Mother, daughter open spa, salon

Residents of Tenth & College Apartments don't have to go far to get primped and pampered. \nAlong with a grocery store and restaurant, which are still being finished, this downtown apartment complex also features a salon and day spa. \nLes Champs Elysees Salon and Day Spa, named after the Magnificent Mile of Paris, opened its doors Sept. 28 under the direction of a mother and daughter from Seymour, Ind. Margarete Disque is the owner and massage therapist, while her mother, Donna Disque, is the general manager who has a background in marketing. \n"We combined her 25 years of experience in the marketing business with my experience in the salon setting," Margarete Disque said.\nIt is a full-service salon offering haircuts, manicures, pedicures, skin treatments and massages, but its main focus is in the Aveda products it carries. Les Champs Elysees is the only salon in Bloomington offering the full line of Aveda products. \n"I'd used Aveda for 10 years but found that Bloomington was very limited on places to get it," Margarete Disque said. "You have to offer what people want."\nFirst-year IU medical student and Tenth & College resident Corey Johnston said she would go to Les Champs Elysees for Aveda products but would still go to Mondo Delgado for salon care because she had gone there in the past. \nJo Ratkovich, owner of Mondo Delgado, said she is not worried about the increased competition. Her salon and spa has been at its current location downtown for the past five years and in Bloomington for more than 30 years. \n"People feel good when they come here," Ratkovich said. "They don't feel like a number."\nIn January 2003, Mondo Delgado was named one of "200 of America's Fastest Growing Salons" in Salon Today. It plans on continuing to expand by adding acupuncture, yoga and reike to its list of services. \nSpas have brought their expertise off the massage table and into the lives of Bloomington residents.\nLes Champs Elysees' employees gave complimentary haircuts and massages to 34 women and children from the Middle Way House Oct. 5. \n"They were thrilled," Margarete Disque said. "(Having a spa) is not just about the money; it's giving back to the people, making them feel better about themselves." \nMondo Delgado also helps beautify Bloomington Music Works, a collaboration of Bloomington residents and students performing in theatrical productions, by doing their hair free of charge. \nAlthough regular services are not free, both spas also offer discounts for students. For its first month of business, Les Champs Elysees is providing 10 percent off. Mondo Delgado is offering a 10 percent discount on all services and products for students.\n"There's a pampering and necessity side to it," said Sandra Wilson, marketing director for Mondo Delgado. \nWhile both spas' major clientele is women, spas are not just for women anymore.\nEach spa agrees its services are being used more by men wanting to look more professional and clean cut, getting manicures and waxing unwanted body hair.\nBoth salons are easily accessible by students and residents and are open seven days a week. \nMargarete Disque said she chose to put her salon in Tenth & College apartments because of convenience for students and its prime downtown location. \nJohnston agrees.\n"There's a built-in clientele for businesses," she said.\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsey Hubbard at lnhubbar@indiana.edu