Spa says it's not related to recently closed Royal Secrets Wellness, asks that its staff be 'treated with respect'
A beauty spa is denying it is related to a recently closed spa despite having similar names. Even the font looks the same.
Royal Secrets Beauty Indulgence posted on its social media that it is not connected to Royal Secrets Wellness, which had its last day on Feb 28.
A number of Royal Secrets Wellness customers were left with unused packages worth thousands of dollars because of the spa's closure.
Royal Secrets Beauty Indulgence's post said that it is unable to assist with any matters relating to Royal Secrets Wellness packages as it does not have access to the latter's records or accounts.
The March 7 post added: "We understand many customers are frustrated by the situation and we empathise deeply. However, we kindly ask that our staff be treated with respect, as we are not involved in the operation and closure of Royal Secrets Wellness."
The post came after Royal Secrets Wellness customers went to Royal Secrets Beauty Indulgence in Heritage Court at Peck Seah Street in hopes of transferring their unused packages.
One of them was Stomper Retiree.
She said she used to go to the Heritage Court spa, but after the Covid-19 pandemic, when the spa stopped providing massage services, she was able to transfer a package to Royal Secrets Wellness in Winsland House at Kiliney Road.
Retiree shared photos of invoices from 2021 when the spa was known as Body Wellness, and both the Heritage Court and Winsland House addresses were on the invoice.
However, an invoice from 2023 shows the name had been changed to Royal Secrets Wellness, and by then, only the Winsland House address was on the invoice for a $1,944 facial package with 14 sessions.
The staff was "very pushy", according to the Stomper, who said she is not sure how many sessions were left unused.
When Royal Secrets Wellness announced its closure, the company said it was working with several other spas to assist its customers. Royal Secrets Beauty Indulgence is not one of the spas.
Retiree contacted one of the spas that Royal Secrets Wellness mentioned and was informed of the conditions regarding the transfer of packages.
She said: "It was to my horror to find out that receipts before 2024 would not be honored. The transfer of credit is also capped at $1,000, and we have to pay the a la carte price."
Hence, she went back to Royal Secrets Beauty Indulgence.
"I was hoping that they could at least transfer me back to this outlet at Peck Seah Street. However, the lady claimed that they are not related," said the Stomper.
A video taken by Retiree at the Heritage Court spa on March 6 shows a woman explaining that she was just an employee, and that Royal Secrets Beauty Indulgence and Royal Secrets Wellness are owned by different people.
In its social media post, Royal Secrets Beauty Indulgence said it reserves the right to:
- Refuse service to abusive individuals
- Request such individuals to leave the premises
- Seek assistance from the relevant authorities where necessary. Harassment, intimidation or filming intended to cause distress may fall under the Protection from Harassment Act.
Retiree is not the only Royal Secrets Wellness customer left with unused sessions in her package with the spa.
Stomper Bee, also a Royal Secrets Wellness customer, said she was "pressured" into signing up for 10 eye treatments at the price of $1,246.96 on Jan 28. She had not started using the sessions when Royal Secrets Wellness ceased operations a month later.
Bee questioned if Royal Secrets Wellness knew it was closing when she signed up for the package.
Stomp earlier reported that another Royal Secrets Wellness customer was left with more than $5,000 in unused packages.
When Shin Min Daily News visited the spa on the afternoon of March 6, about 10 customers were seen flocking to the outlet within an hour.
They told the Chinese-language daily that they had purchased packages from the spa over the years, ranging from $3,000 to $50,000 in value. The unfulfilled packages reportedly exceeded $200,000 in total value.
In response to an earlier Stomp query, Consumers Association of Singapore president Melvin Yong confirmed that it has received 15 complaints regarding Royal Secrets Wellness' closure as of March 5.
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