New Mexico salon owner, 59, is indicted on 24 felony charges after two of her clients contracted HIV from ‘vampire facials’ popularized by Kim Kardashian
- Maria Ramos de Ruiz, 59, was indicted on 24 criminal charges on Wednesday
- The charges are linked to her former ownership of the VIP Beauty Salon and Spa in Albuquerque
- They include practicing medicine without a license, racketeering and fraud
- In August 2018 a client of Ramos de Ruiz’ salon reported contracting HIV following a ‘vampire facial’
- The ‘vampire facial’ is meant to rejuvenate skin and prevent signs of aging by withdrawing blood and reinserting it into clients face through micro needling
- At the spa inspectors found fake certificates for Botox and ‘vampire facial’ training hanging on the wall and a fake diploma from the University of Phoenix
- In February 2019, a second client was found to have contracted HIV from the ‘vampire facial’
- Both clients contracted the same strain of the HIV virus and both say they paid $100 for the procedure
The former owner of a New Mexico spa that offered the ‘vampire facial’ made famous by Kim Kardashian is facing two dozen criminal charges after two of her clients allegedly contracted HIV from the procedure.
Maria Ramos de Ruiz, 59, former owner of VIP Beauty Salon and Spa in Albuquerque, was indicted on 24 felony charges including practicing medicine without a license, racketeering and fraud, the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office said Wednesday.
The lengthy indictment accuses Ramos de Ruiz of violating health codes and continuing to offer procedures she was not licensed to administer even after authorities told her to stop.
Prosecutors said a total of 137 clients allegedly received ‘unlicensed and fraudulent services’ from Ramos de Ruiz.
Maria Ramos de Ruiz, 59, (pictured) was indicted on more than 20 felony counts after two clients claimed they contracted HIV from a ‘vampire facial’ at her salon
In September 2018 Ramos de Ruiz’ VIP Beauty Salon and Spa in Albuquerque (pictured) was inspected by health officials who found multiple violations and fake diplomas
‘Individuals who jeopardize the health and safety of New Mexican families must be held accountable,’ Attorney General Hector Balderas said in a statement announcing the charges. ‘We look forward to presenting this case at trial.’
In August 2018 a client of Ramos de Ruiz’ salon reported contracting HIV following a ‘vampire facial’.
The cosmetic procedure is meant to rejuvenate skin and prevent signs of aging by withdrawing blood and reinserting it into clients face through micro-needling.
Kim Kardashian popularized the treatment when she posted a selfie of her face covered in blood in 2013.
Ramos de Ruiz allegedly charged clients $100 for the bloody facial procedure.
In September 2018 Ramos de Ruiz’ salon was inspected by the New Mexico Department of Health, the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department and deputy director of Boards and Commissions, who discovered unwrapped needles scattered about and unlabeled blood tubes.
Ramos de Ruiz’s cosmetologist license had expired in 2013.
Ramos de Ruiz spoke to local TV station KOAT in September 2018 after news emerged about potential infections linked to her spa and insisted that the business was safe.
She said she was cooperating with state health officials and encouraged anyone with concerns to take advantage of free testing.
‘I want everybody to be sure, everybody to be happy and to know they don’t have anything,’ she said.
Kim Kardashian popularized the ‘vampire facial’ when she posted a selfie of her face covered in blood in 2013
Inspectors uncovered numerous health code violations, including unwrapped needles, blood being dumped into the kitchen sink and unlabeled syringes beside food in the refrigerator, The Albuquerque Journal reported.
Ramos de Ruiz told inspectors that she did breast and buttocks sculpting, cellulite treatments and ‘vampire facials’
She was ordered by the New Mexico Medical Board to stop her unlicensed practice of medicine in the state in December of 2018.
In February 2019, a second client was found to have contracted HIV from the ‘vampire facial’.
The client allegedly got four of the facial treatments, including one at Ramos de Ruiz’s home.
Both clients – who have not been identified – were said to have contracted the same strain of the HIV virus.
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