Shock twist in bitter feud between exclusive spa and millionaire entrepreneur
An exclusive Melbourne spa has stood down an employee after management became aware of an 'extremely inappropriate team message'.
Saint Haven, a members-only wellness clinic owned by Rich Lister Tim Gurner, announced the news on June 13 after coming under fire from millionaire entrepreneur Christopher Shao.
Mr Shao accused a staff member of speaking to his mother in a 'condescending' tone and went public with his complaint to the exclusive spa.
He doubled down on claims of racism after alleging his mother was singled out for carrying her phone in a club bathhouse.
Saint Haven hit back and said its staff were 'committed to gently upholding' its policy of a technology ban in public spaces.
Gurner Group executives Ahmed Fahour and Peter Crinis addressed Mr Shao's complaint in a joint statement to members, seen by The Herald.
They stated the no-phone policy helps to protect the privacy of members and 'no wrongdoing has been identified' regarding the incident involving the millionaire's mother.
However, the statement continued that 'in the past 24 hours, we have become aware of an extremely inappropriate internal team message sent by a team member'.
Saint Haven confirmed the inappropriate message was unrelated to Mr Shao's mother.
'This behaviour is not acceptable and goes against everything we stand for. The team member has been stood down pending a full investigation,' the statement continued.
'We hold our team and members to the same high standards, and we will always act swiftly and fairly in response to any conduct that compromises our values.'
Mr Shao had posted several images to his Instagram stories on Thursday night, which he claimed showed messages in a staff group chat.
The text exchanged appeared to show one staff member making insulting comments about Indian members, news.com.au reported.
He also claimed that, since news of the feud broke, he had been contacted by members and ex-Saint Haven staff, claiming they had been targeted by the club.
He told the publication that he was prepared to take legal action on behalf of the alleged victims, adding many were too scared to come forward.
Mr Shao met with Saint Haven executives earlier this month to discuss the complaint.
The Rich Lister said he felt that the way his concerns were handled by club management had been 'dismissive' and 'offensive'.
Mr Shao claimed the device-free policy is largely ignored and his mother had been singled out.
Saint Haven has three locations in Collingwood, South Yarra and Toorak and is opening its first Sydney venue in Bondi in Spring 2026.
The ritzy spa is said to have a jaw-dropping waiting list of 15,000 people.
Mr Gurner is one of Australia's richest men, with an estimated fortune of $990million.
It's understood young property mogul Mr Shao sold his Melbourne penthouse in recent years for close to $15million.
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