Pedicures- don’t walk out with more than pretty toes

On Friday, I took one look at my toenails and realized I needed a pedicure for the open toes sandals I would be wearing on Sunday. I like my polish to be fresh always.

OK, my own nail spa didn’t have an opening, so I decided to venture out and go elsewhere (my dear friend Donna thought this was way too funny) I walked into a nail salon and was able to get in right away. The moment I sat down my technician turned on the jets, before I had a chance to tell her no. The inside of the foot tubs have pipes that if not cleaned and sanitized after each use, they are grounds for dead skin and bacteria buildup.

For my foot exfoliation she pulled the famous “porous” foot pumice scrubber out of her apron. According to State Board, if it can’t be sanitized, it needs to be thrown away. When the lady next to me was finished, I noticed how the outside tub was cleaned. It was washed with Palmolive soap and then rinsed and immediately filled and the following client sat down.  If the salon is putting one client after another into the foot bowl, that’s a red flag that your feet may be vulnerable to an infection.

When cleanliness is not a priority, foot infections can run uncontrolled. Customers can walk out with more than pretty toes, they can pick up toenail fungus, and skin fungus, warts and even life-threatening bacterial diseases from dirty tools or foot baths. The tub needs to be cleaned with an antibacterial soap and then rinsed, next a disinfectant needs to be sprayed and left for 10 minutes. We use Mikro-BAC , a hospital grade disinfectant,   which is above and beyond what state board requires. We also do not have foot tubs with pipes; we have beautiful marble tubs that are sanitized after each use. The scrubbers  and implements we use are stainless steel and  placed in the autoclave, just like they are sterilized  at your dentists office.

I invite you to demand that nail salons clean and use proper sanitation procedures, or seek  a  reputable spa/salon where health and safety standards are a priority. We all deserve a safe pedicure experience!