West Hollywood skin care guru held on $1-million bail in hit man plot

A West Hollywood skin care expert who allegedly tried to hire a hit man to snuff out a competitor is being held in lieu of $1-million bail after pleading not guilty to solicitation of murder.

The allegation against Dawn DaLuise, 55, who boasted a celebrity clientele that included Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Aniston and Alicia Silverstone, has stunned neighbors and associates.

Esthetician Gabriel Suarez moved in a couple doors down from DaLuise’s business last year and started offering facials and male body waxing; the competition created tension.

L.A. County Sheriff’s Department officials say DaLuise tried to hire a hit man to kill Suarez, wrongly believing he was behind a cyber-stalking campaign targeting her.

Detectives said text messages from DaLuise laid out her plan for the hit, but it was never carried out.

“She is culpable for putting the hit on him,” said sheriff’s Capt. Shaun Mathers. “She believed it would be carried out.”

DaLuise is a former model and ran a West Hollywood “skin refinery” that used electrical muscle stimulation instead of the typical steam-and-cream facial to treat the skin.

Vogue and InStyle magazines have featured her, and she’s the go-to beauty expert for national publications.

Suarez said in an interview that DaLuise often gave him the cold shoulder when they came across each other, but he never saw anything in her behavior to suggest she wanted to hurt him.

“That she just thinks she has the right to kill a human — and me on top of that,” Suarez said. “It’s just work, it’s not that serious.”

DaLuise entered her plea Wednesday in a Los Angeles County courtroom.

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richard.winton@latimes.com

joseph.serna@latimes.com