Gay men were refused a couples massage in a Naples spa - NBC2 News

[massage]

The couple was turned away at the Joy Feet Spa on Pine Ridge Road in Naples.

The exchange between the couple and the spa's manager recorded on cellphone video has been viewed hundreds of times on Facebook.

“It hurt," Michael Garcia said. "It sucks because we’re just like everybody else."


Garcia and his boyfriend Arnaldo said they pre-booked their couple's massage online, but when they got there, they were turned away and told they couldn't get one.



“I was just in shock," Garcia said. "I was like, 'Why?' He was like, 'Cause it’s female and male,' and he just kept pointing to a poster on the wall for couples massages. You hear stories and stuff, but here where I live in Naples, Florida? I would’ve never thought that would happen."



The incident generated immense backlash for the company as many called out the manager on Facebook and Yelp.



Joy Feet Spa manager Jerry Liu said he never meant to discriminate. He apologized in a Facebook post, riddled with rainbows, about the incident.



“I apologize," Liu said. "It’s my fault."



Liu explained it's a difference of culture. He said in China the word "couple" means a man and a woman but now knows being a couple isn't limited to just straight partners.



“It doesn’t matter where he’s from. He’s here in America," Garcia said. "He should know that that’s a thing. It’s normal. Treat everybody equally—black, white, gay, straight—it doesn’t matter. We’re human. We all came from the same thing."



Liu has invited Michael and his boyfriend to come back for a free massage. Although the offer was declined, Garcia said we're all human and deserve forgiveness.






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