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In a crackdown under a new California state law, inspectors have issued citations to five Southern California salons, putting them on probation for clipping toenails and soaking feet in unsanitary conditions, officials announced today.

Salons in Huntington Beach, Anaheim, Buena Park and Santa Ana are among 10 cited by inspectors from the California state Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. Five citations were issued in Northern California. Each salon was also fined $500.

In January, a new law gave the board the power to immediately put on probation any salon violating state hygiene rules for pampering patrons’ feet. Previously, a hearing was required before a suspension could be imposed.

State Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) wrote the law because of concern about cases in which people getting pedicures also received foot infections. The bacterial infections can affect the body’s immune system and lead to more serious health issues.

“This is not something to scoff at,” Yee said. “This rule requiring 10 minutes of cleaning can save lives.”

The board is focusing on the use of small whirlpool baths in which the feet are soaked as part of a pedicure. Many customers shave their legs before a pedicure, and bacteria may enter the body through small cuts, Underwood said.

The state requires that whirlpools and other surfaces used in foot treatments be cleaned with disinfectant for 10 minutes between customers. Yee said that foot spas have become so popular that some salons may be tempted to hurry the process so more customers can be served.

One woman died of complications from a foot infection in Salinas about two years ago, according to Kristy Underwood, the board’s executive officer. She said a woman also died in Texas.

“It’s important for consumers to be aware of the danger,” Underwood said.

Once a salon’s license is suspended, officials may immediately stay the suspension and impose a one-year probation period during which the salon is reinspected four times and pedicurists must undergo retraining in health and safety rules.

Salons on probation must document their cleaning practices and records are subject to inspection.

The state has 18 inspectors fanning out to evaluate conditions in the 40,000 California salons that offer nail services, according to Kevin Flanagan, a spokesman for the board.

“California’s consumers have a right to clean, safe service when they sit down for a pedicure,” said Carrie Lopez, director of the state Department of Consumer Affairs.

The Southern California salons whose citations were announced today are Laser Nails in Huntington Beach, KC Nails in Anaheim, Top Hair Salon in Buena Park, Super Hair & Nails in Huntington Beach and LyLy Hair and Nails in Huntington Beach

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Spas in PA / Pennsylvania Day Spas / State Board Cosmetology

 

This is the season for celebrating and get-togethers. Many Pennsylvanians will include a trip to the salon or spa. However, before scheduling any services, consumers should be aware of which techniques and equipment are permitted under Pennsylvania law.

 

The State Board of Cosmetology licenses nail, estheticians and hair salons.

 

In early December, the State Board of Cosmetology decided to allow nail technicians to use non-invasive metal foot smoothers in place of pumice stones. The advantage of metal foot smoothers is that they can be sanitized. The board prohibits the use of metal razors and rasps (which resemble kitchen cheese graters and metal files). This type of implement is considered invasive because it can cut the skin. Nail technicians and cosmetologists are prohibited from the use of metal razors or rasps unless under the direction of a podiatrist.

 

The use of the adhesive methyl methacrylate (MMA) by nail salons is illegal and may cause serious damage. Originally developed for the dental industry, MMA was adapted for use in nail enhancement products. In 1998, it was banned after it was found to be harmful. MMA may be identified by its strong and offensive odor.

 

At the same meeting, the board also clarified approval for the use of industry standard mechanical and electrical equipment for noninvasive body treatments. Customers may find this type of equipment in an esthetics salon when requesting services such as a body wrap or chemical exfoliation. The equipment must be of a cosmetic grade and not a medical grade, unless the services are provided under the direction of a physician. A client at a spa that promotes itself as a “medi-spa” should ask about the supervising physician. For chemical exfoliation, any production application with a pH of two or below would be considered medical grade; above two is considered cosmetic because it does not alter the skin.

