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A woman by the name of Alecia Tramel is suing Massage Envy for refusing to service her after learning she was HIV positive. Tramel revealed that she was visiting for her monthly massage with parlor when she was asked about her medical history.
She says the masseuse asked her:
“Do you have any medical conditions?’ I say, ‘I’m HIV positive.’ She said, ‘Get undressed to your underwear, get on the table and cover-up,’ and she leaves out of the room.”
The masseuse returned to the room and told her,” “We will not be able to provide you with service because you need a doctor’s consent.”
The incident took place in August at Massage Envy, located at 20633 Biscayne Blvd.
A very emotional Tramel tells Florida’s Local 10 News: “(The) first time in 19 years I feel devastated, but instead of it making me want to crawl under a rock, it fueled me.”
This was not the first time she was serviced at Massage Envy and her medical history was never an issue.
“I was like, ‘Wow, I know I was discriminated against. I don’t need a doctor’s note for a massage. That was their way of not servicing me,” Tramel said. “I went to the car, sat in the car, and I said, ‘This is what it feels like.’ I think I was numb. I felt pain, isolation, and fear from a place I went to get a service,” Tramel said.
Tramel has filed a lawsuit against the owners of the franchise.
Her lawyer Courtney Cunningham, “You can’t discriminate in the provision of services, public accommodations, which Massage Envy is. You can’t discriminate in providing services to people who are HIV positive just because they are HIV positive.”
Tramel also adds she is symptom-free.