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Embattled nail salon Glosslab has been scrambling for cash despite celebrity backers that include former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo, The Chainsmokers and rapper Lil’ Yachty — and some insiders claim the company is in danger of shutting down for good, The Post has learned.

The New York-based chain — which has touted a water-free, hygiene-minded approach to manicures and monthly memberships for unlimited access to its salons — has been mired in chaos under founder and CEO Rachel Apfel Glass, according to former employees.

As reported by The Post, Glosslab has lately been accused by landlords of skipping hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent, even as it has shuttered stores. Insiders blame an overheated and chaotic expansion under Glass — with multiple sources claiming she was nowhere to be found even as the company unraveled.

“She had no interest in the day-to-day operations of this business,” one former employee said of Glass, asking not to be identified. “Rachel was fully absentee. Her interest was in picking out nail polish colors for Instagram posts.”

Another former executive said, “Rachel was very interested in doing podcasts and being a working mom She was trying to build a personal brand but neglecting the brand she was running.”

Glass declined to be interviewed for this article. A spokesperson for Glosslab said former employees’ allegations that Glass was “hands off” and “absentee” were “a very inaccurate characterization” of the executive.

Glosslab recently defaulted on a $5 million loan from a key partner — Joshua Coba, the co-founder of publicly-held European Wax Center, sources said.

Last year, Coba bought seven Glosslab salons, becoming its first franchisee and agreeing to expand the franchise nationwide. But now the stores he bought are affiliated with New York company in name only, former employees tell The Post.

“It’s a delicate situation,” another former employee said, adding that without Coba’s support the company has a “bleak future.”

Asked about the rift with Coba and the $5 million loan default, a Glosslab spokesperson did not deny the allegation, but called it “inaccurate,” declining to elaborate. Coba didn’t respond to requests for comment.

The Chainsmokers declined to comment. The Post reached out to Culpo and Lil’ Yachty for comment.

Faced with a dire shortage of licensed nail technicians, Glosslab has resorted to costly and bizarre measures — including buying Uber rides to send workers from Manhattan to understaffed salons in Westport, Conn., and Hoboken, NJ — a roundtrip that could easily top $300, former employees told The Post.

In addition, New York-based technicians were handed daily cash bonuses of $150 to $200 to cover shifts in newly opened salons across state lines, sources said.

The bigger problem, according to insiders: The company has long fielded complaints that it hired underqualified and unlicensed technicians — who kept their jobs despite mishaps and concerns raised by customers, employees and city inspectors alike.

Glosslab was so desperate for workers that “if nail techs had friends or family that wanted to work, we would have them train at one of the locations alongside another licensed technician,” a former employee told The Post. “They’d train for four or five days and then be sent to Glosslab.”

According to another former employee, “We had numerous instances of nail techs cutting clients, or giving them botched manicures. When clients would complain, the company would throw money at the problem by giving them a free manicure or even free memberships in hopes they wouldn’t leave a bad review.”

A Glosslab spokesperson responded that “all of Glosslab’s technicians are licensed,” and that, “As is common practice in the industry, Glosslab offers free services to correct manicures if a customer isnt satisfied.”

It wasn’t just customers that Glosslab was deceiving — but also prospective investors as the chain scrambled to raise cash, according to sources.

“Whenever an investor would be visiting the store the company would place fake appointments in our books so we would look busy, even going as far as having employees of the company sit in and get their nails done to give the illusion of a successful business,” a former employee claimed.

“Many managers would be upset about that because after the investor would leave they would delete all the fake appointments out of the books,” the source added. “These appointments took up slots that actual paying customers could have taken causing that store’s metrics to be down for that day.”

A Glosslab spokesperson responded that “this is untrue,” adding, “Glosslab pays its staff for every appointment. Staff were never asked to provide services for which they were not compensated.”

