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Proposed law targest salons and its pedicure services
Thursday, September 22, 2005 By Cyndy Drummey

TOE BY TOE: New guidelines aim to help salons offer customers safer, more sanitary, pedicures. Getty Images photo

A law proposed by the California state legislature with new guidelines for cleaning salon pedicure equipment is awaiting the approval of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

California Assembly Bill 1263, authored by Leland Yee, (D-San Francisco), has been the focus of many media reports in the last few months. His Bay Area district includes the area where a bacterial outbreak caused by a poorly maintained pedicure spa developed in 2000. He believes that consumers are afraid of getting a pedicure now because of news of clients getting ugly sores and serious infections after such a service.

Under the proposed law, salons that are found in violation of a “major heath and safety standard” can be closed immediately. It also would require that violators post a warning to potential customers that their business has been cited for health reasons. Salons, moreover, would need to keep a written log of the cleaning schedule for pedicure spas.

Additionally, there are restrictions on the type of disinfectant that can be used in the pedicure spas.

California currently does not require that a spa disinfectant be a “surfactant” or “enzymatic,” but the new law would. A surfactant allows a cleaning agent to cut through what is called “bio film,” which is residue from skin or nails that can clog up a pedicure unit or plumbing system.

The bill also appropriates funds for four additional salon inspectors.

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For salon owners and workers concerned about safety and for those who want to reassure their clients, NAILS Magazine offers these tips to follow now in anticipation of the new rules:

— Always have your license displayed in the salon.

You should display the shop’s business license and individual technicians’ licenses conspicuously. Consumers are told to look for a license in any nail salon. Any consumer can verify a license number on the California state board’s Web site: www.barbercosmo.ca.gov.

— Write down your salon sanitation practices so customers and workers can see them at any time.

In detail, explain to clients what steps are taken to ensure their safety. These should include how the pedicure units are cleaned after each use, daily and weekly, (you can download spa cleaning guidelines in Vietnamese from NAILS Magazine’s Web site at www.nailsmag.com/resources/handouts.aspx).

Your sanitation guidelines should also explain how you clean metal implements (again, there are handouts on NAILS Magazine’s site, which you can use for no charge), and whether you use disposable or disinfectable implements like files, for example.

If you have a high-level disinfection system, such as an autoclave, be sure to offer information about that. Although the state board does not require autoclaving, many news organizations and beauty publications have recommended that salon clients patronize those places that do use an autoclave.

— NAILS Magazine also offers handouts that salons can take directly from its Web site. These are written for clients and explain what they can expect from their service, their technician and the salon. Tell customers that your salon follows these high-level guidelines and allow them to see for themselves what to look for in a quality salon via www.nailsmag.com/resources/handouts.aspx#clients).

— Remind clients not to shave or wax their legs before a pedicure service (usually 48 hours is adequate). The microscopically small cuts that can occur when shaving provide an “open wound” where bacteria can enter a person’s system so it’s best not to work on a person who has recently shaved her legs or who has any kind of cut or broken skin on her legs or feet.

— Always wash your hands before servicing any client and ask the client to wash hers or his. This simple step is reassuring and should make a client feel quickly comfortable.

Cyndy Drummey is the publisher of Nails Magazine, based in Southern California.

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