California Nail Salons Start To Invest In Worker Safety
Yeah, and that’s where you really have to research these documentaries, because this could be a point of contention for somebody who works inside the nail industry. Not everybody who works in the nail industry views it that way, right? But there’s never been a long-term study of health outcomes of men and women who work in the nail salon industry. So for all the reporting and soapboxing on this issue, I would like to see real scientific data collected … monitoring the air quality within these confined spaces. So when I really started to peel back the layers, I was kind of disappointed at the lack of research and advocacy that’s being done to really provide measurable results so we can say, “Yes, this is a problem. This is affecting the health of nail salon workers, their pregnancies, everything.” Because I believe these stories, but it’s hard to make it hold up in court, right? Because the chemical companies could always point to the fact that there’s never been a study on the health of nail salon workers.
On the reaction to the film from the Vietnamese American community
Audrey Nguyen and Cindy Johnston produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Patrick Jarenwattananon adapted it for the Web.
Correction July 12, 2019
In a previous version of this report, Dusty Coots’ last name was misspelled as Cootes.
Aftermath Of The New York Times Expos
The majority of change in the nail salon industry has been in New York, largely because the Times article focused on corruption in New York.
The Times article was released in May 2015, and within a few days Cuomo issued emergency orders to fight against wage theft and hazardous working conditions. He created the New York State Nail Industry Enforcement Task Force to investigate New York’s nail salons and enforce new rules and regulations that would protect workers. Cuomo ordered that all nail salons post wage bonds, which work as a kind of insurance for workers that guarantees that they will get paid for their work, even if the salon closes. If salons do not comply with the order they will be shut down. Cuomo also order that employers post a workers’ bill of rights inside the salon, written in multiple languages, including Korean. The Bill of Rights for Nail Workers includes information on how much money workers should make depending on the location of the salon and if they do or do not receive tips. It also informs workers that their employers must provide them with gloves, respirators for when they are working with artificial nails, as well as eye protection when they are handling chemicals. The employees are also informed that they cannot be denied a meal break, denied safety gear, or made to pay for their entry into their jobs. A hotline was also created for workers to report violations and abuse.
Establishing Nail Salon Prices
Setting nail salon prices depends a lot on your location. It can also depend on your clients and the number of competing salons in your immediate vicinity. Luxury spa-like salons with premium services will typically charge more than basic strip mall outlets.
Check to see what competitors in your area charge, especially those with a similar setup to your salon. As a general idea, manicures can typically run anywhere from $15 to $50, while pedicures can cost between $15 and $75. More specific treatments come with additional costs. Acrylic full sets can be $30 to $100, and gel nails $45 to $75. Furthermore, if you decide to sell products, whether nail polish, lotions or filing kits, the typical markup is around 50 percent or more. Whatever you decide, research will help you set your optimal nail salon prices.
Lastly, to help streamline scheduling and client bookings, consider adopting booking software for your computer system, such as . If youre just getting started and need some assistance with marketing your business, give Groupon a try! Each day, helps local businesses grow their brand awareness, fill empty appointments, and get discovered by a growing database of over 50 million customers!
Do you have recommendations for how to open a nail salon? How do you determine your nail salon prices? Let us know in the comments!
Editors note: This article was originally published in March of 2018 and has been republished with updated content.
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What Does A Nail Salon Technician Do
Nail technicians provide manicures, pedicures, and various nail treatments based on clients’ nail care needs and preferences. These trained professionals perform the manicures over the workstation or ânail tableâ with the client’s hands or feet resting on the surface as they work. Their general tasks may include the following:
- Talk to clients about their requirements and provide advice on proper nail care treatments.
- Provide manicures and pedicures, including cleaning, filing, applying artificial nails, removing old nail polish, and applying new polish.
- Providing hand and foot massages.
- Sanitize all nail instruments and equipment before each use.
- Make sure that work areas are kept clean and tidy.
- Perform reception duties such as answering telephone calls and making appointments.
- Operate a cash register and computer and sell retail products.
- Be aware of customer actions while on the premises .
Use Artificial Nails Sparingly
No salon worker is going to deny you a set of artificial nails if you want them. However, you should be wary of the effects these prostheses can have on your natural nails underneath. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, they “can leave your nails thin, brittle, and parched.”
If you do decide to use them, the AAD recommends soak-off gel polish rather an acrylic. The former is easier on your nails due to its increased flexibility, and it’s less likely to lead to cracks in the nail bed.
