic spa careers. My greatest strengths have always been noticing the smallest details and creating experiences that keep guests returning and those are gifts I’m proud to pass on to the next generation of spa therapists.
Moon & Vine began during a deeply reflective chapter of my life. After experiencing a stroke in 2021 and losing my job during the pandemic, I realized I had spent years dreaming of owning a business without taking meaningful steps toward it. In 2022, with no mentor, no roadmap and very limited resources, I took the leap and built Moon & Vine from the ground up.
What began as a small dream has blossomed much like our wild cottage garden, organically, beautifully and with an incredible community growing around it. Being trusted so deeply by our guests is one of the greatest honors of my career.
Now, I’m entering a season of intentional growth and simplicity. I plan to continue caring for my longtime clients, creating our handcrafted products, sharing our recipes and knowledge, expanding our offerings and helping our talented team build thriving careers of their own all while making more much deserved time for my family.
I couldn’t be prouder of how far I’ve come, how Moon & Vine has blossomed or the warm and wonderful team now helping this dream grow into something even bigger.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been an easy road, but it has been worth it. I believe that very little in life worth having comes easily.
Building Moon & Vine has included plenty of tears, fears, sleepless nights and sadly, more time away from my children than I ever would have liked. I invested everything I had into opening the business without a spa specific mentor or roadmap and it simply had to work. Failure was never an option and learning to give myself grace came later, but entrepreneurship requires constant learning, self-reflection, breathwork and discipline and often alongside the anxiety of keeping far too many plates spinning at once.
Naturally, as soon as I felt I had a slight grasp on everything, I expanded from one tiny solo cottage into a five-room spa including our original cottage. It was an exciting leap and a much larger undertaking than I could have imagined.
One of my earliest challenges came during my very first month in business in 2022, when Moon & Vine had not yet earned enough to cover the rent. I felt deeply embarrassed and ashamed to ask my family for help. Looking back now, I see that moment much more fondly. It was humbling, but it became an important reminder that needing support while building something new is not the same as failing. Thankfully, it never happened again.
Our greatest challenge since expanding has been learning how to manage rapid growth. At first, I couldn’t afford a receptionist and almost overnight we were receiving more inquiries than I could personally keep up with. Guests were reaching out through social media messages, emails, texts, phone calls and website forms. Delayed responses sometimes left people confused or frustrated, while I became increasingly overwhelmed trying to be available everywhere at once.
Eventually, I realized that growing well required more than working harder, it required stronger systems and healthier boundaries. We introduced automated communication, simplified our booking process and made online scheduling the primary way to reserve appointments.
Today, Moon & Vine has grown into an intimate little neighborhood spa that feels almost like a hidden retreat. We work by appointment only and because each provider has an individual schedule, guests often feel as though they have the space entirely to themselves. While we may not always be the easiest spa to book at the last minute, that slower, more intentional atmosphere has become part of what makes the experience so special.
We are still learning and refining as we grow, but we’ve discovered that boundaries do not take away from hospitality and allow us to care for our guests, our team and ourselves much more thoughtfully.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m the Founder, Spa Director and visionary behind Moon & Vine Spa Co. I merged my passions for herbalism, esthetics, massage therapy and old-world apothecary traditions into a unique wellness destination focused self-care ritual treatments. In our little spa apothecary, I formulate our signature botanical oils, potions and treatment rituals, designing them so that every detail feels intentional, immersive and truly magical.
Beyond the treatment room, I mentor future beauty professionals, guest teach at local esthetics schools and am expanding Moon & Vine into an educational space with herbal workshops, esthetics courses and immersive community experiences this fall!
Guests often tell us that stepping into Moon & Vine feels like walking into Practical Magic (which admittedly, is one of my favorite compliments!) What began as a vision has grown into a space where beauty, wellness, nature and a little wonder all coexist.
I’m honestly most proud of showing that a bold creative vision can really become a thriving business that inspires curiosity, connection and a little everyday magic.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
While I’m so very fortunate to have my closest friend and her family as successful business owners whenever I have questions or need venting. I did personally have to seek my own education and mentorship through books, online business owners with reputable channels and online threads & groups where I could ask questions. I had also spent most of my life being a nerd for all things business, knowing I’d open one and I had felt I was prepared to take the leap when I did. It wasn’t my first venture, just my largest, craziest one, (and the one that worked out best) but you never truly understand until jumping in head first and it certainly came with some great & not so great surprises along the way. No better way to learn than taking a leap though, right? but I do wish I had a mentor in the field and would highly recommend that route if its an option to you starting out. Now where to find one is honestly a struggle I also face, however I do find the guests I treat often teach me the most and have become a huge part of my networking and learning through the years.
Pricing:
- Signature Moon & Vine Facial $106
- Signature Moon & Vine Relaxation Massage $109
- Head in the Clouds Headspa Ritual $130
- Full Moon Phase Ritual Package $299
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Moonandvine.glossgenius.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moonandvinebluebell/
