Photo credit: Sebastien Thevenin / @seb.theve / @lumenandcolv
There is a certain kind of magic that happens when someone survives loss, survives a stroke, and then decides—against all reasonable odds—to open a store where the main event is making soap shaped like whatever you want. That's Rocco DeBenedictis, and that's Honey Vintage & Bath.
Tucked inside the Holsum Lofts at 231 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 140, right around the corner from Brooklyn's Best Pizza and a short stroll from the creative heartbeat of the Las Vegas Arts District, Honey Vintage & Bath is celebrating a grand re-opening on June 6, 2026, under new LGBTQIA+ ownership. DeBenedictis and his husband Craig Rosen are throwing the kind of party that makes a ribbon cutting feel like an understatement.
From Corporate Events to Good Clean Fun
Before soap, there was a career that would exhaust most people just hearing about it. DeBenedictis spent over a decade as a corporate event planner, orchestrating large-scale productions for clients pouring into Las Vegas from every corner of the world. Then came a moment that changed everything.
"I suffered a loss of a best friend and was recovering from a stroke," he says, candidly. "I just didn't really have the capabilities to deal with corporate America anymore. It was too much. I was burnt out."
He stepped back and leaned into something he'd been quietly nurturing on the side—vintage. He'd spent years helping a friend with her vintage business, maintained a booth at an antique mall, and eventually grew that into a second location. Then, last April, something unexpected happened: soap making workshops went viral on TikTok and Instagram.
The original owner of Honey Vintage & Bath, a soap maker named Tova who has been crafting specialty formulas for 15 years—including collections seen on the Strip—asked DeBenedictis for help managing the surge. He came in, reformulated the workshops, turned what had been an occasional open space into a fully functioning retail store, and helped build the business through a buzzy summer. By January 2026, he purchased the company outright.
"I just wanted to keep the core foundation of what it is, but add to it," he explains. "Taking all the things I've learned from my previous roles and putting it into the store."
A Hive for Everyone
Walk into Honey Vintage & Bath and the warmth hits you before the scent does. The space is a deliberately curated love letter to joy—handcrafted glycerin soaps in jewel-toned molds, bath bombs, shimmer body sprays, perfume rollers, candles made by a team member, lip balm ("purely selfish to have," DeBenedictis admits), vintage clothing that spans Y2K to actual decades-old finds, kitschy keychains, Rainbow Pride rubber ducks, and brands selected with a values filter that is non-negotiable.
"I only work with brands that match our values," he says during a virtual tour that veers delightfully from Caesars robes to feminist milk bath products. "I want stuff that can make people happy. It's like gifts for gays."
The decision to make Honey Vintage & Bath an explicitly LGBTQIA+ owned safe space is personal in the way that only lived experience makes things personal.
"I never had those spaces as a young child to go and feel completely comfortable in without judgment," DeBenedictis says. "I grew up in the Bay Area. My parents were born-again Christians. I always sounded gay. I had the gay voice. I always wanted to be around girls. I was a better dresser than most kids. I let my sister perm my hair—that didn't help anything."
He pauses, then turns serious: "In this time of turmoil, we really need to know where we can go to be safe. I'm putting myself out there. It can be scary, because when you do that, stuff happens. But I don't care anymore. I want to make sure that no one ever has to go through that pain."
Representation extends to every shelf in the store. DeBenedictis describes a small keychain—a little Black girl with her white girlfriend—and what it means to watch children pick it up and see themselves.
"Seeing little girls pick this up because it looks like them—that's really important," he says quietly. "That's why I choose brands that lift other people up."
The Workshop is the Point
While the retail side of Honey Vintage & Bath would be enough to justify a visit, the workshops are what put the business on the map—and what DeBenedictis believes is the future of brick-and-mortar retail.
"If it's not interactive, people aren't going to do it," he says. "Retail is super stagnant. If this was just a regular store, I probably wouldn't have purchased it."
The signature Make Your Own Soap workshop runs Wednesday through Sunday at 1, 2, 3, and 4 p.m. Participants choose their fragrance, color (reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, and yes, purple too), and eucalyptus-leaf glitter that washes off without leaving you permanently sparkly—unless you want that, in which case there are other products for the occasion. The glycerin-based soap is poured into molds, then cures for an hour while guests explore the Arts District. When they return, the soap pops out like a prank waiting to happen.
"I still get happy whenever they do that," DeBenedictis says of the reveal moment, "because it's just fun. It's fun to see adults get excited about stuff."
Beyond soap, the store has hosted a sold-out tea blending workshop with Rough Seeds Productions, a felted soap bar class with the Vegas Crochet Collective, and a rotating roster of guest educators from around the city. Birthday parties, bachelorettes, Girl Scouts, private events—if you need a space and a concept, DeBenedictis is ready to make it happen.
June 6: More Than a Ribbon Cutting
The grand re-opening kicks off at 11:30 a.m. with a welcome toast, followed by a ribbon cutting at noon—though DeBenedictis hints the ribbon will be something more symbolic than a standard satin strip. "It will be something very symbolic of things that we need to break the chains of as we go forward," he says. Daytime festivities run until 4 p.m. and include 20% off all purchases (excluding workshops), discounted Make Your Own Soap bookings made on opening day, goodie bags for the first 18 guests in line, mimosas, mid-day appetizers, fabulous entertainment, and raffle prizes with every purchase.
You'll also meet the family. DeBenedictis and Rosen are joined by their 16-year-old daughter in running the business, and opening day is a family affair in every sense.
"Know that we're a real family," he says. "We're doing this because we're here for the community."
Then the sun goes down.
Beginning at 6 p.m. (check-in at 5:30), the 21-and-over Drag Night takes over, hosted by the Faaabulous! Edie. Guests are guided through adult-shaped soap making (yes, really), leads trivia, performs, and adds new surprises to an already stacked evening. Tickets are $40 per person and available now at honeyvintageandbath.com.
Also premiering that night: the Decorate Your Cake Workshop—a brand-new interactive experience where guests decorate soap that looks exactly like cake, donuts, and assorted confections using tiny soapy fruits, flowers, and, because this is Honey Vintage & Bath, other shapes best left to your imagination. "You get to decorate your soaps," DeBenedictis says, barely containing excitement. "It's interactive, fun, a quick take-home, and then you have some champagne while doing it."
What Comes Next
DeBenedictis is already thinking past June 6. Stronger bachelorette programming is on the horizon for summer 2026. Community fundraising partnerships are a core pillar of the business model. Guest educator collaborations continue to expand. And Pride Month is, naturally, a season the store was built for—Pride soap, Pride ducks, Pride everything.
"I want QVegas readers to know that there's a fun, whimsical place in Las Vegas that they can come and do things that isn't a bar," he says. "A supportive environment, a family-run environment, where they know they'll find things that make them happy."
"We're a hive for all—a safe space for good clean fun."
Honey Vintage & Bath is open Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. The grand re-opening is June 6, 2026, at 231 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 140, Las Vegas, NV 89102. Free parking available. Drag Night tickets ($40, 21+) are on sale now at honeyvintageandbath.com.
Follow the store on Instagram at @honeyvintageandbath and on TikTok at @OhHoneyvintageandbath. Reach them by phone at (702) 592-2569 or by email at hello@honeyvintageandbath.com.