 

Any use of lasers in esthetic services, such as laser hair removal, Intense Pulse Light and similar procedures, must be performed under the direction of a physician. The Federal Food and Drug Administration classifies lasers used on skin as medical lasers due to the risk and nature of the procedure. For instance, lasers could remove skin lesions that may be symptomatic of more serious conditions that should be medically treated. For this reason, medi-spas must be affiliated with a licensed doctor. Many physicians prefer to hire trained estheticians to work in their offices or in medical spas.

 

The Board of Cosmetology does not regulate massage therapy services, although cosmetology licensees may massage certain areas: the feet, lower leg, hands, arms, shoulder, neck and head. Cosmetology salons are prohibited from providing massage of the torso and leg within the licensed salon area. Salons and spas may offer these services in separate areas but the cosmetology board has no jurisdiction over these services. Massage rooms should be labeled “Massage.”

 

Among the more than one million professionals licensed by the Department of State are 134,991 Board of Cosmetology licensees (as of Nov. 19, 2007), including:

– 88,831 cosmetologists — 9,828 cosmetology teachers — 3,703 estheticians — 14,651 nail technicians — 6 natural hair braiders — 14,590 cosmetology salons — 1,159 esthetician salons — 2,042 nail technology salons — 157 cosmetology schools — 24 cosmetology apprentices

 

When considering cosmetic treatments or other professional services, it is important that consumers seek out the services of only licensed individuals. To verify that a professional is licensed as required, go to http://www.dos.state.pa.us/ and, under the heading Let Us Help You, click on the Verify a Professional License link and enter his or her name. This site also informs visitors if any disciplinary action has been taken against a licensee.

 

To report unprofessional or unlicensed practice, contact the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs’ Professional Compliance Office at 1-800-822-2113. Complaint forms are available online at http://www.dos.state.pa.us/; under the heading “Let Us Help You”, click on the File A Complaint link.

 

The 27 licensing boards and commissions oversee a range of occupations in health and business-related fields, including auctioneers, barbers, chiropractors, engineers, funeral directors, nurses, nursing home administrators, optometrists, pharmacists and many others. If a licensed professional is found to have violated either state law or that board’s regulations, the board can impose disciplinary action against that licensee. Disciplinary actions may include civil penalties and the suspension or revocation of a license.

 

Find important information for each of the 27 boards under the Department of State’s Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, including the current board newsletter and regulations governing each particular board’s licensees, at the department’s Web site,

 

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Susan Kim, who worked for 17 years as a manicurist, complains of chronic itchiness in her eyes, an allergic reaction to the fumes and dust she inhaled in her workplace. Another former manicurist, Linda Chen, used to have a bumpy red rash on her face and neck. It finally faded after she quit the job.

 

As nail workers nationwide experience ailments they assert are caused by the tools of their trade, concerned community groups and health advocates are trying to strengthen regulations on nail-care products and help promote “greener” nail shops.

 

Entrepreneurs are in on it too. Former model Kim D’Amato opened the Priti Organic Spa in New York City in 2005 after she stopped getting manicures and pedicures while she was pregnant, fearing that the chemicals used could harm her unborn child.

 

D’Amato’s salon is just one of several around the country committed to offering nontoxic products in eco-friendly environments. The Nova Nail Spa, which opened in San Francisco in August, incorporated recycled materials and energy-efficient lighting in its design. So did Recess, which is slated to open in late October in West Hollywood, Calif.

 

While green salons are great for customers, they offer as many, or more, health benefits to their employees. These technicians often work long hours and thus risk greater exposure to dangerous products. In June, the Environmental Protection Agency granted $100,000 to two Seattle nonprofit groups to launch the Toxic Beauty Project. It’s the latest of several EPA initiatives aimed at helping salons reduce toxic exposure and improve ventilation.

 

“Nail workers tend to work and live in these stores,” said Kevin Burrell, executive director of one of the groups, the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle. She added that her group wants to make sure the workers and their clients “understand the ramifications of the health risks.”

