Salon owner Karen Benedek brings international flair to Maricopa

With her siblings in Peru, Karen Benedek was the wild one.

Creative, active and social, she was a stark contrast to her more serious and academically-inclined brother and sister.  

But despite her disinterest in school, Benedek’s highly successful entrepreneur father insisted she go to college for business – and she’s glad she did.

Today, the Maricopa resident is the thriving owner of K’Bella Salon and Day Spa and is proud to be following in her father’s footsteps.

“I grew up watching my dad, and I learned a lot from him,” Benedek says. “And if I have any trouble with my business, he is still the first person I call.”

In December, K’Bella Salon and Day Spa celebrated five years serving clients in Maricopa. With a staff of 10 and a full-service menu of offerings, the salon and spa allow Benedek to blend her love of aesthetics with her knowledge and training in business.  

“I love spending time with my clients,” says Benedek, who was trained in Peru and Argentina. “They feel pretty and beautiful and peaceful.”

The business is gearing up to offer even more to clients, including an organic hair care line and a reflexology therapist.

Hazel Mills has been a client of Benedek’s for more than three years and says there is no one else she would trust with the time-consuming task of attaching her eyelash extensions.

“I’d be terrified to go to anyone else,” Mills says.

Maricopa winter visitor Patty Johnson first learned about Benedek from her sister and decided to try out K’Bella Salon and Day Spa about two years ago.  

Johnson said she appreciates Benedek’s commitment to staying educated on the latest products and services. But the spa’s peaceful atmosphere and Benedek’s talent for providing incredible facials is what keeps Johnson coming back.

“She just starts working with you and you can see the magic she has there,” Johnson said.

Benedek loves to taking care of her clients, but she also remains committed to her family.

Benedek first moved to the United States to marry her husband. And although they are now divorced, they jointly care for their 9-year-old son Andy, for whom Benedek loves to cook.

Benedek also carves out time for almost daily talks with her family in Peru.

In fact, she and her siblings are all part-owners of their father’s internationally known commercial fishing ship manufacturing company in Peru and work together – even if from afar – to make decisions and plan for the future.

While Benedek says she deeply misses Peru, she also loves Maricopa, in part because it reminds her of the quaint rural community of Chimbote, where she grew up.

“I am dedicated to my city,” she says. “I’ve seen businesses open and close down through the years, and I’m still open.”

She adds: “I think a big part of it is that my community supports me, and I’m grateful for that.”

Benedek says she’s also grateful for her staff – some of whom are also single mothers and make sacrifices to come to work every day. She says she knows they all depend on her to make their living, and she takes that responsibility seriously.

“The great part is I feel good as a human being and as a business owner,” Benedek says.