Olle Beauty Clinic is located on the 5th floor at 22 East 65th Street (Google Maps)
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A 77-year-old woman is suing an Upper East Side spa, claiming employees cornered her in a room and refused to let her leave until she handed over her credit cards — racking up more than $65,000 in charges for treatments she repeatedly said she didn’t want and couldn’t afford, the NY Post reported.
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Elizabeth Childs-Johnson, a semi-retired researcher specializing in Chinese art and archaeology, says the ordeal began in December 2024 when an employee of Olle Beauty Clinic (22 East 65th Street) stopped her on the street, complimenting her outfit and flattering her in an effort to lure her inside, according to a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit cited by the Post.Childs-Johnson initially agreed to check out the spa’s offerings and ended up paying roughly $40,000 for a package of 12 facials spread over the course of a year, her attorney Andrew L. Kincaid told the outlet.
But things took a troubling turn months later as those appointments were wrapping up, the lawsuit alleges. At her second-to-last session in November, an employee told Childs-Johnson it was time to renew her package. When the East Harlem resident politely declined, saying she couldn’t afford it, the worker allegedly blocked her from leaving the room.
The employee reportedly pressured Childs-Johnson into purchasing what the lawsuit describes as “outlandishly expensive and dubiously effective” sessions. Childs-Johnson told the Post she was so frightened that she handed over three separate credit cards without even knowing the total cost.
It wasn’t until three days later that she discovered the charges totaled $65,322, according to court papers. The spa has repeatedly refused her requests for a refund, the lawsuit claims.
Childs-Johnson is seeking at least the full amount she was charged. The suit names OP Creation Inc., Madison Apothecary Inc., and Olle LLC as defendants. According to the filing, Madison Apothecary Inc. and OP Creation Inc. share an address on Madison Avenue, and OP Creation was the source of charges on one of her credit cards.
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A spokesperson for Madison Apothecary told the Post the company had not been served with legal papers and called the allegations “baffling,” saying they have no connection to the other defendants and have never charged anyone $65,000.Olle Beauty Clinic did not respond to the Post’s request for comment. However, after the story was published, Olle did reply to a negative Google review referencing the article. In that response, the business wrote:
“We take allegations about mistreatment or improper handling of funds very seriously and are sorry to hear of these concerns. We have launched an internal review and will cooperate fully with any independent inquiry; our company is committed to treating all customers, especially seniors, with respect and transparency. If you or someone you know has been affected, please contact our Customer Care team—contact details are available on our website [ollebeautyclinic.com]—so we can investigate and address the matter promptly. We appreciate the opportunity to look into this and resolve any issues.”
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