 

The most problematic ingredients in nail products include formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and toluene. (Comprehensive information on nail products and their ingredients can be found on the Skin Deep Web site, cosmeticsdatabase.com, sponsored by the Environmental Working Group. It rates cosmetics and personal-care products and outlines the potential hazards associated with the ingredients.)

 

In 2005, California passed the Safe Cosmetics Act, which requires manufacturers to disclose ingredients in their products that are on state or federal lists of chemicals known to cause cancer and birth defects. Formaldehyde, DBP and toluene are among the chemicals that must be reported.

 

DBP was one of many cosmetic ingredients banned in the European Union in 2004, and several consumer-safety groups have urged U.S. authorities to follow suit. Currently, the Consumer Product Safety Commission does not regulate nail-care products, which are also not generally subject to premarket approval by the Food and Drug Administration.

 

Several U.S. manufacturers have since changed their nail products, including OPI Products Inc., which removed DBP and toluene from its nail lacquers. OPI’s chief operating officer, Eric Schwartz, said he hoped the company can lead the way and change industry practices. “It wasn’t easy to find replacements that can create the same breadth of colors,” he said, “but we want something positive, and people appreciate that.”

 

Improving the products is important. So is improving the quality of air circulation in nail salons. According to Dr. George Friedman-Jimenez, director of the NYU/Bellevue Occupational and Environmental Medicine Clinic, better ventilation could prevent most of the health problems associated with exposure to nail products. At Nova Nail Spa in San Francisco, a ventilation system installed in the ceiling helps keep the air fresh. “We don’t have any more paint-shop smell,” said owner Donald Kim.

 

Kim has, however, noticed a drawback to using nontoxic nail polishes: fewer color choices. “Things can’t change overnight,” he said, “but we can see improvements if consumers and salon owners start to demand and pressure the manufacturers to upgrade their products.”

 

Nova and other green salons, including Recess and Priti, have opted to forgo one traditional salon staple: artificial nails. “Having done all the research, I realize that doing acrylic is almost a step from using antifreeze,” said Nidhi Lal, owner of Recess.

 

No one at the Priti spa seems to mind that biodegradable slippers are favored over artificial nails. With fragrant incense lingering in the air, men and women lounge on handcrafted bamboo furniture in Priti’s cozy parlor, which has sage-green walls.

 

As owner D’Amato intended, the salon is a place that attracts pregnant women — as clients and as staff. Customer Aarona Pichinson reads a magazine, while technician Marisol Martinez, a mom-to-be, offers her a muscle-relaxing pedicure using products made from natural ingredients. Meanwhile, patron Jessica Berger Gross, her pregnant belly protruding, receives her regular manicure with Priti’s own brand of acetone-free, soy-based polish remover. None of the women seem to worry that working in the salon or enjoying its services would endanger their own health or that of their gestating children.

 

For D’Amato, that’s a success. “I don’t want pregnant women to face the same dilemma, feeling guilty getting their nails done,” she said.

 

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Spas take a note Green and Organic Lines will make a Difference in the Future. Where does your spa stand? Cleaning Supplies and Skin Care?

The Clorox Company says it will acquire Burt’s Bees for $950 million.

Clorox says the acquisition fits its Centennial Strategy to pursue growth in areas aligned with consumer “megatrends.”

Clorox isn’t the only company following the trend. In the past, beauty giant L’Oreal bought The Body Shop, in addition to organic manufacturer Laboratoire Sanoflore, and Tom’s of Maine was acquired by Colgate-Palmolive. Earlier this week, P&G said that it plans to generate at least $20 billion in sales of greener products over the next five years.

“With this transaction, we’re entering into a new strategic phase for our company, enabling us to expand further into the natural/sustainable business platform,” said Clorox Chairman and CEO Donald R. Knauss. “The Burt’s Bees brand is well-anchored in sustainability and health and wellness, and we believe it will benefit from natural and ‘green’ tailwinds…Combined with our new Green Works line of natural cleaning products, and Brita water-filtration products, we can leverage Burt’s Bees’ extensive capabilities and credibility to build a robust, higher-growth platform for Clorox.”