Glass was recently “looking for more investors, but [she’s] concerned about sharing why there’s so many closures,” added a worker, who was laid off last year and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

As for Coba, he doesn’t pay royalties and has severed ties as a partner after Glosslab defaulted on his loan. Coba stepped down from EWC’s board in 2021 and runs his own franchising consulting business.

“Glosslab is not supporting him as a franchisee because they dont have the resources to,” said a former employee. “They are not doing any of the things that a franchisor does.”

Insiders say the company began spiraling out of control during the pandemic after it partnered with The Lab, a Brooklyn-based angel investment firm. Co-founded by Andy Stenzler, who started the Rumble boxing fitness chain, The Lab brought in celebrity investors and steered Glosslab towards aggressive expansion.

At one point, Glosslab had 40 leases, including 20 operating salons — it’s down to 14 now — and another 20 under construction, sources told The Post.

“Our rent bill for stores we were building was as high if not higher than the stores we had,” a former employee said. By 2022, Glosslab “was already out of the business of running stores and only in the business of opening stores and thats ultimately what went wrong,” the employee added.

As of last year, Glosslab reportedly raised roughly $20 million Glass said in a Fox Business interview and had opened 21 locations across Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Texas and Washington, DC.

Despite the chaos and the dire cash shortage, Glass last year hired a consultant at about $8,000 per month to run her social media accounts, according to the employee.

“We convinced her that there would be a mutiny since she had just laid off corporate staff, but then shed decide that our next big thing needs to be retail products but we had neither the budget nor the staff or resources to invest in it. It wasnt a plan, it was a whim,” the employee added.

Some salons were shut down by local health inspectors. In Washington DC, the Dupont Circle and Market Circle salons were temporarily closed in November and have since closed for good, according to a report.

If health inspectors ever showed up at New York salons, workers were instructed to “give them the runaround and say you don’t know anything and you just work here,” according to a laid-off worker.

Another former employee who worked at a Manhattan location in 2022 recalled a tense visit from a city inspector who confronted staff over their lack of license documentation. According to New York law, nail technicians must complete a 250-hour course and pass written and practical exams. Their licenses must beposted on the premises.

“He demanded to see at least pictures of some of the nail tech’s licenses,” the source said. “They were panicking in the basement over it. The inspector ended up staying for hours in our store speaking to the director of operations trying to get to the bottom of the issue.”

Nevertheless, “After that incident, nothing changed,” the source added. “There was no company push or initiative for all nail tech’s to be licensed.”

A Glosslab spokesperson responded: “Like most companies in most industries, managers at Glosslab take the lead when inspections occur so employees can focus on their jobs.”

The rep added that all of the other allegations made by former employees are either untrue or inaccurate.”

Constant cash crunches likewise spurred shortage of basic supplies at salons, including gloves and nail files for technicians, insiders said.

“The company would drop off cheap drug store gloves and not the medical grade gloves we usually received, because these gloves were cheap,” a source said. “The acetone would eat through the gloves and cause holes in them mid service with the client.”

A Glosslab spokesperson said reports of short supplies and lesser-quality gloves were “untrue.”

As Glosslab’s financial woes worsened, the landlord of the Darien Commons shopping center sued in October to evict Glosslab for failing to pay its rent for several months last year.

Glosslab has skipped out on other leases, The Post earlier reported, including its retail space at 401 Third Ave. in Manhattans upscale Murray Hill neighborhood, which displayed a public notice from its landlord alleging that Glosslab owes it $146,542 in back rent.

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Migrants locked up in notorious El Salvador jail released in Venezuela-US prisoner swap

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Migrants locked up in notorious El Salvador jail released in Venezuela-US prisoner swap

On Friday, Paola Paiva waited in a hotel near Caracas airport, nervous but giddy with excitement to be reunited with her brother, finally.

For five months, Arturo Suarez has been detained in a notorious prison in El Salvador.

“I am going to wait for my brother to call me,” she told Sky News, “and after giving him a hug, I want to just listen to him, listen to his voice. Let him talk and tell us his story.”

