About Lori Nova & The Nova Studio

After finishing grad school, I began making natural bath & body products in my kitchen in 2000 as a way to make family and friends homemade, practical gifts. Shortly thereafter (just after 9/11), I began teaching classes. It seemed only natural for me to combine my passion for my new hobby with my training and love for teaching. I have a Master's Degree in Speech Communication from the University of Hawaii (which has nothing to do with making bath & body products, but I always knew I would end up teaching in some capacity).

In September 2003, I opened The Nova Studio in historic downtown Point Richmond, CA (just 20 miles from San Francisco, and 10 miles from Berkeley). The Nova Studio features my soap, bath & body, and candle classes as well as classes taught by other visiting & local Bay Area teachers. My goal is to provide a creative space that encourages both students and teachers to find and share their passions with others in the community.

The Nova Studio offers the widest range of education to be found on making soap, candles and natural bath & body products. While some people take classes just for fun or to make natural gifts, the majority of our students are interested in making products to sell. The products that we teach people how to make include: Cold Process Soap, Hot Process Soap, Melt & Pour Soap, Transparent Soap, Liquid Soap, Large Production Big Batch Soapmaking, Lotions, Creams, Facial Creams, Face Serums, Facial Steams, Clay Masks, Mineral Makeup, Body Butters, Bath Salts, Body Scrubs, Lip Balm, Bath Melts, Solid Salt Scrubs, Sugar Scrubs, Fizzy Bath Bombs, Herbal Tub Tea, Washbags, Healing Balms & Salves, Herbal Extracts, Hydrosols, Massage Oils, Body Powders, Milk Baths, Natural Baby Products, Natural Perfumes, Natural Dog Products, Natural Cleaning Products, Eco-Friendly Candles and much more!

I am a proud member of The Handcrafted Soapmaker's Guild (the HSMG) and have taught at their annual conferences in 2007 (Hot Process Soap), 2008 (Cold Process Swirling) & 2009 (Coloring Soap with Confidence). I have also taught classes for The University of Hawaii at Manoa, Foothill De Anza (FHDA) Community College, The Learning Annex of San Francisco, Juniper Tree Soap & Candle Supply Store in Berkeley, The Native American Cultural Center & The Berkeley Ecology Center.

Thank you for visiting The Nova Studio website. Have a look around, click on the links to the left (like the "Press & Awards" or the "Class Photographs" pages), and also above to find out more about the studio, our teachers, and what we have to offer.

Stay tuned my friends, the best is yet to come!
~ Lori Nova :o)