Former clients of a now-closed beauty spa in New Mexico are being urged to get tested for blood-borne infections after a new case of human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, was linked to a vampire facial at the spa, according to New Mexico health officials.
On Wednesday, July 5, the New Mexico Department of Health announced that its infectious disease bureau received a report of a newly diagnosed case of HIV in 2023. The patient’s only self-reported risk exposure was getting a “vampire facial” in 2018 at the VIP Beauty Salon and Spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico, according to an alert from the state's health department.
Following this HIV case, the state reopened its investigation into the spa, which was shut down in 2018. As of July 5, it has identified additional patients infected with HIV who had “direct or indirect connection with services provided at the VIP Spa,” officials said. The health department did not specify how many additional cases of HIV have been identified.
The New Mexico Department of Health is currently reaching out to former clients of the VIP Beauty Salon to recommend that anyone who received an injection-related service, including a vampire facial or botox, get tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
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Officials are also recommending that former spa clients who received these services get retested for blood-borne infections even if they previously tested negative.
A vampire facial involves drawing one's blood, which is then spun in a centrifuge to separate the platelet-rich plasma. This gets injected into skin of the face using a micro-needling tool, which creates tiny superficial punctures in the skin to help the blood absorb, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The blood-filled beauty treatment gained popularity in recent years, in part thanks to celebrity endorsements. Kim Kardashian made headlines when she posted a viral Instagram selfie in 2013 showing off her skin mid-facial, though the star has since said she regrets the procedure, NBC News previously reported.
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Blood-borne pathogens are transmitted when the bodily fluids of an infected person enter into the bloodstream of another person, which can occur through the use of needles, syringes or other injection equipment containing an infected person's blood, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The VIP Spa was shut down in September 2018 after an inspection by the department of health and the Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists identified "practices that could potentially spread blood-borne infections, including HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C to clients," according to officials.
Over 100 former clients of the spa were tested in 2018 and 2019 during the initial investigation. Two of these tests came back positive for HIV, and both patients had become infected through vampire facials at the spa, NBC News previously reported.
In 2022, the spa’s owner, Maria De Lourdes Ramos De Ruiz, pleaded guilty to five felony counts of practicing medicine without a license, NBC affiliate KOB4 previously reported.
HIV is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system by destroying cells that help the body fight off disease and infection. If left untreated, it can progress to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS, per the CDC. There is no cure, but with proper medical care and treatment, HIV can be controlled.
The New Mexico Department of Health said it will offer former clients free, confidential laboratory testing for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, as well as counseling, at its offices in Albuquerque.
“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 New Mexico Department of Health.
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