ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO: VIP Beauty Salon and Spa, a New Mexico parlor that was shuttered in 2018 after being linked to two cases of HIV, has been connected to another three cases, state officials reported. The salon was known for offering the infamous "vampire facial." However, it came under scrutiny following an investigation that unearthed unlabeled syringes and unwrapped needles scattered inside the salon.
Maria Ramos de Ruiz, the owner of the salon, reportedly pled guilty to charges of practicing medicine without a license and was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison in June 2022. Nearly five years after the salon's closure, on Wednesday, July 5, the New Mexico Department of Health said that it found a new case of HIV related to the salon earlier this year and two further cases. The department is currently asking any individual who visited the spa to get tested. It is also expanding the original testing, first conducted in 2018, and offering free walk-in tests for former clients of the parlour.
Who is Maria Ramos de Ruiz?
Ruiz is a 62-year-old woman and the owner of the now-closed VIP Beauty Salon and Spa, located in 809 Tijeras Avenue, Albuquerque, New Mexico, that shut down in 2018 after an investigation by the New Mexico Department of Health in September that same year. Officials reportedly found numerous health code violations, including blood dumped in kitchen sink, unwrapped needles and unlabeled syringes beside food in the refrigerator, as per The Albuquerque Journal.
In addition to the health department, the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, and deputy director of Boards and Commissions also found unlabeled blood tubes and unwrapped needles scattered inside the salon. Investigators also found fake certificates for botox and "vampire facial" training hanging on the wall of the spa and a fake diploma from the University of Phoenix. Shortly after, it was revealed that Ruiz's cosmetologist license had expired in 2013.
In December 2018, the New Mexico Medical Board ordered her to stop the unlicensed practice of medicine in the state. During the investigation, she told officers that she performed breast and buttocks sculpting, cellulite treatments and "vampire facials." In June 2022, Ruiz pleaded guilty to five felony counts of practicing medicine without a license and was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison. She is currently serving her term at Springer Correctional Center, as per inmate records.
What is a 'Vampire Facial?'
A vampire facial reportedly involves the process of injecting blood into the face after extracting it from elsewhere on the body. Professionals usually draw blood from the arm and separate it into a platelet-rich plasma before applying it to facial skin that has been pricked with microneedles. The facial treatment was popularized by the likes of Kim Kardashian and is allegedly meant to rejuvenate skin as well as to offer remedies for issues such as wrinkles, sun damage or acne scars.
'It's very important that we spread the word'
One of the first two HIV cases linked to the VIP Beauty Salon and Spa was identified in February 2019. The client was found to have contracted HIV after getting a "vampire facial" after she got four sets of treatments, including one at Ruiz's house. Both the clients, who has not been named, are believed to have contracted the same strain of HIV. As of July 5, there were a total of five HIV infections linked to the salon, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Health told NBC News.
"The state's Infectious Disease Bureau received a 2023 report regarding a newly diagnosed case of HIV whose only self-reported HIV risk exposure was a vampire facial received at VIP Spa," statement from the New Mexico Department of Health read. The department is now recommending everyone who received an "injection-related service including a vampire facial or Botox injections at the VIP Spa" to get HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C tested.
"It's very important that we spread the word and remind people who received any kind of injection-related to services provided at the VIP Spa to come in for free and confidential testing," said Dr Laura Parajon, deputy secretary for the state Department of Health.