In January, Clorox plans to introduce a line of eco-friendly products to be sold alongside its existing bleaches and cleansers. Clorox expects the Green Works line to cost about 20 percent to 25 percent more than its current products.

Based on estimated 2007 net customer sales of about $170 million, Clorox anticipates that Burt’s Bees will add nearly 2 points of top-line growth to Clorox in fiscal years 2008 and 2009.

Some analysts wonder if Clorox is the right fit for Burt’s. “Clorox has virtually zero presence in personal care categories in the U.S,” wrote Lehman Bros. analyst Linda Bolton Weiser (via Market Watch). “We wonder how much Clorox can really do to enhance the distribution of Burt’s Bees.”

But AdAge points out that Burt’s already had plans in place to begin a distribution test with Wal-Mart Stores by year-end. Clorox and Burt’s Bees executives said the distribution power of Clorox, which already gets 26 percent of its sales from Wal-Mart, was a key factor in justifying the deal.

In May, Burt’s Bees established its own standard to define natural personal-care products, vowing to follow its own rules as it works to get other players in the industry to endorse its standard. It will be interesting to see if other, natural brands play ball now that Clorox is at the wheel.

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These trends can also tell you a great deal about consumer trends in spas as well.

 

Green and Clean Freaks Dominate, Travelers Say No to Cell Phones in the Air TripAdvisor announced the results of its annual travel trends survey of more than 2,500 travelers from around the world. Top trends identified in the survey are concerns about germs, the growth of green tourism, and opposition to cell phone use on planes. TripAdvisor also unveiled its TravelCast list of emerging hotspots for 2008 with Jerba, Tunisia topping the list.

 

Clean Conscious

 

Eighty percent of respondents are concerned about germs, bacteria and viruses when traveling. Airplanes are the germiest, according to 28 percent of those polled. Public transportation was next, followed by restaurants, hotels, and airports. Respondents outside the U.S. were particularly worried about the risk of germs at restaurants, while Americans are far more wary of airplanes.

 

Fifty-five percent of travelers said they tend to wash and disinfect their hands more often while traveling. In keeping with the germaphobia trend, 27 percent of Americans either bring their own disinfectant and cleaning supplies, shower shoes, pillows, towels or linens, when going on a trip. This number has climbed from 22 percent, when TripAdvisor first spotted the germaphobia trend in 2005. Forty-five percent of travelers said their worst experience at a hotel was a dirty bathroom or dirty sheets, and 17 percent said their worst experience was the presence of vermin. Travelers also cited clean restrooms as a top criterion for what makes an airport great.

 

Growing Greener

 

Twenty-six percent of respondents said they will be more environmentally conscious in their travel decisions in the coming year. The green trend may be evident in their choice of transportation — 22 percent said they’ll go biking while on vacation this year, compared to 13 percent, last year. Forty-seven percent of travelers plan to go hiking this year, up from 43 percent, last year.

 

Tech Turn-off

 

Seventy-eight percent of travelers believe that mobile phones should not be allowed on flights. When asked if they think they have a right to tell an airline passenger sitting next to them to turn off video content they deem inappropriate, 58 percent said “no.”

 

Weak Dollar Woos Outsiders

 

Fifty-four percent of respondents from outside the U.S. said that favorable exchange rates will inspire them to travel to the U.S. more in the next 12 months. On the contrary, 41 percent of Americans said the unfavorable exchange rates will either prevent them from going, or limit their travel to Europe in the coming year.

 

Waste Not, Want Not?

