Health Risks at California Beauty Salons
Health Risks at California Beauty Salons
Health Risks at California Beauty Salons
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What should be "out of this world pampering" is for more and more women in California a worrisome ordeal pedicures, manicures, hair services, massages and the list goes on and on.
There seem to be two groups of salon customers:
The worried one, the women who is scared of infections and tries to find salons that look clean; first impressions are so important, right? Once she has found a salon that appears to be run in a safe manner, she is very loyal, finally being able to relax during her service. For her, health comes first, and she has no problem to pay the price.
And then there is the "cool as a cucumber" type, the woman who has gotten all these awesome services at salons since she can think and probably her mom before her. She has never gotten an infection and is convinced it's really no big deal. To her, all the media coverage seems like a plot to enable salon owners to raise their prices and have their customers pay for renovations. No, she is not falling for that. Where the price is right and the service goodthat is where she goes.
The media seems to be telling horror stories about dirty salons for years, but how reliable is this information? Is there a real danger involved or are they just inflating the information to get a dramatic story?
Actually they are not! These stories are very real and in reality they are so many more cases out there that never get to be reported on. Insurance attorneys usually make sure to settle before the issues leak to the press. The salons in question continue to operate just with a higher insurance premium.
The truth is, it does not matter how clean or modern your beauty salon looks. What really matters is the way the licensees operate. Is the staff following proper disinfection routines? Do they disinfect at all? Are they stretching the disinfectant? So many issues come to mind, but most important, do salons follow the rules and regulations of the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology? This set of rules is extremely important, as it was put in place to protect the consumer! In theory, whoever is not following Board rules should be penalized and it should be ensured that practices are changed in the future, right?
The California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology performs inspections in order to control compliance with State rules and issues fines and sometimes even revokes licenses when coming across violations. Establishments are either picked at random for inspection or somebody reported them to the State Board and that is the reason for the Board inspector to visit.
In theory this is a good system.
Well, here is where things become challenging:
The California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology oversees over 47,000 establishments. Currently less than 30 inspectors are responsible for the inspections.
You can imagine, that with these numbers in mind, many salons go uninspected for years and years. Consumer protection or actual enforcement of rules and regulations is really not possible with this system, despite all the efforts of the CA Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. With budget cuts and a rising number of establishments it's just not possible, to ensure consumer safety, no matter how hard the Board's inspection unit works.
Here is the good news: There are actually salons that are committed to providing excellent and safe service. These industry leaders object themselves to the scrutiny of a very unique auditing program: "Salon Inspector" is a independent company that provides inspection services and educational classes to California beauty professionals in order to raise the level of safety and compliance in their salons.
If the inspected establishment meets Salon Inspectors criteria (which are the Board requirements and in addition a long list of industry best practices), the establishment has earned the SI SEAL. The SI SEAL is posted on the establishment's front door and indicates the timeframe for which it is valid. Participating salons are inspected unannounced several times per year and the same way they can earn the SI SEAL, they also can lose it if the level of compliance required is not reached.
It works pretty much like the "A" rating in the restaurant business and is a great help for the consumer in finding a salon that is going above and beyond in their effort to providing safe service.
Consumers don't have to rely on their first impression anymore when choosing a salon. That first impression can be misleading. No matter if a salon is new and pretty, or older and doesn't have the latest equipment, both can provide safe service or not provide safe service. The price is not always a good indicator either. While it is true that inexpensive services, especially in nail salons, VERY likely go hand in hand with poor disinfection routines (disinfectant is very expensive), proper sanitation and disinfection can still be the problem in high end and more expensive salons as well.
Make sure to pick your beauty salon wisely. If there are no Salon Inspector Member salons in your area, make sure to ask a lot of questions about cleaning procedures at your salon, and if you have any concerns. Just leave!
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