Suarez was one of the more than 250 Venezuelan migrants who had been living in America but were arrested in immigration raids by the Trump administration and sent to El Salvador, a showpiece act in the president’s promise to deport millions of migrants.

Paola Paiva holds a vigil for brother Arturo Suarez. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Paola Paiva holds a vigil for brother Arturo Suarez. Pic: Reuters

Most of the men had never even been to El Salvador before. Their detention has been controversial because the White House claims the men are all part of the dangerous Tren de Aragua gang but has provided little evidence to support this assertion.

The only evidence Paola had that Suarez was still alive was a picture of him published on a news website showing the inside of the maximum security CECOT jail.

He is one of dozens of men with their hands and feet cuffed, heads shaved and bodies shackled together.

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Now he is returning to his home country, one of the bargaining chips in a deal that saw the release of ten Americans and US permanent residents who had been seized by the Venezuelan authorities.

Venezuelans arrive back in home country after being detained in El Salvador
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Venezuelans arrive back in home country after being detained in El Salvador

Paola had tried to go to the airport to greet her brother as he disembarked a charter plane bringing the men back from El Salvador but authorities told her to wait at a nearby hotel.

“They told us they are taking them all to a hotel to rest,” she said.

“But I managed to get someone to give my phone number on a piece of paper to my brother, so I am expecting his call tomorrow, as soon as he can access a phone.

“We heard they are going to perform some medical exams on them and check their criminal records,” she added. “I’m not afraid; I’m not worried since my brother has a clean record.

“I am so happy. I knew this day would happen, and that it would be unexpected, that no one was going to notify us. I knew it was going to be a total surprise.”

US citizens released from Venezuela. Pic: Reuters
Image:
US citizens released from Venezuela. Pic: Reuters

The Trump administration had paid the El Salvador government, led by President Nayib Bukele, millions of dollars to imprison the men.

Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem visited CECOT last month, posing in front of prisoners for a photo opportunity.

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But Cristosal, an international human rights group based in El Salvador, says it has “documented systematic physical beatings, torture, intentional denial of access to food, water, clothing, health care,” inside the prison.

A video which was seemingly filmed aboard the charter flight bringing the Venezuelan migrants back to Caracas shows Arturo briefly talking about his experience inside.

He looks physically well but speaks into the camera and says: “We were four months with no communication, no phone calls, kidnapped, we didn’t know what (the) day was, not even the time.

“We were beat up at breakfast, lunch and dinner,” he continues.

Sky News interviewed Arturo Suarez‘s brother Nelson near his home in the US in April, weeks after Arturo – an aspiring singer – had been arrested by immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) agents while filming a music video inside a house.

Nelson said he believed Arturo’s only crime was “being Venezuelan and having tattoos.” He showed me documents that indicate Arturo has no criminal record in Venezuela, Chile, Colombia or the United States, the four countries he has lived in.

Now Nelson is delighted Arturo is being released – but worries for his future.

“The only thing that casts a shadow in such a moment of joy is that bit of anger when I think that all the governments involved are going to use my brother’s story, and the others on that flight, as political gain,” he said.

“Each of them will tell a different story, making themselves the heroes, when the reality is that many innocent people suffered unfairly and unnecessarily, and many families will remain separated after this incident due to politics, immigration and fear.”

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Ha Long Bay: At least 34 dead after tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam

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Ha Long Bay: At least 34 dead after tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam

At least 34 people have died after a tourist boat capsized in Vietnam, according to state media reports.

The Wonder Sea boat was reportedly carrying 53 people, including five crew members, when it capsized due to strong winds in Ha Long Bay on Saturday.

It happened at roughly 2pm local time (7am GMT). Rescue teams have found 11 survivors and recovered 34 bodies, eight of them children, the state-run Vietnam News Agency said, citing local authorities.

