Before owning her business, Jana Fedorova practiced skin-care therapy in the big salons in Washington, D.C., but it never felt quite right. Too big, too rushed -- too much. "It's my belief, keep it small, keep it personal," said Fedorova. "Instead of offering too much - offer a few services of high quality."
Now this native of Slovakia has opened Jana Skin Care, right out of her home in Sterling - where she offers the sort of intimate setting common in her eastern European home.
Educated in Europe, Fedorova's impulse to move west germinated with the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
"Once the borders opened up, all the young people began to travel," she said.
And what Fedorova saw on her journeys opened her eyes. In socialist Slovakia (formally part of Czechoslovakia), you couldn't own your own business and options were limited. In the west, the opportunities seemed endless.
Though she misses her family and friends, her skill as a skin-care therapist has garnered her a loyal clientele and a successful business after only a month on her own.
"In this business it's all about word of mouth," she said. She began taking clients on her birthday, April 13.
Fedorova offers facials, peels and waxing for clients any day of the week, by appointment only. She is also a makeup artist, and has trained in permanent makeup application. She even makes house calls. Brides who don't want to rush around town on their big day will have Fedorova come to them.
She is also available for home spa parties - a perfect idea for a bridal shower or just an ordinary night with the girls.
Fedorova finds that some women feel more comfortable in a party setting, if they have never had treatments before. They can watch their friends get facials, so they know what to expect.
So Fedorova packs up her materials and a fold-up table and heads out to Loudoun homes.
Through her home-based business, Fedorova has brought a piece of her native land to Northern Virginia. In Slovakia, as in most of Europe, facials and other spa treatments are part of the culture, as common as getting a hair cut.
In America, she said, spas are so trendy, they have become big business. Prices are high, and quality is sacrificed for superficial amenities, like elaborate fountains and fancy reception areas.
The services at Jana Skin Care are reasonably priced, far less than at the average salon. With lower prices, Fedorova hopes her clients will come to her when they need a facial, not when they can afford one.
"Jana's prices are so reasonable that I don't waste my money in the spas any more. Now I can finally get a facial every month and waxing when I need it," said customer Elba Searfoss, who travels from Fairfax County for Fedorova's services.
But the massive trend in the U.S. isn't a bad thing, said Fedorova. It means people are starting to take better care of themselves.
"It's good that there are more and more skin-care places -- people have variety."
Fedorova uses top-of-the-line products for her clients, including DDF, Dermalogica and Germaine de Capuccini.
"I like to use the best," she said. "That's what the clients want."
