CHENEY, Wash. – The Cheney Police Department confirmed Thursday that they are actively investigating “Nails with HeART” salon after multiple women took to social media to allege harassment at the business.
“Usually after your appointment, he’ll offer a hand massage. And it goes to your hand, up your arm, maybe to your shoulder, at most. But that night, he seemed to be rushing [to finish] my nails. And then, went straight to the massage afterwards,” a woman who wished to remain anonymous, said.
The anonymous woman described herself as a regular customer of Nails with HeART.
Recently, while alone in the salon, towards the end of business hours, with a male manicurist. She alleges he gave her a massage for an hour.
“[In] Situations like this, I shut down. So, I just kept repeating in my head, ‘I want to go home. I want to go home.’ And he started touching my chest area and kept getting lower and lower,” the woman said.
While she claimed the manicurist never physically groped her, she told NonStop Local that, at one point, he moved his hand under the collar.
“He grabbed the back of my neck, moved it super close to his face and was making inappropriate comments. Such as, ‘Do you like that?’, ‘That feels good’, ‘You like that, don’t you?”… I started just staring down at the table. And he had a mask on. So, I couldn’t see his mouth. But, I looked up and his eyes were closed. And he was making moaning noises. I tried to convince myself, [that] maybe he was just out of breath. But, it started getting more and more uncomfortable,” the woman said.
She told NonStop Local she managed to get out of the situation by claiming she had to get home to finish an assignment.
Emotionally shaken, she took to a community social media page and asked if others had experienced any unsettling encounters at Nails with HeART.
A few women began publicly commenting on her post that they, family or friends had been harassed at the salon.
She said multiple women began privately messaging her and sharing their stories.
“I would say there’s at least 10 to 15+ girls. And that’s only ones that have admitted it. And a lot of the girls have said ‘Yeah, I thought this was in my head, so I didn’t want to say anything.’ So, I have to stand up for all the other girls that are too scared to come forward,” the woman said.
She filed a police report and is pressing charges.
NonStop Local spoke with one mother via social media, who declined an interview and also requested to remain anonymous.
The mother said her teenage daughter had a manicure with the exact same manicurist. When offered a massage, she said her daughter declined. But, alleged that the man proceeded to massage the teen’s shoulders, arms, top of chest and neck area.
On Tuesday, NonStop Local reporter Steffi Roche received a direct message on social media from Nails with HeART.
The sender claimed to work at the salon and said they had heard feedback on social media. They apologized for “this inconvenience” and said to forgive him for any mistakes.
Roche responded Wednesday and inquired about the harassment allegations.
He informed the reporter that his name was Michael and that he was “very surprised to hear this information” and didn’t know what he did to “be like this.”
He added that he was just an employee and his English was not very good. He added that the owner would give Roche a call.
Wednesday, Roche called and emailed the salon, and later received an email from someone claiming to be the owner. The email read:
“Hi there, It is Selina, I am Nails With Heart Spas owner. I really appreciate of your caring for our business. I knew Michael for years before he started to work for me. He is a hard worker, very kind and polite. I and hundred clients like him a lot and we trust him, it might be a misunderstanding. I am sorry I can not take your interview tomorrow. I had quick meeting with my lawyer, they will take care of this case if the rumor goes further and affect our business. Thanks and Best Regards. Selina.”
Meanwhile, the woman pressing charges said she reported the manicurist to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) earlier this week.
NonStop Local reached out to the BBB but has not heard back.
NonStop Local also went to Nails with HeART Thursday morning and evening to try to speak with an owner about the allegations. Despite stopping by twice during their typical business hours, the salon was closed.
Cheney Police confirmed that only the anonymous woman interviewed had filed a police report.
They encourage anyone with information to contact them or to file a report.
