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GRAND BOULEVARD — CBQ Beauty Bar owner Nichole Doss wants to change the way people think about their face.
The spa at 4458 S. Cottage Grove Ave. opened in early June as 4400 Grove’s newest tenant. It specializes in “express facials,” using hydro facial machines to clean and revitalize people’s skin and improve their circulation.
“Think of it as a car wash for your face. If you have an event and you don’t want to spend an entire day at a spa, you come in and get your face washed, buffed and shined and ready to go,” said Doss, who has been making customers glow for nearly 30 years.
Credit: Jamie Nesbitt Golden/Block Club ChicagoDoss had been working a block from what is now the 4400 Grove development for more than a decade when Quad Communities Development Corporation’s Rhonda McFarland offered her the chance to move into a store there. The spa joins Haji Healing Salon and the recently opened Bronzeville Winery in the highly anticipated housing development.
Trying to move in the middle of a pandemic was stressful for Doss, but with Quad Communities’ help — and that of neighboring business owners — she was able to weather the storm.
“All of our projects were pushed back, so it was great to be able to meet monthly and talk about all the things we were going through and share knowledge that could help the next person. As a collective, it made us resilient,” she said.
The delay allowed the West Side native to fine-tune her vision for the space, one she designed on her own, from the logo that adorns the wall to the “selfie station,” where clients can take Instagram-ready shots of themselves against a pink flower wall with a neon green crown.
Credit: Jamie Nesbitt Golden/Block Club ChicagoDoss credits her late mother, a cosmetologist and fashionista, for inspiring her career path.
“My spa is called Chicago Beautiful Queens because I want everyone to feel like a queen. Everyone should feel beautiful. Before that, it was Chicago Brow Queen because that’s where I started, with offering brow services. … But when I began to expand my services it made sense to rebrand as CBQ,” Doss said.
Clients can come in for a basic “skin type” face wash for $85 or go for a more detailed wash with added services, including extractions or low grade-chemical peels, for $125. Waxing, makeup and lash services are also on the menu, with brow waxes starting at $25.
Doss also launched her own line of skincare products to help customers maintain their skin at home, offering facial mists, acne oils, eczema treatments, shower steamers and body bars with all-natural ingredients. Most popular among clients is her Lavender Facial Martini, a paraben-free skin moisturizer. Products start at $10.
CBQ Beauty Bar is open by appointment only. For booking information, visit its website.
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