Albuquerque salon owner behind ‘vampire facials’ takes plea

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A former Albuquerque spa owner has pleaded guilty to conducting unlicensed “vampire facials” that led to two clients contracting HIV.

New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas announced the plea from Maria de Lourdes Ramos de Ruiz in a news release Friday.

Ramos de Ruiz will enter a guilty plea to five felony counts of practicing medicine without a license.

The scam was discovered when a client who was diagnosed with HIV reported visiting her spa.

State licensing regulators investigated her business and found multiple health-code violations. Inspectors say there were unwrapped needles, improper blood disposal and unlabeled syringes next to food in a refrigerator.

A second client with HIV then came forward.

“Vampire facials” are when a person’s blood is injected into their face to rejuvenate their skin.

Prosecutors say Ramos de Ruiz also did illegal plasma and Botox-injection procedures.

She faces more than seven years in prison.