Board members and the chief executive of Community Action of Minneapolis spent at least $1,200 on spa treatments over three years while attending their annual retreat at Arrowwood Resort in Alexandria, Minn.

The spa treatments were part of new details to emerge about the organization's misspending after the Star Tribune obtained dozens of documents from the Department of Human Services, which conducted an internal audit of the organization's spending for fiscal years 2012 and 2013.

The audit found that the organization, which provided heating assistance and other aid to low-income residents, misspent more than $800,000 in taxpayer money on celebrity cruises, alcohol and a personal loan for its chief executive.

Patty Davis, chief executive Bill Davis' partner, spent $168 on an 80-minute stone massage and a scalp facial in 2012. Board members Evelyn LaRue and Terri Hayden also received 50-minute massages for $80 each.

The organization spent more than $6,000 on a holiday party in 2011.

Neither Bill Davis nor the board members could be reached for comment. In the past, Davis has said the retreats were a way to boost morale for board members.

A Ramsey County district judge recently appointed a receiver over the nonprofit organization's finances to determine how much money it owes the state. Several Community Action board members resigned and Davis was suspended indefinitely without pay.

The documents also reveal the concerns that several Department of Human Services employees had with the organization's spending, and one employee asked for a more thorough audit.

Minutes of a DHS and Office of Economic Opportunity meeting say that a state employee said that Community Action of Minneapolis had a history of doing "the minimum to remain in compliance with the Department, and they should be aware that they are going to monitored."

Alejandra Matos • 612-673-4028