Lawsuits Allege Santa Fe Spa Defrauded Tourists, Overcharged Guests

October 17 — New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez sues a beauty spa business operating near the historic Santa Fe Plaza for alleged aggressive sales tactics and charging customers more than was originally agreed upon .

The Santa Fe Spa Center by Voupre, which allegedly operated under different names, is accused of targeting tourists and visitors to Santa Fe and stealing thousands of dollars from them.

In the second of two lawsuits filed against the company, three women who visited Santa Fe from out of state detail their experience with the company. One claims she purchased $1,300 worth of beauty creams, only to discover the spa had “grossly overcharged” her credit card by $13,000. Another customer agreed to purchase a facial at red lights for $2,800, according to the lawsuit, only to discover when she returned home in Amarillo, Texas, that her American Express card had been charged $30,340.

Such complaints prompted an investigation by Torrez’s New Mexico Department of Justice, which filed a lawsuit Sept. 12 against SHM Group, doing business as Voupre, and Sahar Hori, who runs the spa, according to the lawsuits.

According to the DOJ complaint, Santa Fe Spa Center by Voupre violated the Unfair Practices Act, which protects consumers from unfair and deceptive business practices. The lawsuit seeks civil penalties and damages and asks a Santa Fe district judge to order the defendants to permanently cease the alleged illegal conduct.

“Thanks to consumer complaints, we launched an investigation that revealed the fraudulent tactics used by Voupre to extract unjustified amounts from unsuspecting customers,” Torrez said in a statement. He said the law demonstrates “our commitment to holding businesses accountable and protecting New Mexicans from exploitation.”

Her complaint says customers were offered free samples and treatments as they walked past the West San Francisco store. Once brought to the store for a free treatment, they were allegedly asked to sign a document authorizing the spa to provide the treatment.

However, according to the complaint, customers signed documents indicating they were aware of a “no returns” policy. Spa employees were attempting to sell products to customers, and some customers relented after saying they felt pressured to buy items.

The complaint states that on one occasion, a customer said she was pressured into purchasing a red light therapy device worth $30,000. The workers told him to open the box in front of them to make sure the items were satisfactory.

Upon returning home, the customer decided she no longer wanted the item and attempted to return it, according to the complaint. The return was refused due to the no-return policy and the box already opened.

The complaint also cited the case of a customer purchasing a skin cream for $433.72. The spa lured the customer by promising a free facial treatment.

After the treatment, staff at the Santa Fe Spa Center by Voupre attempted to sell the machine used for the facial for $1,500, according to the complaint. The customer did not purchase the device, but later realized that the spa had used the authorization from the skin cream purchase to charge the credit card for the facial device, even though she had not taken the device with her.

The complaint says spa center employees charged $15,000 to the credit card, far more than the price advertised to customers. In addition to the $15,000, the customer noticed additional charges of $16,265.62 for products that were never received or discussed.

The most recent lawsuit was filed Oct. 4 by three tourists — Catherine Shisslak, Jana McKinney and Patrice Michaels — who claim they were affected by the aggressive sales tactics.

“The Santa Fe Spa Common Enterprise operated by Defendants is a large and ongoing scam in which visitors or tourists to Santa Fe, often women over the age of 50, are aggressively ‘peddled’ or approached by a seller on the site of West San Francisco Street, and then the defendants defraud these visitors to New Mexico, often out of tens of thousands of dollars,” the complaint states.

Similar to the complaint filed by Torrez, the women detailed their experience of spa workers approaching them on the sidewalk, bringing them inside the spa under the guise of a free treatment, and then aggressively selling them products.

Plaintiff Shisslak, a retired medical professor from Arizona, discovered that her credit card had been charged $13,200 for a facial and products in May 2023, although she had given sellers the spa permission to only charge his credit card $1,300.

Shisslak attempted to return the items and was given a number to call to process a refund. After calling the number, Shisslak said the phone company told him the number was only for ordering new products and that they would not issue a refund, according to the complaint.

Shisslak ultimately received a refund of $2,200 from his credit card company, “but he still has $11,000 left, which his card issuer has neither refunded nor canceled.” She complained to Santa Fe police and Torrez’s office in 2023.

In McKinney’s case, the complaint details the numerous difficulties she faced while trying to obtain reimbursement. After calling American Express, the credit card company contacted to dispute the charge. In response, the spa allegedly sent back a photo of a sign stating that all sales were final as well as a copy of the document purporting to contain McKinney’s signature.

“The page is a vague ‘guarantee’ document and does not contain the transaction amount,” says the complaint filed by Santa Fe attorney John W. Day and David C. Kramer of Albuquerque.

According to Torrez’s complaint, the beauty spa does not yet have an attorney listed. After the Journal called the spa and spoke to a worker who said he was new to the company and was unaware of the allegations, the worker said he would ask his boss to ask him for a comment. The Journal had not received any reminders or comments from the company on Wednesday.