ABOUT US

A unique boutique aesthetic and wellness space helping our patients discover a better way to age gracefully.

THIS IS OUR STORY

Welcome to Arawan MedSpa + Wellness:

Where Every Day Feels Like Sunshine

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Arawan is Tagalog (the national language of the Philippines) for “daily.” However in the right context, it can also translate to “sunshine”.  The word beautifully represents our daily mission to spread sunshine and help those we care for to feel confident, vibrant, and radiant. Located in Buffalo Grove, IL, Arawan MedSpa + Wellness is a boutique destination for advanced aesthetic and wellness services, combining clinical excellence with a warm, personalized approach.

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From Humble Beginnings to a Shared Passion Project

Sunshine de la Cruz, RN, the heart behind Arawan, immigrated to the United States from the Philippines at age 11. She eventually transferred to Niles West High School in Skokie, IL as a sophomore, where she met Eric.

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Sunshine had a quiet crush on him, one she kept tucked away like a secret note. One day during lunch, she sat across from Eric at a large round table and playfully stretched her arms above her head to get his attention. In an effort to prevent Sunshine from embarrassing herself, Eric pointed out her sweaty underarms, encouraging her to bring her arms down. Eric felt gentlemanly for performing what he thought was a chivalrous act. But, Sunshine was very self-conscious about her underarms and the comment made her feel embarrassed so she avoided him for the rest of high school. They both graduated and went their separate ways. However, that comment stayed with Sunshine, making any situation involving her underarms one of her deepest insecurities.

After high school, Sunshine pursued nursing at a small college in Chicago. Eric studied finance and biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. They randomly reconnected two years after Eric returned from college and have been inseparable since.  Soon after Eric met Sunshine, he continued on to medical school at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.

While Eric pursued his medical studies, Sunshine continued working as an intensive care unit and emergency room nurse caring for the sickest patients. Meanwhile, Eric grew disheartened with the atmosphere in civilian medicine where fear of litigation seemed to overshadow patient care. Seeking a deeper sense of purpose, he chose to serve his country and was commissioned as a U.S. Army officer, all while balancing the demands of medical school and a young family.

Eric matched into general surgery residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, prompting the family’s move to Maryland. Sunshine joined him as a civilian nurse in the intensive care unit, often caring for many of Eric’s post-operative patients while he was training to be a surgeon at Walter Reed.

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During their time serving in the military Sunshine advanced her nursing career and held many key leadership roles such as Assistant Service Chief of a neurosurgical and neurology unit, a medevac nurse in South Korea helping service members and their families access higher levels of care in other countries, and as a nurse supervisor in the neurosurgery clinic at Walter Reed. 

Dr. Eric de la Cruz is a U.S. Army surgeon and veteran who completed his general surgery residency at Walter Reed and trauma and surgical critical care fellowship at R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, MD.  While Eric was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, Sunshine stayed behind, holding down the fort with the full support of their family and friends. During this time, she began to hear more about the world of aesthetics. A plastic surgeon friend offered to administer Botox, but Sunshine hesitated and ultimately backed out. Later, another friend proudly showed off her beautifully microbladed eyebrows, something that immediately caught Sunshine’s attention.

That moment reawakened a long-dormant spark of artistic curiosity. She decided to have her eyebrows microbladed and was instantly captivated by the craft. Inspired, Sunshine began studying micropigmentation. By 2021, Sunshine fully transitioned from corporate nursing into restorative micropigmentation, opening Arawan Artistry where she performed permanent makeup (PMU), scar camouflage, and 3D areola tattooing. 

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Precision You Can See and Feel

While doing permanent makeup at Arawan Artistry, many of Sunshine’s clients encouraged her to provide Botox. Sunshine “invited” Eric to train doing Botox injections with her and they took their first course together. As Arawan Artistry grew, Sunshine “partnered” with her husband, Dr. Eric de la Cruz, MD, FACS to expand from just permanent makeup to aesthetic medicine and became Arawan MedSpa + Wellness.

Eric and Sunshine spent the first chapter of their medical careers immersed in life-or-death situations which were intense, meaningful, and often emotionally heavy. While caring for the critically ill, the wounded, and the dying was extremely rewarding, making a complete 180 degree shift into aesthetics and wellness medicine has allowed them to change their focus from preserving life to enhancing its quality. 

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What began as a passion project has grown into a shared mission: helping people match how they look on the outside with how they feel on the inside. At Arawan MedSpa + Wellness, Sunshine and Eric channel their sense of purpose into uplifting others through their in-depth medical knowledge and experience, artistic precision, and desire to care for patients to restore not just appearance, but confidence, self-worth, and joy.

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Today, Sunshine leads a skilled team that provides non-invasive body sculpting, facial rejuvenation, and other premium customized treatments. 

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A Partnership Patients Trust

Patients often notice the natural synergy between Sunshine and Eric. Their shared experience in medicine and aesthetics creates a seamless and supportive experience. Whether in consultation or in treatment, they work together to ensure patients feel truly cared for at every step.

Nurse Sunshine brings 20+ years of nursing experience in both the intensive care unit and the emergency room. She’s held numerous leadership roles at multiple civilian and military medical facilities focused on ensuring patient safety and minimizing infection risk. Dr. de la Cruz still operates at the only Level I trauma center in Lake County, IL and he brings greater than 15 years of surgical experience and calm steady hands (he is ambidextrous) to aesthetic medicine. He is passionate about combining medical safety with artistic results. Dr. de la Cruz is a U.S. Army surgeon and veteran with multiple deployments still serving in the U.S. Army Reserves and is double board certified in general surgery and trauma/surgical critical care. 

Nurse Sunshine and Dr. de la Cruz focus on delivering safe, strategic, results-oriented outcomes tailored to each patient's goals.

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Our Services

We proudly serve Buffalo Grove and surrounding suburbs with non-surgical and minimally invasive treatments, including:

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• Full facial balancing
   

• PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma)

  • Vampire Facial

  • Vampire Facelift

  • Vampire Breast Lift

  • P-Shot

  • O-Shot
     

• Wrinkle relaxers and dermal fillers
   

• Appetite management and medical wellness support
   

• Skin rejuvenation
   

• Ultrasound-based body contouring
   

• Hair restoration (PRP, microneedling, and Keravive)
   

• Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
   

• IV hydration therapy and vitamin injections
   

• Awake laser liposuction with BeautiFill
   

• Restorative micropigmentation and scar camouflage
   

Your Confidence Is Our Priority

At Arawan, we believe that aesthetic treatments begin with trust and our team is here to support your journey with clinical precision and compassionate care.

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📍 Buffalo Grove, IL
📞 Call us at 847-383-6217
📲 Text us at 424-403-2758
📧 Email us at info@arawan.co

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With appreciation,

Nurse Sunshine and Dr. Eric de la Cruz
Arawan MedSpa + Wellness

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