A new salon focused on end-of-life care, Maturitease Incontinent Skin Care Boutique, is set to open next month at the Del Prado building in Hyde Park. The boutique is the vision of Coprice Jones, a seasoned caregiver with over 30 years of experience — including time as the personal death doula to Maggie Daley, the late wife of former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.
Jones says her boutique will offer products designed to provide “dignity, respect, and grace” to the dying. The shop will feature her own line of skincare items, adult diapers, jewelry, books, and other goods tailored to caregivers and their loved ones.
“Some of people’s greatest needs when they are dying are for dignity,” said Jones. “You don’t always get that in a hospital or nursing home. Everything I do is about offering that.”
A Lifelong Calling
Born in Chicago and raised in Grand Rapids, Jones became a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) early in her career. She fell in love with caregiving and later worked for Rainbow Hospice. Driven by a deeper sense of purpose, she trained with the International End of Life Doula Association, becoming a certified death doula — someone who helps people find peace and comfort in their final days.
“A birth doula helps bring you into the world. I help usher people out,” she explained.
Her big break came when she was chosen as the death doula for Maggie Daley. “I brought in my resume on gold-trimmed paper,” she recalled. “They called me right away. After that, celebrities and politicians came, but I kept my blinders on and did the work.”
This experience expanded Jones’ reach, giving her strong ties in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood and a steady stream of referrals from Northwestern Hospital.
A Salon for Conversations and Care
Jones demonstrated some of her techniques in the salon, using her granddaughter to show how she positions pillows for patient comfort. She also described how she anoints patients with olive oil and sings over them — usually Christian songs, though she cares for people of all faiths and none.
“I bring my whole self into the care,” she said. “Even if a patient is atheist, this is my faith, and I have to bring my full being to what I do.”
She shared spiritual and emotional insights gained over the years. For example, she said mothers rarely die in front of their children, and that people often ask to “go somewhere” just before passing — a sign they’re ready to move on spiritually.
Jones believes that while everyone is born differently, death unites us all. “People take the same medicines, get the same treatments, and want the same things,” she said.
More Than a Store
Jones hopes her boutique becomes more than just a place to shop — she envisions it as a community space for reflection and conversation around topics that are often difficult, like dying and incontinence.
The salon will feature antique furniture, glass bottles in wooden crates, and blue floral decorations, creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere. A display case will feature Jones’ memoir, “The Unwanted Sex: The Triumph!”, which tells the story of her recovery from sexual assault, teen pregnancy, and her eventual rise to a successful career in caregiving.
“I’ve been through a lot,” Jones said. “I’m there for every part of dying. I do the postpartum care, prepare the body, and attend every funeral. We celebrate birth — I believe we should honor death just as much.”
Maturitease Incontinent Skin Care Boutique, located at 5305 S. Hyde Park Blvd., will hold its grand opening with the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce on June 13 at 12 p.m.
Related topics:
