LOCKPORT: Family opening a medical spa downtown

Business

Related Photos

Albert T. McCracken jr

October 8, 2007

By Joyce Miles/milesj@gnnewspaper.com The Lockport Union-Sun %26 Journal Mon Oct 08, 2007, 01:16 PM EDT

They’re a doctor and a nurse, husband and wife and, now, business partners.

Lockport physician Dr. Richard Junke and Suzanne Junke, a registered nurse with a lengthy career at Lockport Memorial Hospital, are opening Rejuvenere Medical Spa next month at Ulrich City Centre.

The spa, in the works for over a year, is a family business anchored in reputation and roots.

“People trust Rich. I think we’ll do well just because of that,” Suzanne Junke said.

Dr. Junke has practiced family medicine for 16 years. Suzanne is equally familiar in local health care, having worked at LMH for more than 25 years in the emergency room and the surgical recovery room.

The Junkes both lived and worked in Lockport all their lives and say they’re excited to be new-business pioneers in the “new” downtown, especially since two of their four daughters will be joining them.

Suzanne will be the business administrator, daughter Maureen will be the receptionist and daughter Erin may take her first nursing job at Rejuvenere after she receives her degree.

“The family is coming together to work on this. It’s fun,” Richard Junke said.

Rejuvenere Medical Spa will specialize in skin rejuvenation services that Junke has been offering for several years in his High Street office, including: Botox Cosmetic and dermal filler injections; treatment of acne and precancerous skin conditions; and laser hair removal. Williamsville-based plastic surgeon Dr. Bruce Cusenz will work from the spa once a week.

Typical day spa features such as facials, massage therapy and skin care products will be offered, but the greater emphasis is on medical needs, Junke said.

Light/laser treatments and injected substances like Botox and Juvederm are considered safer, less invasive alternatives to plastic surgery, but they still require medical supervision — and that’s where he comes in. Junke plans to work a couple days a week at the spa while maintaining his practice unchanged.

“I love medicine too much to give it up,” he said. “I love my patients too much.”

It is, in fact, his patients who inspired Junke to open the medical spa, he said.

Junke has long had a clinical interest in skin health. When he was a doctor-in-training and the time came to pick a specialty, he thought about becoming a plastic surgeon, but he didn’t want to ask his growing family to bear seven years of required residency. For them, he chose family medicine, which had a shorter residency, instead.

Along the way, Junke found he could still help people solve common skin problems — acne, sun damage, effects of aging, etc. — just by being their regular doctor.

Medical treatment of acne, for instance, has patients “finding their faces look better than they have in years,” Junke said. Pre-cancerous skin conditions — brown spots, red spots or raised veins — can be eliminated with intense pulse light (IPL) therapy that also is cosmetically pleasing because it doesn’t leave scars.

With IPL, he said, “We’re getting amazing results, better than I’ve seen in 16 years of practice.”

The number of referrals he’s made to out-of-town specialists got him thinking about a need for services at home, Junke said. He admits he hasn’t done any market studies to gauge Rejuvenere’s chances for success; he’s just going on general observations about a growing industry and trusting his concept will work.

“I think my patients asking me (for referrals) is some evidence of demand. They know what I’m doing and they’re very excited to know they can stay in Lockport. They’re comfortable knowing me,” he said.

Rejuvenere appears to be entering the market intent on serving a clientele bigger than Junke’s Lockport base alone, though. Junke recently acquired a Lumenis IPL and Laser machine, which he calls the “Cadillac” of its type and says is the only one in operation in Western New York.

“It kind of separates me from the rest of the market,” Junke said. “It allows me to provide my patients the best treatments that I can.”

Junke has received some training from Dr. Mark Youssef of Santa Monica, Calif., a nationally renowned cosmetic surgeon. Youssef may be coming here in mid-October to provide advanced training to a multi-state group of cosmetic specialists, Junke said.

“It’s kind of like Dr. 90210 right here in Lockport,” he joked. “It’s neat.”

