Sudden closure of Brea spa has customers asking for gift card, membership refunds

BREA, Calif. (KABC) -- The sudden closure of The Spa at the Glen, formerly located at the Brea Mall, has dozens of people asking for refunds of memberships and gift cards they had just purchased.

For Tom and Tandi Filpi, it was a gift turned into a pile of rubble.

The Filpis said they took advantage of a promotion in December 2023.

"Spend a $100, get $50," Tandi explained.

The couple spent $400 and ended up with $600 in credit -- all for a little rest and relaxation.

"It was a Christmas gift, so like January, February we called. It was under renovation, or they were remodeling," Tom explained.

Fast forward to a year after the purchase, the couple was still wishing for some relaxation before this year's holiday season.

"We figured, 'Hey, it's before the holidays. Let's go get a massage,'" Tom recalled.

"We thought it has to be done by now," Tandi said.

Instead, they say they found the business was permanently closed.

"All the websites are down. They had a Facebook page. They had an Instagram page. They're all gone," Tandi said. "There's a QR code on the back of these (pamphlets) and if you try it, it's gone. It's wiped out."

The Filpis weren't alone. Eyewitness News spoke with several customers sharing similar experiences.

On Yelp, there were dozens of comments for the spa with complaints about a sudden closure. Customers say they were out hundreds, even thousands of dollars.

"I feel like it was scandalous, actually. I mean obviously a business knows they're gonna close," Tandi said.

Eyewitness News spoke with the owner of the business, Eric Smith, who said the sale was his typical Christmas promotion.

In an email, Smith wrote in part:

"When I knew we were definitely going to shut down was approximately first part of January when I was informed by Simon that they would not be giving me a 3 to 6 month extension in order for me to relocate the Spa. Within a week or so most of the Spa location was demolished for construction. They had an agenda. They wanted me out of there so they could complete their renovation on time."

Eyewitness News reached out to the property owner, Simon Property Group, but we have not heard back.

According to the group's website, the mall is undergoing a "planned $300 million redevelopment."

Smith told Eyewitness News that he hoped to find a new facility and honor the gift cards but, "as of today we have not been able to locate an adequate space due to the economy and inflation and cost of build out."

Smith is listed as the owner of another spa in Valencia. Regarding that, he wrote:

"As far as gift card holders and members using at a different spa unfortunately it's a totally different corporation. I'm looking into possible ways to have a reciprocal agreement but at this moment, there's nothing in place."

"If we could use them that would be fantastic," Tandi said. "I mean if they're not gonna reopen, obviously I'd love to get our money back."

Smith said 40 full-time employees lost their jobs with the closure of the spa.

One of the customers we spoke with told Eyewitness News she was fully refunded.