A southwest Miami-Dade recovery home is offering a rare look inside its operations as law enforcement and lawmakers sound alarms about a surge in unlicensed facilities, they say, that are putting cosmetic-surgery patients in danger.
For Wisslen Zamora, her recovery from multiple cosmetic procedures is happening inside a private room at Dream House Care, one of the few recovery homes in South Florida that investigators say operates legally. Zamora traveled from Indianapolis for her surgeries and is spending eleven days at the home.
“They look after even the smallest details,” she said in Spanish.
License requirements
Dream House Care is owned and run by Lorena Sanchez and her family, who operate the home with an Assisted Living Facility (ALF) license. That license requires the facility to follow strict state protocols — including proper medical waste disposal, a nutritionist-designed meal plan for patients, and a nurse on call.
“There is staff 24 hours a day, monitoring vital signs,” Sanchez said.
Her daughter, Sara Michelena, who works at the house, says they saw a growing need in Miami.
“So many people travel here for cosmetic surgery… we did see the need,” she said.
Investigators: Dozens of illegal post-surgery homes operating in Miami-Dade
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the growing demand has also fueled the rise of illegal, unlicensed recovery houses. Law enforcement estimates there are dozens of unregulated properties operating in the county right now — often without trained staff or emergency protocols.
“They are dangerous,” Michelena said. “There are some people that are not alive to tell the story.”
One of those women was Ahmonique Miller, a young mother from Las Vegas who died within hours of arriving at a Miami recovery house earlier this year. Her death remains under investigation.
Miller’s case has inspired a new legislative proposal aimed at creating specific regulations for recovery homes, which currently fall under the same statute as assisted-living facilities.
“It would be really good if we have a specific license for this,” Michelena said. “The protocols and everything that has to do specifically for this.”
Inside a licensed facility
Investigators say one safety measure they rarely see in unlicensed homes is a secure place for patients to store medications. At Dream House Care, each room has a drawer that can be locked.
Zamora said she learned firsthand how risky the search for a recovery home can be. After sharing her phone number with someone online she believed worked for a recovery house, she says she started receiving threatening messages and demands for money
“A horrible extortion began,” she said. “People threatening me… I gave a lot of money, about $2,000.”
Social media warnings — and backlash
Sanchez uses social media to warn women about the dangers of unregulated recovery homes. One post states that many unlicensed facilities avoid calling 911 because they fear being shut down.
But she says speaking out has also made her a target.
“Yes, I have been attacked by those who are not doing things the right way,” Sanchez said.
“At first I was really sad about it… but then I thought, we’re doing something right,” Michele added.
A price too good to be true?
Sanchez and Michelena say they are often contacted by women staying at other homes who feel unsafe or mistreated. Their advice: be wary of unusually low prices.
A daily rate under $300, they say, is a major red flag, adding licensed facilities face significant operational costs — including qualified staff around the clock — that make extremely cheap rates unrealistic.
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