Whoa that's a first! Now you should really worry if she pulled out a belt sander for your heels.

I've never seen that done before. When I have my nails done they use something that resembles a white emery board but it's larger and not as gritty. Since my fingernails tend to flake they use that to lightly remove the flaking part of the nail before polishing.

Who knew? This thing is actually made by Dremel for pedicure purposes! I've never seen such a thing!

Here is a link that might be useful: Dremel kit

That's a huge no-no. For a manicure or a pedicure the most they should ever do is buff with a block. The Dremel takes way too much thickness off even with a light touch and the use of it on natural nails is just out of laziness or stupidity.

The only reason a tech should EVER use a Dremel is to shape and thin out artificial nails. Don't be surprised if your nails break & split easily so make sure you baby them as much as possible for the next three to six months while they grow out. Next time you go in, simply point at the Dremel and say "NO!" with force, they'll get the idea.

When I treat myself to a manicure, I ask the tech to buff my nails with the dremel. They use a buffing paste and a insert buffer over the dremel. I don't like polish, clear or otherwise and the buffing gives them a very shiny look.

Again, they aren't taking anything off, just buffing using the dremel with a buffing attachment.

There was no paste and no buffer, this was literally sanding down the nails. Thanks for the warning, Kellyeng, I wasn't planning to return to that shop for other reasons.

The manicurist was a middle-aged woman who spoke Vietnamese. I tried to explain that because my nails are so wide that I wanted the nail polish to stop short of the edges. She misinterpreted what I meant and - OMG - she took a pair of nail scissors and began cutting down the side of my nail until I screamed.

The shop was recommended by someone who is quite particular about her nails and I think maybe it had changed owners since she was last there. And the woman who did my nails was just plain annoying. She was trying to sell me an individual box for my items a minute after I sat down. Then she repeatedly asked me to ask for her the next time I came in. It was unpleasant all the way around.

ugh, run don't walk to a different salon. Perhaps someone you know uses the same salon every few weeks. I get the language barrier. It is sometimes a PIA, but what can you do?

I had to try a new place this weekend as my normal place was loaded and couldn't take me. Of course being an instant gratification kinda gal and having dinner plans, I tried a new place. They did a decent job. I will tell you that I take my own files, scrub blocks, etc. I have not problem asking a new place what their procedures for cleanliness are. If they can't tell me in English, bye bye.