The beautiful Va Va Voom boutique on Broadway is the stuff of which happiness is made. Yes, it carries a pretty assortment of woman- and couple-friendly lingerie that playfully encourages women to indulge their inner pin-up. It also carries leg wear, shoes, signature vintage collections, a semi-private room where customers browse a selection of sexual and relationship aids, and two photography studios designed for professional portraiture.

What is not immediately apparent, however, is Va Va Voom’s value as a community resource. Owner Lisa Zeimer recalls a local therapist saying it best by remarking that Va Va Voom is “the best thing that’s happened to marriage in Asheville.”

Lisa sits in an antique, upholstered chair in the spacious and elegant vintage room. Such a setting is possible in the establishment’s new location. Va Va Voom moved recently from its previous Battery Park locale. Large, warehouse-style windows funnel winter light into the space, illuminating garments and the “boudoir” photo set, composed of a wrought-iron bed dressed with a sumptuous ivory spread.

Manager Bryan Kirk sits on the bed and describes how a boudoir photo shoot works. A customer works with a professional photographer for at least an hour and receives 25 percent off of the store’s lingerie. The customer selects his or her outfit, hair, and makeup styling, and collaborates in producing the desired images. People have taken advantage of this extremely popular opportunity to acquire professional portraits that showcase them at their most alluring.

Lisa’s passion for helping women experience their own beauty is apparent as she glances at the boudoir set, declaring, “Any woman— her body is beautiful . . . any size, any shape, you’re beautiful.” This is why she makes sure to carry a large range of sizes, from very small to 4x. Lisa’s passion is also why she got into this business.

As she recounts the cultural and sexual freedoms prominent in California’s Bay area where she grew up, she describes a background many women can identify with, a desire to feel free, sexual, and beautiful despite the personal and cultural struggles she encountered as a woman in American society. More than anything, Lisa wants to “counterbalance the shaming that goes on in this culture” in a safe, fun, and playful way.

As Lisa and Bryan describe their typical customers, it is readily obvious that they are describing, well, everyone. Unmarried and married couples, single folks, people of many ages, genders, races, and sexual persuasions— they all enter the door with questions, problems, and situations that reflect their individual diversity and needs. For this reason, Lisa and Bryan have found that classes can be beneficial in addressing sexuality education.

They organize classes at their store, bringing in both international and local experts. Popular classes include a class by Sherri Winston, an internationally published author who addresses many aspects of female sexuality. Other classes include topics such as yogic breathing, sex for seniors, and using sexual aids safely and effectively. Lisa also organizes intimacy and relationship classes, some of which are designed to help women recognize what Lisa calls “love frauds.”

Love frauds are dangerous people that prey upon a woman’s need to be loved, yet there are often early warning signs. Empowering women to recognize these signs can prevent a lot of heartache and bad decision-making. This material is based on the work of Sandra Brown, an internationally known expert in the field of relationship safety and setting healthy boundaries.

With Valentine’s Day lurking, you should know that Va Va Voom offers a lovely setting stocked with delightful items that help people feel wonderful. More importantly, however, Va Va Voom makes love and beauty accessible to all women every day of the year, helping to ensure that a woman’s greatest love affair is with herself.

Va Va Voom is located at 57 Broadway Street in downtown Asheville. It is open seven days a week. For more information call 828.254.6329 or visit vavavooom.com.