A woman from Brooklyn is facing a troubling aftermath after celebrating her 62nd birthday at a spa with a checkered past. Cleopatra Brown, who marked her special day at Spa Castle in College Point on July 30, claims she returned home with a serious bacterial infection that has led her to file a lawsuit.
According to court documents submitted to Brooklyn Supreme Court on August 14, Brown, a U. S. Navy veteran, developed cellulitis—a painful infection affecting the deeper layers of the skin—on her right leg and foot shortly after her visit.
The lawsuit alleges that the spa’s lack of proper sanitation practices, including unsterilized robes and towels, contributed to her condition.
Brown asserts that the facility failed to maintain a safe environment, citing inadequate cleaning of locker rooms, floors, and pools. The legal filing claims that the spa neglected to properly test its hot tubs and pools, resulting in unsafe disinfectant levels that may have led to her infection.
A decorated veteran who served from 1982 to 1988, Brown has been recognized in the New York State Senate’s Veterans’ Hall of Fame and is also an ordained minister. Her attorney, Michael B. Palillo, has chosen not to comment on the ongoing case, but Brown is seeking unspecified damages for her ordeal.
Spa Castle has previously been in the spotlight for its raunchy reputation. Reports from 2016 described a chaotic atmosphere where patrons were allegedly engaging in inappropriate behavior in the pools. While Brown’s lawsuit does not mention such incidents, the spa has had its share of controversies, including a shutdown by the city’s Health Department in March 2016 due to safety violations after a young girl nearly drowned.
In a tragic incident in 2014, an 84-year-old guest was found unresponsive in an outdoor hot tub, with an autopsy revealing underlying health issues. As of now, Spa Castle and the city’s Health Department have not responded to requests for comments regarding Brown’s claims.
What does this mean for the future of Spa Castle and its patrons? The conversation is just beginning.
