Blindsided Tranquil Touch Spa Employees

Hello All,

My name is Lindsi Fett. I am a (former) esthetician at Tranquil Touch Spa in Fort Wayne. As the community is aware, we were blindsided by the owner suddenly closing the spa on 31 May and making the official announcement on Facebook 5 days later.

This is our story:

We’ve been loyal employees of the spa for 5, 10, 15+ years. We built a bond as a family with one another and our clients. Suddenly, we found our paychecks bouncing. The owner informed us that her bank account had been the victim of a scam and that the issue would be resolved. She began running massive sales on gift cards that led us to question if she was being truthful. We asked repeatedly if we needed to be worried. We told her that we simply needed to know if we should begin planning for new employment. We also requested that if things were headed downhill- please refrain from selling gift cards in massive quantities (some for $1200) if we were unable to fulfill them. She assured us that this was a scam issue and that we had nothing to worry about. We eventually learned that the truth is that the owner had abused COVID relief funds for personal gain rather than dispersing to employees and into the business. This led to the government demanding repayment and draining the business of all funds. (We’ve been told this by a credible source who is very close to her and by the owner herself when she spoke to an employee). Fast forward to 31 May (payday), employees came into work to find management crying. They informed everyone to go home, that there was no money, no paychecks, and that the spa was done. With no notice, we were unemployed and without wages. In all, there is probably well over 30k owed in wages that we are aware that we will not see. We wanted to swallow our pride and not ask for help. However, we are now offering each other rides to job interviews and assisting one another with groceries. Because the spa shut down without payment right before the 1st: people are behind on rent & if water bills/electric aren’t paid by Monday- utilities will be shut off. One of our girls just survived an apartment fire & received money from insurance to replace her items. Now she’s using the money to simply pay her bills & cannot afford to also replace her items.

We are moms with young children. We are family. We are devastated and struggling to keep our heads above water. This money will be dispersed between employees to try to make a dent in the damage that’s been done. If we make it beyond our goal, in all honesty, I’d like to use any extra money to buy out the lease on the building and allow the employees to reopen the spa under a new name, with the same staff of over 30 employees. Keep the family together if possible ❤️

Anything helps. We don’t expect anyone to provide. If you’re able that’s amazing. If not, a simple prayer would suffice and if you’re a loyal client- please reach out to us so we can help you follow us ❤️