Nine spa employees are without their paychecks, and dozens of their customers out some money after a local salon shut down unexpectedly.

The employees from the former "Utopia Day Spa" say it happened on February 5th, shortly after the owner complained about high rent costs and then suddenly moved her salon to a new location. Now they say she owes tens of thousands of dollars to locals who paid for massages and pedicures, but got nothing in return.

The spa owner had been in business here in Reno for about a decade. Her customers and employees say they never saw this coming.

Utopia used to be in the Mayberry Landing Shopping Center off McCarran, but the mall owners say the tenant left in January without any warning. Bill Warner spent $15.00 on gift certificates for his wife and co-workers, only to find out Utopia had disappeared.

"I'd like to see what the legal proceedings are and if we can get some or all of that money back," said Warner.

The landlords say while a new spa owner is already occupying the old space, they still see dozens of angry victims at the center each day. They say they too have been hurt and that the former Utopia owner owes them thousands of dollars in unpaid rent money.

"It's very tragic. Everyone has gotten hurt who has trusted that business would stay here. It's tragic," said Mayberry Landing owner, Amy Gerbus.

After leaving Mayberry Landing, the spa owner moved her services across town to the "Hotte Skin and Nail Lounge," where she planned on renting a space. Although the owner of that spa says she also never received any rent.

The former Utopia receptionist, Katie Krueger, who is now working at the new location, says her old boss sold gift certificates to hundreds of people over the Christmas season, totaling more than $67,000 dollars.

She then left without honoring them, and without giving nine employees their last paychecks. Krueger says her former boss owes her more than $700.00.

"Pretty hurt. We were very surprised and shocked. We had no idea this would be happening. We're hurt," said Krueger.

Krueger says she feels for the unsuspecting customers who've lost hundreds of Christmas gifts to their loved ones, massages, facials, and pamper treatments that they'll never be able to redeem.

We tried to reach the former Utopia owner on her personal cell phone several times, although there was no answer.

The owner of Hotte Skin and Nail Lounge says she feels for the customers who were taken by Utopia, although she is not able to honor the their gift certificates at her store. After all, she too is just another small business owner trying to make it in this economy.

If you were a victim of the Utopia Spa, the Nevada Attorney General's office encourages you to file a complaint with "The Bureau of Consumer Protection."

Just go to:
http://ag.state.nv.us/complaints/complaints.htm