I will answer the qusestions asked but need to let you know I am a manicurist at an upscale salon. #1 No. I don't worry because I know how the manicurists I work with clean not only the spa but their instruments. That being said not everyone cleans according to Government standards. #2 A seal or other sign does not guarantee your salon is clean. I have had customers tell me they went to a "cheapo" salon (her words not mine) and watched the manicurist put a clean sign on a spa tub she had only wiped out with a towel. #3 Now about the web site. You can clean a spa before you have it tested but there is no guarantee it is being done after each client. Where I live I have been in the business for 15 years. I have only one time seen someone from State Board. Not sure there is a straight forward answer to this problem. When you visit the salon look around. What is the general cleanliness of the salon in general? I work on referrals. My clients know table is clean. They see me get clean towels for each client. They see me clean my implements and the spa. We do not take 1 client out of the spa and put another in before it is cleaned properly,which takes a little time. The requirements for cleaning the spa is posted in my salon and after each client we record that it was cleaned and how. This is available for all our clients if they want to see it. As far as contamination from polish if that was true State Board would require a separate bottle for each application. There is nothing in writing about this from State Board. I think we should all be concerned about this situation but I think we can make good choices if we investigate the salon we want to visit.

Thanks for the good ideas. I think I'll start with Sally Hansen's strengthener in the gold bottle. I got my nails done because my nails start splitting or peeling after they get so long. I love having pretty nails but the cost is such a waste! If I could do it myself (have never tried) I'd do them every week or when needed. Sometimes my nails really looked weird when it got closer to the fill appt two weeks after the last fill. I found a Tweezerman buffer - got it at Bed Bath and Beyond with their 20% off coupon - and gently buffed my nails. They are quite shiny right now but I think the Sally Hansen will help. I also think I have the 7-Day nail grower stuff - or maybe it is up in my daughter's room. Thanks for all of the suggestions! One last question...where do you all buy OPI nail polish? I found a color I really like but when I wanted to buy it at my salon they didn't have any.

I've been a nail tech for over six years and do both gels and acrylics. A lot of nail tech's remove too much of the nail when they buff. It is true that the nail needs to be buffed to remove the shine, but when this is done correctly it should not weaken or damage the nail at all. The natural nail should be prepared the same way no matter what type of enhancement (acrylic, gel, or wraps). It's the preparation of the natural nail that can cause damage, not the enchancement material (ie acrylic or gel). A true gel nail can only be removed by filing and buffing. Only acrylics and wraps can be removed by soaking. Personally, I prefer acrylic nails because they are easier to remove and tend to be more durable. Here is a link that might be useful: Nailphiles

My nail salon recently changed their practice and charges $1 per transaction. It is annoying as I do most of my transactions by credit card and I do not want to pay an extra dollar. Using a credit card helps me easily track my spending and of course, I love those points. When the salon moved to adding a charge they started out treating it as if it was a punishment for using a credit card, all the signs in the salon were based on them charging a fee - $1 fee for credit card use. The nail techs became very negative about customers using their credit card. I considered changing salons over this. Although there are many nail salons finding a good one can be a challenge so I kept going to them. Trying to remember to bring cash. Someone obviously helped them change their presentation of the charge, now the signs indicate that a discount is given for cash and all the nail techs make sure to mention the discount in a positive light. They did up their price so it evens out to an additional dollar for credit cards but it a much more positive method of making the additional charge. If they had used this approach in the beginning I probably would have not felt so negatively about it. Amazing what a diiference the presentation will make. Do I think the change was related to underreporting their income, no. Could it be happening, of course. A lot of people paid cash before the change, so I am guessing this change was driven by the credit card fees.