People on a capsized tourist boat being rescued in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. Pic: QDND via AP
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Rescuer in Ha Long Bay are searching for survivors. Pic: QDND via AP

The People’s Army Newspaper, which cited local border guards, said authorities have not yet confirmed details about the tourists, including their nationalities, as the rescue operation continues.

Most of the passengers were tourists, including about 20 children, from the country’s capital city, Hanoi, the newspaper said.

The incident comes shortly after the arrival of Storm Wipha in the South China Sea, bringing strong winds, heavy rain and lightning to the area.

A body being carried on stretcher after a tourist boat capsized in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. Pic: QDND via AP
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A body being carried on stretcher after a tourist boat capsized in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. Pic: QDND via AP

The named storm is the third typhoon to hit the South China Sea this year, and is expected to make landfall along the northern coast of Vietnam early next week.

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Disruptions linked to the storm have also had an impact on air travel, according to Noi Bai Airport.

The airport reported that nine incoming flights were diverted to other airports, while three outgoing flights were temporarily grounded due to adverse weather conditions.

Tourist boats cruise in Halong Bay. File pic: Reuters
Image:
Tourist boats cruise in Halong Bay. File pic: Reuters

The winds brought by Storm Wipha reached up to 63mph (101kmph) and gusts of up to 68mph (126kmph) as it passed south of Taiwan on Saturday, according to the island’s Central News Agency.

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Ha Long Bay is around 125mi (200km) north east of Hanoi and attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year.

Of those who visit Ha Long Bay, many choose to take overnight boat tours to further explore the area.

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Gaza: More than 30 people killed ‘as Israeli troops open fire towards Palestinians waiting for aid’

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Gaza: More than 30 people killed 'as Israeli troops open fire towards Palestinians waiting for aid'

More than 30 people have been killed after Israeli troops opened fire towards crowds of Palestinians waiting for aid, according to witnesses and hospital officials.

The deaths occurred near distribution hubs operated by the US-Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, after Israel eased its 11-week blockade of aid into the territory.

At least 32 people were killed on Saturday, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, while a further 100 people were injured, according to local reports.

Most of the deaths came as Palestinians massed in the Teina area, around 3km (2 miles) away from a GHF aid distribution centre east of the city of Khan Younis.

More than 3o killed near aid distribution centres. Pic:Mariam Dagga/AP
Image:
More than 30 people killed near aid distribution centres. Pic: Mariam Dagga/AP

Mahmoud Mokeimar said he was walking with crowds of people – mostly young men – towards the food hub when troops fired warning shots as the crowd advanced, before opening fire towards the marching people.

“It was a massacre… the occupation opened fire at us indiscriminately,” he said.

Injured Palestinians are brought to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Pic: Mariam Dagga/AP
Image:
Injured Palestinians are brought to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Pic: Mariam Dagga/AP

Akram Aker said troops fired machine guns mounted on tanks and drones.

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“They encircled us and started firing directly at us,” he said.

The Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said it received 25 bodies, along with dozens of wounded.

Seven other people, including one woman, were killed in the Shakoush area, hundreds of yards north of another GHF hub in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, the hospital said.

The army and GHF did not immediately comment on Saturday’s violence.

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The GFH, which has four distribution centres, three of which are in the southern Gaza Strip, says it has distributed millions of meals to hungry Palestinians.

But local health officials and witnesses say hundreds of people have been killed by Israeli army fire as they try to reach the distribution hubs.

The GHF, which employs private armed guards, says there have been no deadly shootings at its sites, though this week, 20 people were killed at one of its locations, most of them in a stampede.

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The group accused Hamas agitators of causing a panic, but gave no evidence to back the claim.

The army, which is not at the sites but secures them from a distance, says it only fires warning shots if crowds get too close to its forces.

The 21-month war in Gaza was triggered when Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage.

An Israeli military offensive has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, while Gaza’s more than two million Palestinians are living through a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks in Qatar in recent weeks, but international mediators say there have been no breakthroughs.

US President Donald Trump said another 10 hostages will be released from Gaza shortly, without providing details.

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