Millions of Americans visit nail salons annually, but experts warn that you shouldn’t take your nails to any new haunt that costs too much. Make sure the salon you choose is a legitimate option, because not all have done the right thing.
Bryan Bedder via Getty Images Nail salon and treatment surge. This split showing a nail salon and hospital in Hyderabad, India, means both are illegal.
Nail salons are increasingly risky places to go, according to a U.S. Department of Labor study released in May. A report on 19 nail salons cited concerns of employees working under close, unsanitary conditions, a lack of health and safety training, overwork, involuntary quarantines and poor treatment of employees. More than two-thirds of salon employees working part-time in 2015 reported working more than 40 hours per week.
The Safe Nail Salon Initiative, a two-year program run by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, monitors these concerns and may bring legal action against salon owners who violate safety standards. This is particularly important in certain states such as California, New York and Oregon, where the state Department of Consumer Affairs has an established program to protect workers and consumers.
When it comes to nail care, the risks are not just physical. The chemicals used in nail polish and other products can be both dangerous and problematic. Often hidden in the polish is the same harmful chemical that lead to an Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. The hazards of nail polish are even further compounded because it often can be super-adhesive, which makes it tough to remove. This means contaminated nails are more likely to sink to the floor.
A Consumer Reports study of salon worker safety turned up some promising signs, but also some troubling ones. Several hair salons were found to be labor offenders. Three salons were cited in that study for charging excessive prices for nail products and lighting, and for work not being done in accordance with required safety standards. These salon owners were fined $780 per violation. The survey also looked at an additional 63 nail salons that were inspected during the study, but did not result in any enforcement action.
“If your nail treatment turns out to be a safety issue, you should report it immediately and request a refund,” said Michael Caldwell, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Labor. “Or contact the appropriate authorities to resolve the issue.”
The University of Michigan is also conducting a survey to find out more about salon workers’ conditions and the safety issues that come up.
According to a 2017 report from the City of Los Angeles, nail salons in this city are no friendlier places to work than work in other industries. Between 2009 and 2015, LA rates as one of the highest out of 10 major cities in the U.S. in percentage of current or former employees who say they’ve experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. Of the 15 major areas surveyed, LA had the highest rate of sexual harassment complaints filed against salon workers.
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