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Don’t Shave Before A Pedicure
Many people shave their legs before a pedicure in order to save their technician from touching their hairy legs. However, doing so potentially opens up small cuts and nicks on your legs, which puts you at an increased risk of contracting an infection.
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends not shaving for “at least” 24 hours before a pedicure. Besides, you’re probably more aware of your leg hair than your technician is.
What Do Nail Salons Use To Sanitize Their Tools
Autoclave, a method that completely cleans a tool with pressure and heat, is the best choice for cleaning tools. Many salons will also use chemicals, including bleach, Barbicide, and hospital disinfectants. Some salons use UV light to sanitize certain things.
What salons use to sanitize tools is largely dependent on a few things.
This includes the type of tool, how much the salon throws away, and the state regulations on salon cleanliness.
Autoclave is the only method guaranteed to kill all germs, microorganisms, and bacteria.
This is done by using both high-pressure and high-heat to sterilize the tools.
If you want something so clean it could be sent to the International Space Station, this is the choice for you!
The only problem is that its a difficult process to go through, and can be rather expensive.
Therefore, cheaper salons arent likely to use this method as often as more pricey ones.
As for state regulations, only Texas and Iowa require tools to be autoclaved before being reused.
The next option isnt as good as autoclave, but its still a solid way to keep tools clean: chemical cleaning agents.
This includes bleach , as well as Barbicide and hospital disinfectants.
Different products have different uses, and, again, it all varies by state. The stronger the disinfectant, the cleaner the surface or tool.
So dont be put off if your salon smells like a hospital its a good thing!
Last is UV light.
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Blame Your Shoes Not Your Technician For Ingrown Toe Nails
If you find yourself repeatedly getting ingrown toe nails, it’s time to get a new pair of shoes, not a new pedicurist. According to the Mayo Clinic, “wearing shoes that crowd your toenails” is the primary cause of ingrown toenails.
Furthermore, don’t ask your technician to dig an ingrown nail out. That’s best left to your dermatologist.
What Inventory Do I Need To Open A Nail Shop
Maintaining a well-stocked inventory is good practice for any business. And with the walk-in nature of the nail salon industry, it’s especially important to stay aware of fluctuations in demand for salon services, as one manicure style may be trendy one week and out the next. Because a nail salon operator may not know how much product is likely to be consumed on any given day, keeping well-stocked shelves is a buffer against unexpected shortages. It’s also typically cheaper to buy in bulk. Your inventory levels depend on your salon’s size and location. A good guideline for purchasing your opening inventory is to set a realistic 12-month projected profit statement, then determine the inventory needed to reach that goal, according to Nails Magazine.
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Don’t Trust A Nail File You Can’t Take Home
No two people should use the same nail file. However, at far too many salons, a file may be used repeatedly to cut costs. “It’s unsanitary to use a nail file on more than one client,” celebrity manicurist Elle Gerstein told Refinery29. “If the person before you had a fungus, it can spread to you.”
At his boutique, Crisalli gives guests their nail files to take home with them, which ensures that they are never re-used. If you notice your nail salon is secretly using nail files again and again, you should point it out to them or maybe find a new salon.
You Should Also Bring Your Own Polish
While they won’t openly admit it, some nail salons secretly dilute their polish. Not only is it not sanitary, but it also means you’re being taken advantage of.
“Some salons will dilute with nail polish remover nail polish bottles that have become clumpy from old age or from too much air exposure,” Jin Soon Choi, owner of Jinsoon Natural Hand and Foot Spas in New York City, told TotalBeauty.com.
That’s why you should always come with your own polish handy. Sure, it’s not quite as exciting as picking something out once you arrive, but it will save you money and keep you safe. You can’t beat that.
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Finding The Right Nail Salon Equipment
If youre thinking about opening a nail salon, youll need to outfit your salon with the right equipment. Costs will vary, but a typical outlay can run between $75 and $125 per square foot. This means a retail site of 1,000 square feet will cost roughly $75,000 to $125,000 to build out before you can open your doors to customers.
You can try to minimize your startup costs by purchasing used equipment from other salon owners, or even taking on a lease where a nail salon was previously located. Sometimes property owners will agree to build a space to suit your specific business needs if you agree to a lease.
When Do Nail Salons Sanitize Tools
Nail salons sanitize tools that can be shared between customers. This is normally done as soon as possible. They also clean regularly enough that the salon should appear completely clean. The chances of microorganisms being shared should be minimal.
If a salon is cleaned appropriately, you can count on one thing: Theyll spend a lot of time sterilizing their tools.
