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Couple Says They Were Turned Away For Massages Because They’re Gay

A man and his boyfriend say that they were denied a couple’s massage–which they had already booked and paid for–on Monday in Naples, Florida, because they’re gay. Now, the spa is backtracking by issuing an apology for the “misunderstanding” on Facebook.

Michael Levenosa shared a video of his confrontation with an employee of Joy Feet Spa after he and his boyfriend were allegedly that their massages would cost extra because a couple’s massage is for only a man and a woman. The video also shows the employee instructing the couple to call customer service in order to receive their refund.

“My boyfriend and I decided that we wanted to have a relaxing Monday. So we Prepaid $109 and booked a couples massage at ‘joy feet spa,’” Levenosa shared on both Twitter and Facebook. “When we arrived the manager refused to service us because we are two gay men. He made it clear it had to be a man and a woman. Even after we told him we already paid he still denied us the couples massage. Today my humanity has been tested.”

Levenosa told Yahoo Lifestyle that at first, he was confused by the man’s response. “I didn’t know if the Groupon was correct — I wasn’t sure what the problem was. Once I found out, I was in shock… After [this incident] we called every single spa in Naples, Florida, and they all said that they perform massages on couples of all genders.”

Since the incident gained traction on social media, Joy Feet Spa has issued two apologies on their Facebook page, writing that the manager simply misunderstood what “couple means” and asking if he could make it up to them by giving them both a one-hour massage for free.

But despite the public apology, Levenosa, who has not yet been successful in actually recieving a refund and doesn’t believe the spa’s apology is actually genuine. He told Yahoo Lifestyle, “I feel like they just apologized because of all the attention that they got and all the bad reviews.”

And as for that offer for a free massage? That’s a no for Michael. Levenosa explained, “I can’t go back there, all I’ll be thinking about is how they treated us when we first got there… People need to treat people how they want to be treated. It’s that simple.”

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