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Spa health and safety issues
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All health spa are not created equal. If fact, some spas may be downright unhealthy and unsanitary.
There are some key things you should look for to make sure you aren’t getting more than you bargained for with your pedicure.
Having your nails done is supposed to be relaxing. But if you’re worried about whether the service is sanitary, it can be stressful. So it’s important to know what to expect from your spa.
When you’re shelling out big bucks for a pedicure, it shouldn’t just look great.
Nora Gagne is an instructor at Luba Mera Institute: “You’re wanting to make sure that when you’re going and spending your money, that you’re going to a safe place — that you’re not going to go home with an infection or anything like that.”
It’s rare but accidental nicks to your feet and hands can cause serious illness if equipment isn’t sterilized properly.
That’s why Nora Gagne teaches safety and sanitization at the Luba Mera institute.
She knows what short cuts look like. Quick turnover between clients is a red flag. Properly cleaning a pedicure tub takes at least five minutes.
Nora says: “If somebody is finishing a service and then 2 seconds later somebody’s sitting in the chair right after that, that’s a no-no for sure. That’s a definite that they didn’t clean their service area professionally.”
Salons and spas are routinely inspected by public health. So whenever you go into one, you should keep an eye out for a green certificate on display.
It means the spa is following public health regulations like using a fresh blade for each client. If it isn’t changed in front of you, that’s another red flag.
Nail files are also single use. But that’s one of the most commonly broken rules.
Jordan Walker, Infection Control and Prevention, City of Hamilton: “Things like the foam nail files or foam buffers, pumice stones, being reused on multiple clients when they are intended to be used for a single client.”
Reusable tools should be washed in soap and water, then sterilized for 20 minutes. If you want to know a spa’s track record on keeping clean, check with public health.
Some of the tools that spas use — the blade especially — can cut you if they’re used improperly. So if you’re nervous, ask the esthetician to skip that step and use a pumice instead.
Here is some information about how to contact your local public health department.
