Spa Safety
There have been many reports of people getting an infection at nail salons and spas. Health departments have sanitation guidelines that salons and spas must follow, and most take them very seriously. But those guidelines – as well as how often health departments enforce them – vary throughout the country. So it’s up to you to try to ensure that the spa or salon is clean and safe. The best way to do that is to go to the salon and look around and check out the following:
- Ask how they keep the instruments they use for manicures and pedicures clean. All instruments should be disposable or thoroughly sterilized before each use. That means using an autoclave, a machine that uses pressurized steam to sterilize tools. The footbaths should be drained and disinfected after each use.
- Look around and see if the salon is neat and clean. If it doesn’t look clean, go somewhere else.
- Make sure that the technicians wash their hands sbefore each manicure or pedicure. Some nail technicians wear a new pair of disposable gloves each time they do a manicure or pedicure.
Another option is to bring your own tools to the salon or spa.
If you or your child have a manicure or pedicure and a few days later the nails are sore, red or oozing pus, it could mean an infection. Make an appointment with a dermatologist.
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