Vampire facials involve drawing the client's own blood and injecting it back into their face–a celebrity-approved test of our willingness to do anything in pursuit of superficial youth. HIV transmission was first linked to an amateur New Mexico practitioner in 2018, and now another client of the same now-shuttered spa has tested positive.
The health department is urging former clients who had any type of injection-related service, including a vampire facial or Botox injections at the VIP Spa, to get tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. More than 100 former clients were tested in 2018 and 2019 as part of the initial investigation, but health officials said former VIP clients should be retested, even if they initially tested negative.
"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," Dr. Laura Parajon, deputy secretary for the health department, said.
As of Wednesday, the health department said it has identified additional HIV infections with "direct or indirect connection with services provided" at VIP Spa. The department has not said how many people tested positive for HIV and did not specify what qualifies as an indirect connection. CBS News has reached out to the health department for clarification.
The spa owner, Maria de Lourdes Ramos de Ruiz (a.k.a. Luly Ruiz), is in jail after being conviced on five counts of practicing medicine without a license.
