New charge against ex-Twin Cities spa staffer as he’s sentenced for assault

On the same day a massage spa staffer was sentenced for sexually assaulting a client at an Eden Prairie spa, another case was filed against him, according to court records.

Dru Alexander Barrow, 27, of Minnetonka, is one of two former staffers at Tigercave Massage and Foot Spa to be charged with sexual assault.

Barrow was sentenced in Hennepin County District Court on Thursday to four days in the workhouse after pleading guilty to felony fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with an assault on March 7, 2024.

Judge Julie Allyn’s sentence includes the possibility that Barrow’s felony conviction would be reduced to a misdemeanor if he abides by all the conditions of his three years of probation. Those terms include attending a sex offender program, registering with the state as a predatory offender and not working as a massage therapist.

Also Thursday, Barrow was again charged with the same felony count, this time stemming from allegations a woman brought to police after seeing news accounts about the earlier accusations. He has a hearing in the case scheduled for March 25.

Both women provided essentially the same account to police, according to the charges. They said Barrow lifted the sheet to expose them unclothed as they flipped over from being on their stomach to their back, and then touched their chests.

Barrow is one of two staffers at Tigercave to be charged with sexual assault.

In August, John Vue, 28, of Minneapolis, was charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with the most serious of allegations against him at the spa in the heart of the city’s sprawling retail district.

Also pending against Vue are three cases alleging fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. A hearing concerning all four cases is scheduled for April 28.

According to the most serious charge against Vue, a woman contacted police after a friend told her about an earlier allegation against him. The woman said she arrived on May 16 for what was to be her sixth massage with Vue, when he sexually assaulted her.

A few hours earlier, when a husband and wife came in for a couple’s appointment, Vue massaged the woman’s chest without permission for five to seven minutes, the charges said.

On May 14, Vue sexually touched another female client.

Vue was a licensed massage therapist at the time of the alleged assaults. Barrow was not licensed to practice massage therapy.

A phone call to the spa Tuesday afternoon went to voicemail without ringing. Court records filed in February in one case against Vue noted the business was closed.