 

Fifty-four percent of Americans have four or more weeks of vacation time each year, and 47 percent believe they “need” six weeks of vacation or more. But, they are not even spending all the time they currently have. Only 64 percent of Americans used all of their vacation time in the past year. Asked why they won’t take all of their vacation time, 28 percent of U.S. respondents said they can’t afford to be away from work. Forty-eight percent of Americans check their work voicemail or email on a long weekend, which jumps to 78 percent when taking a trip of a week or more.

 

Head of the Class

 

Thirty-two percent of travelers (and 34 percent of Americans) are planning to engage in educational activity on vacation this year, such as a cooking or art class, up from 25 percent (and 28 percent of Americans), last year.

 

Outside Influences

 

Sixty percent of respondents from the U.S. said that the possibility of terrorism is still a consideration when planning where to go on their next vacation. Forty-five percent of Americans said the possibility of natural disasters (such as a hurricane, tsunami or earthquake) is on their mind, and 36 percent said the cost of fuel influences where to go on their next vacation, despite the recent decline in gas prices. Five percent said uncertainty with mortgage rates is affecting the way they plan travel in the next year, and six percent said the volatile stock market is affecting their travel decisions.

 

Golden Gates: Top Airports

 

The favorite airport in the world, according to travelers, is Schipol International Airport in Amsterdam. Las Vegas McCarran and Orlando International tied as second favorite. Eighty-one percent of travelers said the primary factor that makes an airport great is it’s easy to navigate and get to your gate. London Heathrow and Chicago O’Hare tied as the least favorite airport in the world, according to travelers.

 

Additional Travel Tidbits

 

Travelers will average about three vacations in the coming year. Beaches continue to get hotter, as 64 percent plan to vacation to a sandy destination this year, compared to 59 percent last year. Florida is the most popular U.S. state that worldwide travelers intend to visit in the next 12 months, and internationally, 34 percent of Americans are planning to visit Europe in the year to come.

 

TripAdvisor TravelCast Top Ten U.S. Destinations for 2008

 

1. Sunny Isles Beach, Florida

 

2. Kitty Hawk (Outer Banks), North Carolina

 

3. Seward, Alaska

 

4. Kailua, Hawaii

 

5. Blue Ridge, Georgia

 

6. Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania

 

7. San Marcos, Texas

 

8. Paso Robles, California

 

9. Rockport, Texas

 

10. Copper Mountain, Colorado

 

“The major trends we’re observing are that travelers value cleanliness above all else and are becoming more environmentally conscious,” said Michele Perry, director of communications for TripAdvisor. “Based on TripAdvisor’s TravelCast, the top emerging world destination is Jerba, Tunisia, and Thailand is the hottest country, featuring two destinations in the world’s top ten.”

 

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Just a couple of years ago nail salons and spas were at the center of the Staph infection controversy.

The spotlight on dirty salons forced an industry wide cleanup.

While most salons have cleaned up, experts said there are still some things salon-goers should look for.

First, take a look at the overall appearance of the salon and don’t be afraid to ask questions about cleaning and disinfecting procedures.

Experts also say to beware of the big volume salons that aim to get in and out in a hurry.

“More than get in get your polish changed, get out.  There’s really a whole process that goes along with it.   Lots of bacteria and fungus live around people’s feet so we have to be especially careful in there,” said Shauna Rae Samograd with Magnolia Spa.  “It has to be sanitary, it has to be sterile.  The issue of how everything is maintained and cleaned becomes a very prominent issue.”

One thing you should find in every salon is a score given by the State Board of Cosmetology.  A perfect score is 100.

The score shows you just how clean your salon is and guarantees your health.

The horror stories of the past is exactly why the Magnolia Spa in east Nashville opted for the European copper basin versus jetted foot spas.

They warn, however, regardless of what is used, hand and feet cleanliness must be the priority.

One year ago, Paula Abdul said she contracted a Staph infection from a dirty nail salon in California.

She testified before state lawmakers and helped usher in one of the country’s strictest laws directed at nail salons. 

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