A 75-year-old woman in Shanghai depleted her entire retirement savings, totaling approximately 3 million yuan (around HK$3.5 million), on a series of beauty treatments over several years, according to her family. The case came to light after her daughter sought help from a local television program upon discovering the extent of the financial impact.
The woman, identified by her surname Yu, had been receiving services at Yongqi Beauty and Hairdressing and a related medical beauty clinic called Rouyi since 2016. The treatments reportedly included skin-tightening, thread lifting, meridian massage, as well as repeated eyebrow and lip tattooing procedures. Billing records obtained by Yu’s daughter showed the costs for these treatments were significantly higher—between 10 to 20 times the usual market rates. For instance, a single multi-procedure lip tattooing session was charged at 38,800 yuan.
Yu mentioned that she did not scrutinize the expenses, believing her financial situation was strong due to proceeds from selling her home. However, by the time her daughter uncovered the situation, Yu had insufficient funds to pay rent and was forced to sell her jewelry to cover living expenses.
Compounding concerns, staff from Yongqi beauty salon reportedly referred Yu to Rouyi, the connected medical clinic, where she was billed 300,000 yuan for an "intimate care" procedure. Yu said she ultimately did not undergo this treatment, which the clinic replaced with other skincare services. Invoices from Rouyi included vague items such as “happiness chair” and “space capsule,” which Yu could not clearly explain. Attempts to contact Rouyi for comment were unsuccessful, as the phone numbers on the invoices were unreachable.
Further investigation revealed that Rouyi billed Yu through Yongqi’s accounts. In response, a Yongqi employee stated that Yu repeatedly requested the extensive procedures due to “appearance anxiety” and emphasized that all prices were clearly displayed. The salon maintained that Yu accepted the charges by making the payments. Yongqi subsequently issued a partial refund of advance payments as a compromise. When asked for comment, Yongqi’s management said the matter had been resolved and declined further discussion.
Yu has chosen not to pursue legal action, and Yongqi continues its operations without public indication of any official regulatory inquiry or suspension. Experts emphasize that while businesses must provide clear pricing, China’s Provisions on Clear Price Marketing and Prohibition of Price Fraud require operators to maintain transparency, fairness, and honesty. Observers note that beauty salons often depend heavily on customers’ ongoing spending and caution consumers to remain vigilant about pricing and sales tactics.