Why waterless manicure & pedicure is the question on a lot of people’s mind today. We are by no means anti-water immersion if proper disinfection and sterilization methods are being used. But to help you understand what has informed our decision for making “waterless” our preferred method for providing result-oriented manicure and pedicure treatments, we decided to share the following information with you:
Pedicure services are hot, but so is the controversy surrounding the use of whirlpool pedicure spas. Between April and October 2000, more than 100 clients of Fancy Nails, a Watsonville, Calif. salon, developed large, painful boils on their legs. An investigation revealed that the boils were caused by a bacterial infection (mycobacterium fortuitum) whose source was the accumulated debris (skin, hair, etc.) trapped behind the screens of the salon’s whirlpool pedicure spas. The intense national media attention that followed alerted consumers, beauty professionals and equipment manufacturers to the potential dangers of pedicures. To protect the consumers of California, the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology responded in Spring 2001 with new regulations for cleaning whirlpool pedicure spas, and even stricter regulations have been implemented more recently which also spread to many different states around the country including Georgia.
To protect their business interests, equipment manufacturers developed new technology that eliminates the circulation of water through pipes. For example, European Touch, the industry’s leading manufacturer of pedicure spas, introduced a pipe-less system in 2003 that circulates water with an impeller inside the basin. Innovations such as these were designed to provide clients with a safer and more sanitary pedicure experience. Thus far, however, even the most advanced and expensive pedicure spa ($13,000!) has not overcome the challenge of time-consuming and labor-intensive cleaning. More recent and widespread cases of pedicure-related infections indicate that efforts to educate consumers, improve pedicure equipment and further regulate nail technicians have not been effective. Therefore, pedicure safety remains a top priority of the California legislature, the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. Georgia law is also as strict as California, with the same sanitation policy. (Research Article by Jamie S. of Precision Nail Salon)