Beauty spa opening in Naperville uses only nontoxic chemicals

Despite enjoying her work as a nail technician, Jenny Duranski said the chemicals she was using were starting to make her sick. She knew she needed to make a change, and opened an eco-friendly spa in Chicago focused on green beauty supplies with nontoxic ingredients.

She is now expanding that mission to Naperville, her hometown, opening a second Lena Rose Beauty spa, named after her 9-year-old daughter.

The Naperville Central High School graduate said the spa sells sustainable, nontoxic products and offers manicures, pedicures, massages, facials and other services.

Her first natural beauty spa, Noktivo, opened in 2013. She later closed that business to open the first Lena Rose in 2016 in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood.

The Lena Rose Beauty spa will open Sept. 7 in the downtown Naperville location formerly occupied by Lauren Rae Jewelry Boutique. (Jenny Duranski)

The Naperville spa, located at 14 Jackson Ave., replaces Lauren Rae Jewelry Boutique and will hold a soft opening at 10 a.m. Sept. 7 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. She said it was always her dream to return to Naperville, where she now lives, and start a spa.

Starting as a nail technician at 19, she was continuously getting sick and didn’t want to have to choose between her health and her career, she said.

“I was getting rashes, headaches and contact dermatitis, and all the fumes and smells just wasn’t a great environment for me,” Duranski said. “I started on this very long journey about what we’re exposed to as nail technicians and the products we work with.”

She wants to leave the beauty industry in a better place than she found it, she said, especially given that nail technicians have high rates of birth defects and are commonly underpaid and overworked.

“We are trying to be the change we want to see in the industry,” Duranski said. “Our spa smells different, it feels different, the vibe is different and I love that.”

During the pandemic, she focused on creating a full retail line of products that she then sold and shipped to help the company survive. While she always knew she wanted to create her own line, it quickly became a priority when her spa was suddenly shut down.

Now, she is excited to bring new offerings to the suburbs, a place where she hasn’t seen much movement in the eco-friendly spa industry. The more she learns about ingredients, the more passionate she has become about moving toward more sustainable products, she said.

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