Who doesn’t enjoy getting pampered with manicures and pedicures? Even some of the men out there can attest to the relaxation and serenity you experience when someone else is rubbing and exfoliating your limbs. I have to apologize, however, for getting you in pedicure mode because you may want to rethink your decision before indulging in that inviting, whirling footbath.

Courtesy of natsnailartlincoln.com

Things you may not know about your nail salon
Next time you get a manicure or pedicure, beware that you could get more than you bargained for. Just to instill a little panic in you early on, I’m going to give you a chilling fact about nail salons. According to Dr. Robert Spalding, author of “Death by Pedicure”(love the title) “at this time, an estimated one million unsuspecting clients walk out of their chosen salon with infections — bacterial, viral and fungal.” His research indicates that “75 percent of salons in the United States are not following their own state protocols for disinfections.” Doesn’t that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Umm, no, I think I’ll pass. You don’t think your nail salon applies? Here are a few things to consider:

• Like most businesses, nail salons don’t turn many customers away. That means that those with foot fungus, nail infections or who are sick could have been sitting right where you are not too long ago
• Now not all salons do this and I’ve never suspected this in my experiences, but some salons are known to dilute their nail polishes as they get old or clumpy. In this case, it will cause your polish to chip much easier
• “Breaks in the skin can be microscopic or highly visible,” says Dr. Spalding. They can come in with the client in the form of “cuts, scratches, hangnails, bitten nails, insect bites, paper cuts, split cuticles — or be created in the salon,” he says. This can occur very easily with various tools and if it does, you will be fair game for infections.
• This one is gross and I wasn’t aware of this myself. An autoclave is the only sanitation device that kills 100% of bacteria and viruses and you can only put metal tools in the autoclave. This means that the emery boards, nail buffers, foot brushes, etc. are never fully sanitized unless the salon happens to dispose of these items after every client—highly doubtful.
• As most of us have heard, hot tubs are the easiest place to get infections and this applies to those lovely little foot baths we enjoy so much!

If you just devote a little time to care for your nails yourself, you will never have to worry about these disgusting issues again! Use Motives Professional Nail Care Kit to groom your nails and obtain the professional look. For sexy shades to choose from, browse Motives Nail Candy Collection! It will give your nails a natural shine and gorgeous shimmer—not to mention, it’s long-lasting!

I had a terrible experience once—it was my senior prom night and of course I wanted to look my best. Getting my hands and feet done were a must! A nail technician was using some sort of foot brush (pardon my highly technical term) to exfoliate and I guess she got distracted because she brushed the top of my big toe for just a second too long. When I noticed the pain, I saw that I was actually bleeding! Needless to say, it wasn’t very comfortable dancing at prom later that night with my shoe strap right on my poor, raw big toe.

Who else has a horror story from a nail salon? Tell us below!