CDC releases report on first HIV cases 'likely' spread from vampire facials at ABQ spa
Apr. 26—The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the first known cases of HIV reportedly spread through so-called vampire facials were tied to a spa in Downtown Albuquerque.
A CDC report released Thursday found that four women who received the treatment at VIP Beauty Salon and Spa — and one of the women's sexual partners — all tested positive for "highly similar" strains of HIV.
Formally called platelet-rich plasma micro-needling facials, the treatment is a medical procedure in which a client's own blood is injected into their face as a way to rejuvenate the skin.
The report found that HIV being spread through such services "has not been previously documented."
"This investigation underscores the importance of determining possible novel sources of HIV transmission among persons with no known HIV risk factors," according to the CDC. "Requiring adequate infection control practices at spa facilities offering cosmetic injection services can help prevent the transmission of HIV and other bloodborne pathogens."
The CDC investigation appears to tie the cases to a former spa client who had been diagnosed with HIV in 2012.
The case went public after a vampire facial customer tested positive for HIV in August 2018, and an inspection by the New Mexico Department of Health (DOH) found unwrapped needles and unlabeled blood tubes. That prompted an investigation by then-Attorney General Hector Balderas' office.
After the additional cases were uncovered, DOH cast a wide net to test 198 people, made up of former clients and their sexual partners, between 2018 and 2023. No additional HIV cases were discovered through the testing.
The agency found that "incomplete spa client records posed a substantial challenge" to the investigation and emphasized that "maintenance of client records could facilitate investigations of suspected transmission at such facilities."
The report was released more than a year after the salon's former owner, Maria Ramos de Ruiz, 62, was sentenced to three years in prison followed by four years on parole.
Court records show Ramos de Ruiz pleaded guilty to five counts of practicing medicine without a license after prosecutors offered her a deal, dismissing 19 other felonies, including racketeering, money laundering, fraud and attempted tax evasion.
Ramos de Ruiz is currently behind bars at the Springer Women's Correctional Facility.
The DOH inspection found that Ramos de Ruiz had a cosmetologist license, but the license on display at the salon expired in 2013. Inspectors also found phony certificates on display, including a certificate for Ramos de Ruiz to administer "vampire facials."
The CDC's investigation, according to the report, discovered "an HIV cluster" tied to treatments from a salon owner who "operated without appropriate licenses at multiple locations and did not have an appointment scheduling system that stored client contact information."
The four women were between the ages of 40 and 60 and were diagnosed with HIV between 2018, when the spa was shut down, and 2023. Those four women and one of their sexual partners were confirmed to "have highly similar HIV strains" related to the spa.
One woman had Stage 1 HIV, the earliest stage, and the other three had full-blown AIDS when they were diagnosed, according to the report. Two of the latter patients learned they were infected after being hospitalized in 2021 and 2023 with "an AIDS-defining illness."
The CDC report found that the clients were "likely" infected by vampire facials but noted, "however, the source of contamination remains unknown."
"Requiring adequate infection control practices and maintenance of client records at spa facilities offering cosmetic injection services can help prevent the transmission of HIV and other bloodborne pathogens and ensure adequate traceback and notification in the event of adverse clinical outcomes, respectively," according to the CDC's findings.
