Latina-owned spa helps Montebello residents feel beautiful

Mi Piel Med Spa is a proud Latina-owned business serving the Montebello community, created by long-term residents of the city, Genesis Duran and her mother, Veronica Duran.

Veronica is a nurse practitioner and her daughter Genesis is currently attending Cal State University of Los Angeles pursuing the same career path as her mother. Genesis never imagined she would one day work alongside her mother or help operate a business together. For more than ten years, Veronica worked as a nurse in a hospital, specifically in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Her mother first pitched the idea to her that she could start with aesthetic treatments and injectables. “My mom just kinda said to me that there's a fun thing that nurses do on the side and so I decided to take a couple of classes just out of curiosity and learn how to do injectables, and I really liked it,” Genesis said. “It turned out that I was really good at doing it.” As she started to get more involved in the aesthetic world, she then became fascinated with lasers.

For Genesis it was a great deal that her mother had already started the business because without her she wouldn't be able to do a lot of things independently. And as she is currently pursuing her Masters, her mother has been helping her a lot through this process. “After I graduate I can fully manage my business and she can focus on her own thing,” she said.

At Mi Piel Med Spa they offer treatments such as weight loss injections, wrinkle relaxers, dermal fillers, microneedling, laser hair removal, medical facials, skin tag removals and more. What started as a microneedling-only business for Genesis has evolved as she continued to learn and add new treatments. 

Today, her practice includes a growing range of services, including their newest addition, the Co2 laser, which helps resurface and rejuvenate the skin. Genesis shared that the majority of her customers come in for laser hair removal, sun damage treatments and those who are trying to reverse wrinkles due to fine lines or aging.

“Here in Montebello, we have a good handful of Armenian and Hispanic people that have saved a really long drive to Glendale and it's been one of those things that I like. People have been kind of finding out little by little where we are and who we are,” she said.

To Genesis, her patients are far more than just numbers. Over time, she has built meaningful relationships with them, getting to know each person on a personal level and fostering trust and connection.

Cameron Zehner is one of her long-term friends who she met at a former job. Now, she has become one of her loyal patients. “It's been really cool to see her grow and evolve over these past few years, so it's been great. She's actually treated me in the past and I've had great results too,” she said. “I do live in San Diego so I drive up here to Montebello. I guess it just shows my dedication and that I trust her. I feel like it's hard to find a good provider that can give you those good results and that you can trust wholeheartedly.”

Today, it’s common for people to pursue quick-learning cosmetology careers like hair, nails and facials to create extra income, often opening small businesses right from home. But for Genesis, it has always been important to emphasize the value of proper certifications and safe, medical-grade tools in this field.

In the early days, she even thought about transforming her garage into a workspace. Still, she hesitated, worried about the types of clients she might attract and the possibility of someone exposing her home address or jeopardizing her safety and business.

“I think it is better to go to a place where there's professionals compared to a home-based location. A second reason why people should consider that is for the cleanliness,” Genesis said. “There are standards when you're working with people's aesthetics. You wanna make sure everything is clean.You wanna make sure that you have hand sanitizers at every corner of the location and that most importantly,  it feels safe.” She also spoke on the importance of doing a permanent treatment and going somewhere that’s going to be held liable if something goes wrong.

At their spa their services go far beyond the self-care treatments. Many visit the spa because they're struggling with their weight journey, others come in because these are services that make them feel better about themselves.

“At Mi Piel Med Spa, we say honoring, empowering, and elevating the skin—and that truly tells our story,” Genesis said. She explained that perfect skin doesn’t exist and that our environment constantly challenges our bodies: “We all carry our own wounds as we move through life. We’re here to help you care for the things that show on the outside, but, even more, to help you feel empowered and in control of what’s happening on the inside, your mind, body and soul.”