I have been going to the same nail salon for the past 5 years with the same operator. It is a very clean place as the tubs are cleaned and sanitized after each customer.
My neighbor started going last week and loved the first pedicure she had. My question is: she has nail fungus, would this be contagious to other customers even if the tubs are cleaned and disinfected each time?
Thank you for your replies.
By Rosalie
If the tubs and instruments are properly sanitized, then no, you would not catch someone else's fungus. However, all it would take is for something to not be properly sanitized once and the next customer could catch it. I'm sure your neighbor is not the first person to go there with a fungus, and you've not caught anything yet, so the place is probably clean. However, this is a risk you have to weigh.
I was a hairstylist for thirty five years (also did manicures and pedicures) and always followed sanitation laws and 99.99% of salons and stylists and nail techs do too. I am sure your neighbor isn't the only client that has ever had nail fungus and got a pedicure or manicure over the years. To answer Debbie52's question about disclosure; nail techs and stylists alike can easily tell if someone has nail fungus even if the client doesn't say something and they do extra sanitation after the service. As long as you trust that your salon is indeed sanitizing equipment I truly don't think you should worry about it.
No stylist or salon wants to spread disease. I even had a new client once (I didn't know until she told me half way through the haircut) that she was in the last stages of life with HIV. Because she was rubbing her eyes and runny nose with her hands a lot, believe you me, I quietly excused myself for a moment and told the other stylists to properly sanitize anything they had seen her touch in the salon. The minute she left the salon I sanitized everything I could think of that she might have touched including door handles. As I said already, no stylist or salon wants to spread disease. Oh, I went to that clients home after that to give her haircuts.
From what I have heard and read the tubs don't get sanitized after each use. I know a couple beauticians that won't do nails because of liability.
I guess I don't understand why a person with nail fungus would knowingly go get a professional pedicure....possibly exposing her condition to others. I wonder if she disclosed that fact?
I have never had a pedicure and don't think I ever will. Just common sense tells me that there's the risk for exposing yourself to unsanitary conditions.
Had a friend who got an infection...had to have a port put in her chest and antibiotics for a year. Developed a bone infection from it all. Just for a manicure. This won't keep people from getting manipeds, but it sure is something to think about.
