May 23, 2023 4:02 PM

Coming back stronger

Posted May 23, 2023 4:02 PM
<b>Esthetician Kelli Harman performs a facial on a customer on Tuesday, May 16 at De Luxe Aesthetics, which will reopen in early June under a new name — Mission Medical Spa. Photo/Anthony DeWitt</b>
Esthetician Kelli Harman performs a facial on a customer on Tuesday, May 16 at De Luxe Aesthetics, which will reopen in early June under a new name — Mission Medical Spa. Photo/Anthony DeWitt

By William Smith

Jessi Mynatt won an award for something she hoped she would never have to do.

Mynatt was awarded the Greater Burlington Partnership Resiliency Award for restarting her business, De Luxe Aesthetics, from the ground up. When she purchased the business in the summer of 2022, Mynatt planned on changing the name and expanding the services offered by the medical spa.

But a fluke fire in October shut down the business and inflicted about $100,000 in damage a few months after Mynatt took over. At times, she feared she would not be able to reopen the doors.

“My biggest focus has been my staff and making sure they still have a place to work in the interim,” she said. “So we’ve been doing as much as we can to keep them going so that they don’t have to go find another opportunity, and they’re still able to take care of their families.”

It has been nine months of stress and hard work rolled into a ball of uncertainty. But Mynatt has made it work. De Luxe is already back in business on a limited basis, and when the doors fully reopen in early June, they’ll be back up to regular capacity.

“Our mission is to serve the skincare and wellness of people throughout all phases of their life. The prior business focused on women before my ownership, and we decided to broaden it. Because both men and women, everybody, deserves to have an opportunity to have skincare and wellness,” Mynatt said.

Mynatt plans to rename the business Mission Medical Spa upon reopening, and a new sign will be installed.

“We can do laser services because we have the doctor on staff, we can do injectables, we do IV services. We can also do fillers, like cheek filler, lip fillers, stuff like that,” she said. 

“Additionally, we can do facial services so we have a HydraFacial machine. With our medical grade product lines, we can do medical grade skincare peels, too.”

Mynatt has been juggling three other businesses while getting De Luxe running again: 34 Raceway, Mosquito Joe’s, and a hair salon she has named Compass Hair Salon. In addition, she works as an engineering and drafting manager at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant in Middletown.

Mynatt said she wouldn’t be able to juggle so many responsibilities if she didn’t have people she trusted. Due to the timing of the fire near the holidays, the brunt of renovation work didn’t being until March of this year.

“There’s been some rough days. I mean, we all cried together, we stood together the whole time,” she said.

Mynatt does the marketing for all four businesses.

“That’s my passion and what I love to do,” she said.

Before the fire, TIGER-grant-related construction on Jefferson Street made it nearly impossible for Mynatt’s older customers to see her. That construction is no longer in front of Mynatt’s shop but it is blocking Jefferson Street a few blocks down.

“We are at least accessible now. People can get in here a little bit more easily and get back out. It’s kind of nice now to have a farmers market down here too. So we have that visibility,” she said.

Mynatt said she was very humbled to receive the Resiliency Award. 

Now her eyes are set on a new, better prize — the Greater Burlington Partnership’s Small Business of the Year award.

“We overcame all of the obstacles that we had, and we’re able to help make a positive community impact and get back in the game, and do great things,” Mynatt said.

<b>Jessi Mynatt, the owner of De Luxe Aesthetics — soon to be renamed Mission Medical Spa, and staff members are shown with the Resiliency Award given by the Greater Burlington Partnership.&nbsp; Photo submitted</b>
Jessi Mynatt, the owner of De Luxe Aesthetics — soon to be renamed Mission Medical Spa, and staff members are shown with the Resiliency Award given by the Greater Burlington Partnership.  Photo submitted