The parent company of Sonya Dakar Skin Clinic, swanky West Hollywood spa to the stars, filed for chapter 11 protection, the Wall Street Journal reported today. Founded by esthetician Sonya Dakar in 1971, Sonya Dakar Skin Clinic's first celebrity client was Drew Barrymore. It has since treated celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Sofia Vergara and Kyra Sedgwick, and it recently hosted a charity spa day with Vanessa Hudgens. The success of the spa and skincare line, however, has come at a high cost, leaving the Dakar family embroiled in numerous legal battles that have pitted Sonya Dakar, her son Yigal and her daughters, Daniella and Michal, against Sonya’s now-estranged husband, Israel, and her son Natan. The company was put in bankruptcy by Michal Dakar, who says she is president of the company but that Sonya Dakar owns 100 percent of the equity.