Rejuvenere is set to open Nov. 6 at 80 Main St., Suite 1 (next door to YWCA Fitness Center). A grand opening celebration is planned for Nov. 10. For more information or an appointment, call 433-0086.

Contact reporter Joyce Miles at 439-9222, ext. 6245.

Text Only

Business

Unpaid billions
A growing chorus of bricks-and-mortar small businesses are protesting what they see as tax law inequities driving them to the brink by requiring they collect and remit sales taxes while their electronic counterparts prosper through tax-free goods and services.

October 24, 2011 4 Photos 2 Stories 1 Video 1 Link
Hoagie Brothers is back at Taste
Hoagie Brothers has some faithful followers. And the restaurant is hoping to see some of those followers on Sunday.
Duane and Sharon Behm of Lockport say they stop by the South Transit Road submarine and pizza shop frequently. They conservatively estimate about 10 trips a week to Hoagie Bros., not including the times they stop by with visitors. The Behms like to tell as many as possible to come by for a bite.
“We tell people all the time,” Duane said. “It’s excellent, the best subs.”

August 19, 2011
Good Karma
There’s a lot of good stuff at Cafe Karma, a new specialty sandwich and coffee shop now open on Main Street.
Located at 21 Main St. in the Lockview Plaza, the shop was formerly The Daily Grind, a coffee shop that had been there since it opened in 2006. Co-owners John Verbocy and Dennis Farley opened Cafe Karma about three weeks ago. So far the response has been good.
“It has been amazing,” Farley, a Newfane native, said.

March 4, 2011 1 Photo
Duffy headlining annual Chamber of Commerce gala
New York State Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy will be the keynote speaker at the Niagara USA Chamber of Commerce’s annual Honors dinner next week.

February 18, 2011
Local businesses get ready for Super Bowl
Last year’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints was the most-watched television program in history. This year there is increased local interest in Super Bowl XLV, thanks to Niagara Falls native and Green Bay running back James Starks and Lockport native and Steelers offensive line coach Sean Kugler. Add that together with Green Bay being the last seeded team from the NFC and the off-the-field activities of Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, and today’s game means a lot of people are going to be watching.

February 6, 2011
First Niagara reports record earnings
A big year finished with a big surge in profits for First Niagara.
The bank brought in $140.4 million in reported net income for the year, much higher than the $79.4 million in 2009, according to the company fourth quarter and year end results released Thursday. For the fourth quarter of 2010 First Niagara reported an income of $45.9 million, up from the $28.9 million reported a year ago.

January 28, 2011
Scirto Jewelers celebrates 65 years in Lockport
Bill Scirto has been in the jewelry business a long time.
His business, Scirto Jewelers celebrated a milestone last week, its 65th anniversary. The Main Street store has been in the same location since it opened Dec. 8, 1945.
"We’re still here,” Scirto, 80, said. “We still do our own repairs, our own diamond setting, clock and watch repair.”

December 13, 2010 1 Photo
First Niagara Risk Management expands in Pennsylvania
First Niagara continues to expand as its insurance subsidiary adding another firm from Pennsylvania.
First Niagara Financial Group, Inc.’s insurance subsidiary, First Niagara Risk Management, announced Wednesday it had purchased Banyan Consulting of Pittsburgh and Mechanicsburg, Pa. Banyan provides risk management, employee benefits consulting and investment services.

December 2, 2010
AES Somerset back online
AES Somerset went back on line Tuesday after the coal-burning power plant on Lake Road was down 24 days.
“The plant is in start-up today,” Plant General Manager Peter Bajc said. “During the time we were down, the Somerset people remained on the job.”

December 1, 2010
Tops reports 39 percent increase in sales
Tops Markets saw a 39 percent increase in net sales during the third quarter of 2010, the company reported Tuesday. And that success is due in large part to Tops’ purchase of 55 former Penn Traffic stores.

November 24, 2010
More Business Headlines

Business

Search Results

Related Photos

LOCKPORT: Family opening a medical spa downtown

Site Map

Contact Us