Dragana and Ema are living their American dream: Their “De LaVie Day Spa” is in the TOP 5 spas in Chicago

Dragana Šifer was born in Smederevo, where she also finished high school. After that, she continued her education at the Higher Business School in Belgrade, and then moved and enrolled in the Faculty of Economics in Kragujevac. Sometime in her third year of studies, Dragana realized that she wanted to travel and meet new people and decided to move to America. In this, like many students, she was helped by the Au Pair program, for which she applied full of hope and a desire for something new, and where she was granted a one-year visa.

After finishing dermatology school in Chicago and gaining years of work experience, Dragana and her friend Emma achieved their American Dream by opening their own spa center, “De LaVie Day Spa,” in Chicago. This day spa and beauty salon will provide you with complete enjoyment through numerous facial treatments, various body massages, pedicures, and manicures. At “De LaVie Day Spa,” you will find numerous face and body treatments that will make you feel satisfied, relaxed, and pampered.

Dragana, how long have you been in America, and how did you decide to move to another continent?

I have been living in America since 2005, which means 17 years. I decided on that after everything that happened in our country, from the bombing to the global economic crisis which hit our developing country quite hard. That was a very difficult period for us young people, especially for finding a job. I had had enough of everything, I wanted a chance for a better life, and that is why I decided to move to America. Since I was a third-year student at the Faculty of Economics in Kragujevac, I applied for the Au Pair program for childcare and an additional year of English language school. I was lucky and my visa was approved.

What did your beginnings in America look like?

When I came to America, I spent my first year in Minneapolis with the family whose children I was nannying. After that, I moved to Chicago where I met my now ex-husband. I liked Chicago and decided to finish school there. Since my studies were going well, I managed to get a student loan and graduate from dermatology school. All in all, it wasn't bad, even though it's always hard to go so far away from family, friends, and people you know, but in Chicago, too, she very quickly met wonderful people and made new friendships.

Did you open your spa center “De LaVie Day Spa”? Where did the idea for that business come from?

When I went to school here in 2008, I studied with Emilija Ćalasan, who is also from Smederevo and is a good friend of mine. We shared the same interests and ever since our student days, we had dreamed of opening our own beauty salon together. After 10 years of work and effort, 3 years ago we finally succeeded. Together we opened the “De LaVie Day Spa” beauty and care salon in Chicago at the address 3120 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago, IL.

What services does your spa center include?

We offer all types of facial treatments, which include acids, microneedling, hair removal, body treatments, cellular treatments, and maderotherapy. We do nails and all types of massages., deep tissue relax, cupping, hot stones. In our team, there is also a doctor who specializes in botox and hyaluronic fillers, which many of our women use. With our massages, you will relax your body or eliminate excess fat and cellulite; with our numerous facial treatments, you will look more beautiful, radiant, and younger, and you will feel better. That is precisely our goal: for people, after the time spent in our small spa center, to leave smiling and satisfied.

Are spa center users exclusively women or are there men as well?

In most cases, these are women, because they often take better care of themselves. However, a lot of men also come to us for facial treatments, body treatments, nail care, and massages. For them, we also have the “Gentleman Facial” and “Gentleman Manicure and Pedicure” treatments. Quite a few young girls who are just learning how to properly care for their skin before certain problems arise also come to us. So, men and women of various ages come to our spa center, and we are happy that we can find a solution and provide the appropriate service for everyone.

Which services in your spa center are most in demand among our women, and which ones among American women?

Our women come in more for face and body treatments, most commonly requested are Deep Pore Cleansing, classical facial cleansing. They take better care of themselves, and regardless of money, they will always use a good cream and good facial products because they are aware of how important skincare is. As for American women, it is a bit different; they tend to wait for a skin problem to occur and only then solve it. As for services, American women most frequently come for nail treatments. Every treatment of ours is adaptable to the client, and after each treatment, we give advice and an opinion on how and with which product you should care for your skin, it all depends on the case.

What are your future plans?

Given that we have been through the worst, having gone through the entire Covid-19 pandemic period and managed to come out stronger and keep our business afloat even after that, we are very satisfied with the direction our business is taking. Despite all the aforementioned problems due to the pandemic, which included numerous restrictions, when we started working again after some time, we managed to be among the top five spa centers in Chicago by Time Out. We are grateful for everything we have, and if the opportunity arises, we are thinking about expanding our business or even opening a new salon.

Dragana and Ema, along with the rest of their team at their spa center “De LaVie Day Spa” in Chicago, will make sure to provide you with a unique spa experience. If you want to get some of the highest quality facial treatments, do your nails, or relax with a body massage, book your appointment at “De LaVie Day Spa” and indulge in pure enjoyment. For more information and contact numbers, visit their website or Instagram profile.

WRITTEN BY: MARINA VUČKOVIĆ AND PHOTO: PRIVATE ARCHIVE