Selecting a Safe Nail Salon

To help you decide if a salon provides sanitary nail services, nail and public health experts recommend asking and considering the following:

• Is the salon licensed? If the license isn’t posted, ask to see it.
  
• Are the nail technicians licensed? If the licenses aren’t posted, ask to see them.
  
• How are nail implements sanitized? Heat sterilization (autoclaving) is best but chemical sterilization is also allowed. Ask the technician what the salon’s practices are. If they’re using a chemical solution, check the product’s label for words like “germicidal” to indicate that it is strong enough to kill bacteria.
  
• Is there a pre-service scrub? Both the nail technician and the client should wash their hands with antimicrobial soap before nail work begins.
  
• Is each customer given a fresh bowl of soapy water to soak their nails in and is a new nail file used for each customer? Both practices should be followed.
  
• Is the facility neat and clean?
  
• Is there a strong smell of fumes? If there is, it’s a sign that the facility is poorly ventilated.

Source: US Food & Drug Administration