5 Unmistakable Signs Your Nail Salon Is Too Grotty For Fingies / Tootsies

I can’t begin to tell you the amount of times I’ve gone to the nail salon and thought, mid-mani, “This doesn’t seem very hygienic.”

that $35 dollar SNS tho…
That doesn’t stop me from going back. Getting your nails did is a real indulgence and when you’re a lowly university student, the cheap option is sometimes your only. But there are always risks involved when you go low budget (just ask anyone who has flown with Tiger).
Here are the five biggest red flags to keep an eye out for when getting your digits polished, because a divine set of fingertips isn’t worth an infection.
1. The place looks like it could do with a mop
This one’s pretty obvious, but if the salon looks like it hasn’t had a vacuum / wipe down in a few weeks, it’s best to jog on.
Check out the corners of the room. Are there cobwebs? Is there dust and grime in the cornices? If so, red flag af.
Another tell-tale sign that your salon of choice mightn’t be the cleanliest place on earth is if their magazine pile is boasting issues of Dolly ’06. They mightn’t be keen on buying new magazines weekly, but if they’re holding earlier than 2014, you can guess that part of the room hasn’t been cleaned since then either.
2. Your technician is wearing grotty clothes, and not a mask and gloves
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but if the cover is cutting your nails / has the power to possibly give you an infection, judge like Judy.
A technician who looks unhygienic (clearly unwashed apron, food stains on top etc) is a bit like the tip of an iceberg. It begs the question: if I can see what you had for lunch, what kind of grot is here that I can’t see?

Further, if your manicurist is going at your feet sans gloves, that’s cause for alarm. People’s feet are gross. You wanna make sure those hands touching your footsies weren’t touching warts half an hour ago. You should ever feel afraid to speak up if you want them to throw gloves on. 

3. There’s a nauseatingly chemical smell lingering about the place
Only a few years ago, the media went full pelt on the damaging effects of certain chemicals used in nail salon products. The New York Times wrote this brilliantly insightful piece on the dangers faced by women working full-time in New York salons. Some ingredients used in nail products have been tied to cancer, miscarriages, lung diseases and other ailments. 
Image: Safe Work Australia.
The smell of chemicals like acetone shouldn’t be detectable. If they are, the place isn’t ventilated properly.
While your mightn’t spend more than an hour at a time in the salon every few weeks, this adds up. You want to go to a salon that is well ventilated, be that through at least one fan turned on, or opened doors and windows.
4. You’re not seeing sterilisation happening 
Just the other day I went to the salon on a Saturday morning to get a mani pedi. 
Of course, any seasoned vet would know Saturday morning is one of the busiest times at the salon; if you want a relaxing experience, this is a no-go zone. As myself and 7 other women sat side by side getting our pedicures, I watched as my technician scrubbed one foot with a pumice, then moved to the next, with only a quick rinse in-between.
Before I could say “hold the fuuuu up” it was over, and she was onto the next.
Back in 2006, a 46-year-old Texan mother of three and long-time nail salon client Kimberly Kay Jackson suffered a fatal heart attack triggered by a staph infection Jackson’s attorney says she developed after her nail technician cut her foot with a pumice stone. 
As a rule of thumb, each new client calls for a new batch of equipment. If you see your manicurist unwrap a buffer from a plastic package, you’re in good hands. In other instances, it’s possible your salon cleans their equipment in an autoclave, which is a machine that works a bit like a giant pressure cooker, savaging the little microbugs that can make you ill. 
If you want to learn more about how the gov’t regulates this, check out WA health’s handy guide

5. There’s no license on display
Would you slave your arse off at uni only to somehow misplace the little piece of paper that certifies your education? 
Okay so you might, but if you were running a business that relied on being above the law, you’d probably display that certification front and centre.
Next time you’re at your local, check for their license, and if it’s not in plain sight, ask.
Photo: Legally Blonde.

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