The owner of a high-end spa in Washington State claims that the influx of homeless shelters in the neighborhood drove her to shut down her business.
For over a decade, Linda Biel has operated Urbanna Natural Spa, Salon, and Wine on South Division Street in picturesque Spokane. However, she claimed that drug-related crime has increased as a result of the shelters.
The business owner has filed a lawsuit against Catholic Charities and the City of Spokane for running seven homeless shelters within a six-block radius of her establishment. According to Biel, there were just two when she first opened for business in 2016.
According to Biel’s lawsuit, homeless persons screaming at customers, defecating in the parking lot, exposing themselves at the entryway, and shooting up drugs down the sidewalk made it almost impossible for her salon to run.
On one occasion, Biel said that when Urbanna arrived at work, she saw seven bullet holes in a window into a room where young people were getting haircuts. Urbanna was allegedly robbed at gunpoint.
Drug traffickers frequently visit homeless shelters to prey on vulnerable individuals, but Biel pointed out that many of the residents are sincerely attempting to leave the streets.
The owner of the business stated that when they permanently close on July 25, she will have to give up her salon and all 33 of her employees.
Biel claimed that in 2016, she relocated Urbanna from its current site, which was only 500 feet away, to the once peaceful corner of downtown Spokane.
The owner of a posh spa in Washington state, Linda Biel (pictured), has stated that she was compelled to shut down her establishment due to an influx of homeless shelters that brought widespread criminality to the formerly tranquil neighborhood.
Biel has been operating Urbanna Natural Spa, Salon and Wine (pictured) in downtown Spokane for almost ten years, but she said that drug-related violence has “tainted” the area. “When we moved down here, we were truly in search of peace and quiet and safety,” she told the Spokesman-Review.
If you look at our small space, it resembles a tiny nook or niche. However, everything changed after they included that.
The entire downtown area is corrupted. Additionally, we are the cause and the hot spot.
Biel claimed to have spent tens of thousands of dollars transforming the 120-year-old structure that houses Urbanna into an opulent spa.
According to Biel, the salon had 17,000 clients at its peak, but that number has now dropped to only 4,000.
According to Biel’s lawsuit, Catholic Charities and the City of Spokane have not done enough to prevent crime in the area.
The lawsuit, which seeks $3.4 million in damages, claims that the charity’s living facilities are “chronic nuisances that must be mitigated.”
Catholic Charities Eastern Washington’s director of communications, Dave Meany, stated that the organization is not to blame for the salon’s problems.
Meany stated in a statement, “We are confident that the litigation process will reveal that the closure of the spa, salon, and wine bar is not a result of any activity on Catholic Charities’ property and/or any conduct attributable to our residents, who are striving to improve their lives.”
According to Catholic Charities’ website, the organization spends over $1 million annually on security and safety within and around its locations, including hiring security guards and installing security cameras.
Lisa Brown, the mayor of Spokane, stated that although she has long been a client of Urbanna, she had no influence over the establishment of local homeless shelters.
The Democrat mayor told the Spokane-Review, “There is a concentration of affordable housing there. All of that predates my administration.” All of the choices made about where to put things are a result of earlier judgments made by the city and charitable organizations.
“We have worked to address, to the extent possible, things we had control over since I’ve been in office.”
During the Covid epidemic, Spokane, Washington, became a boomtown due to its breathtaking natural beauty.
However, for over a year, residents have been grumbling about the rise in crime in several areas of the city.
Resident Elizabeth Flett said in April 2025 that downtown is “worn down and trashed” and that “a lot of people passed out sleeping” are frequently seen.
Spokane County saw 344 overdose deaths last year. In 2024, the number was 346.
Compared to 2019, when there were just 80 overdose deaths reported in the area, this represents a significant year-over-year increase.
According to the most recent government statistics, the total population of Spokane County is around 561,000.
The Spokane Police Department’s downtown precinct captain, Kurtis Reese, stated that although crime was lower in the area last year, it has grown more concentrated in some areas.
Reese told the Spokesman-Review, “The crime trends and kind of the groups of people move.”
For a few days, you may have a concentration, for example, at State and Pacific.
“The groups will go to 7-Eleven after we deal with that and some of the issues that are occurring.”
Biel, the City of Spokane, Mayor Lisa Brown, and Catholic Charities have all been approached by The Daily Mail for comment.