While many of the tools that they use are designed to be single-use , there are just some things that must be reused.
And, to be reused, that tool must be completely sterilized.
Salons should always use a clean set of tools for every customer.
This means that, as soon as possible, a used tool must be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before going back into rotation.
If there happens to be a larger stockpile of supplies, then time between cleanings might be longer.
However, its always better to clean immediately, rather than put it off.
It makes the salon a more sanitized, healthy place for the people getting their nails done.
Absolutely no one should be reusing tools that have not been sanitized completely, according to regulations.
It isnt just the tools that need to be cleaned, of course.
The salon itself has to be cleaned and sanitized.
A good business will look completely free of dirt, trash, and other messes, from the front door to the back room.
Thats because cleaning should be done throughout the day, to ensure that no dirt or microorganisms can make its way onto the tools.
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Why Is Japanese Gel Better
Japanese gel nail products use cosmetic grade pigment, allowing for single coat coverage and versatility. And unlike other soft gels, Japanese gel can also be used to build nail extensions. Paola says this is revolutionary for nail artists, as it provides the strength of a hard gel but without the bulk.
Don’t Let Anyone Shave Your Calluses
Especially with a credo blade. If a salon offers to shave your callus using this tool, it’s time to head to a new salon. The credo bladewhich is illegal in New York state and in many others, as wellhas a history of tearing up customers’ feet to the point of life-changing disasters. Last year, for example, one woman in North Carolina almost lost her leg due to a strep infection she got from a pedicure with a credo blade.
In addition to putting you at risk for all sorts of infections, podiatrists caution that callus shaving is counterproductive. Unless you change your footwear, those calluses are going to grow back. “The most that I think is appropriate is just filing some of the calluses. And that should be done gently,” Dr. Jacqueline Sutera of City Podiatrists in New York told National Post.
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How Will You Get New Customers
Attracting customers is the most basic goal of a successful marketing strategy. As a direct business-to-consumer industry, your marketing will directly target your customers. To do so youll need to know where your customers are and how to reach them.
To start, think about which major marketing devices will work best for your business. These include:
- Digital
- Radio
- Television
Which of these tools you use and how you use them will depend on the results of your market research. Consider some of the following questions:
- Where do your target customers spend time, both on and offline?
- What other local businesses do they frequent?
- What social media platforms are they most likely to use?
- What, if any, print media are they reading?
- Do they listen to traditional radio or stream their music?
- Are they likely to have cable or do they primarily stream their media?
The answers to these questions will depend significantly on the demographics of your target customer. Finding accurate answers will save you a tremendous amount of time and money and get your business off the ground much more quickly.
Whats The Difference Between Cleaned And Disinfected
Cleaning means that youre only dealing with surface messes. Disinfected means that youre killing microorganisms that cant be seen with the naked eye.
It might seem like a distinction without difference, but there actually is a difference between cleaning and disinfecting.
And, when it comes to nail salons, that difference is a pretty wide gulf that shouldnt be ignored.
Cleaning in a salon refers to surface cleaning.
It means getting rid of messes that you can see, such as visible dirt, nail polish, or other grime.
This is normally done in a way that most people would recognize: Washing.
This can be done in a sink, or a similar manner. But salons should never stop here!
Disinfecting is what actually cleans the tool.
Its a method of killing most or all of the germs and other microscopic baddies that can cause infections.
Since they cant be readily seen, even a visibly-clean tool should be thoroughly disinfected before its used on another person.
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What Is The Target Market For Nail Salons
A Nail and Beauty Salon Digital campaign is ideal for targeting the female population. This network targets women while they are relaxing and more accepting of your message. Digital Salon network can be segmented to target specific female demographics based on race, income level or geographical location.
Who Is Your Target Customer
On the surface, identifying your target customer may seem simple. At the most basic level, a nail salon customer is anyone looking for nail services. However, true success comes from knowing not the target customer of a nail salon, but of your nail salon.
During the first phase of your business planning, you spent some time considering what type of salon you hope to open and who it will cater to. At this phase, it is time to deal with the specifics.
An excellent way to approach this step is to create a profile or persona of your ideal customer. Consider the age, location, gender, income level, and other demographic details about who you think will be frequenting your salon. By doing this you can most effectively craft your design, atmosphere, marketing, prices, products, and services.
Some important questions to answer when establishing your target customer base are:
- How many people in your area fit into this customer base?
- What drives their consumer decisions?
- Do they need your services?
- Can they afford your services?
- How do they consume media and marketing?
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