A man claimed that ‘poor’ beauticians convinced him into spending nearly ₹5.18 crore (4.3 million yuan) on unlicensed detox and wellness treatments at a hair salon over two years.
According to a South China Morning Post report, the man, Cheng, was coerced into taking treatments like enemas and acupuncture, among other wellness services, which caused him severe health issues.
The ordeal reportedly began in April 2023.
The salon staff had reportedly promised him results such as weight loss and a return to a more youthful appearance.
Here’s what happened:
Cheng claimed that he met a salon manager, Chen, at a local hair salon in 2023, who then invited him to the opening of his new branch.
There, he met Zhou, the manager of this new salon.
According to the SCMP report, Zhou persuaded him to go upstairs to “experience a beautician’s massage,” and later pressured him into buying beauty services in the form of an account top-up.
However, during his subsequent visits to the salon, Cheng asserted that he was continually coerced into adding more funds to his account.
“They were all young boys and girls, kneeling and saying they were poor and couldn’t even afford rent, relying on customers to help support their parents,” Cheng recalled.
He shared that the older beauticians would “consistently urge customers to top up,” saying that the staff earned performance-based commissions.
What services did he take?
Over two years, Cheng said he underwent various “wellness services,” including treatments like “skin-breaking needle detox” and multiple enema sessions marketed as “bowel cleansing.”
Each course of enema treatment cost him around ₹36 lakh (300,000 yuan).
He also recalled taking massages priced at ₹6,000-7,000 (500-600) yuan per body area and multiple sessions of “belly dampness removal,” which cost ₹12,000- 24,000 (1,000 to 2,000 yuan) each.
Cheng’s salon records showed that one top-up in January alone totalled ₹46.80 lakh (388,000 yuan), and by March 30, his account balance exceeded ₹2.05 crore (1.7 million yuan).
The falling out
After undergoing a series of these treatments, Cheng reportedly began to experience serious health issues, including recurrent and persistent diarrhoea, and unhealed needle marks on his skin.
Soon, he discovered that the salon lacked the necessary medical qualifications to perform such procedures and requested a refund.
The salon denied Cheng a refund, leading to him reporting them to the authorities.
On July 9, police confirmed that an investigation into the alleged unlicensed medical practices had been initiated in collaboration with market supervision.