Lawsuits allege Santa Fe spa fleeced tourists, overcharged clients

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez is suing a beauty spa company operating near the historic Santa Fe Plaza for alleged aggressive sales tactics and charging customers more than what was originally agreed upon.

The Santa Fe Spa Center by Voupre, which is alleged to have operated under various names, is accused of targeting tourists and Santa Fe visitors 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 alleges that she purchased beauty creams for $1,300 but found the spa “grossly overcharged” her credit card for $13,000. Another customer agreed to purchase a red light facial treatment for $2,800, the lawsuit states, only to find out when she returned home to Amarillo, Texas, that her American Express card was charged $30,340.

Such complaints spurred an investigation by Torrez’s New Mexico Department of Justice, which filed a complaint 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 has been violating the Unfair Practices Act, which protects consumers from unfair and deceptive business practices. The lawsuit is seeking civil penalties and damages and is asking a state district judge in Santa Fe to order the defendants to permanently cease the conduct alleged to be unlawful.

“Thanks to consumer complaints, we launched an investigation that uncovered the fraudulent tactics Voupre used to extract unjustified amounts from unsuspecting patrons,” Torrez said in a statement. He said the act demonstrates “our commitment to holding businesses accountable and protecting New Mexicans from being taken advantage of.”

His complaint states that customers were offered free samples and treatments as they walked by the store on West San Francisco. Once they were brought into the store for the free treatment, they were allegedly told to sign a document, giving the spa permission for treatment.

However, according to the complaint, customers supposedly were signing paperwork that stated they were aware of a “no return” policy. Spa workers would attempt to upsell customers on products, and some customers relented after claiming they felt pressured to purchase items.

The complaint states that on one occasion a customer said she was pressured into buying a $30,000 red light therapy machine. Workers told her to open the box in front of them to ensure the items were satisfactory.

After returning home, the customer decided she no longer wanted the item and attempted to return it, according to the complaint. She was denied the return due to the no return policy and the box already being open.

The complaint also noted the case of a customer purchasing a skin cream for $433.72. The spa lured the customer back with the promise of a free facial.

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

The complaint states spa center workers charged the credit card for $15,000, far more than what customers were told the price was. In addition to the $15,000, the customer noticed another charge of $16,265.62 for products that were never received or discussed.

The more recent lawsuit was filed Oct. 4 by three tourists — Catherine Shisslak, Jana McKinney and Patrice Michaels — who allege they have been affected by the aggressive sales tactics.

“The Santa Fe Spa Common Enterprise operated by Defendants is a large and ongoing scam whereby visitors or tourists to Santa Fe, often women over 50 years of age, are aggressively ‘hawked’ or approached by a salesman at the location on West San Francisco Street, and then Defendants defraud these visitors to New Mexico, often for tens of thousands of dollars,” the complaint said.

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 upselling them on products.

Plaintiff Shisslak, a retired professor of medicine from Arizona, found her credit card was charged $13,200 for a facial treatment and products in May 2023, despite giving the spa salesmen permission to only charge her 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 operator told her that the number was only to order new products and they would not process a refund, according to the complaint.

Shisslak eventually received a refund of $2,200 from her credit card company, “but she is still ‘out’ $11,000, which her card issuer did not refund or cancel.” She complained to Santa Fe Police and Torrez’s office in 2023.

In McKinney’s case, the complaint details the extensive runaround she faced while trying to get a refund. After calling American Express, the credit card company reached out to dispute the charges. In response, the spa allegedly sent back a photo of a sign stating all sales were final and a copy of the document claiming to contain McKinney’s signature.

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

According to the complaint from Torrez, the beauty spa does not have an attorney listed as of now. After the Journal called the spa and spoke to a worker who said he was new to the business and was unaware of the allegations, the worker said he would have his boss reach out for a comment. The Journal had not received a call back or comment from the business as of Wednesday.