Feb 20, 2008 8:40 am US/Pacific
California Begins 'Nailing' Dirty Salons
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
Inspectors have issued citations to five Southern California nail salons, putting them on probation for clipping toenails and soaking feet in unsanitary conditions, it was reported Wednesday.
Salons in Huntington Beach, Anaheim, Buena Park and Santa Ana are among 10 cited by inspectors from the state Board of Barbering and Cosmetology in Sacramento, the Los Angeles Times reported. 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 salons that violate state hygiene rules on probation.
State Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, wrote the law because some nail salon patrons were contracting foot infections, according to The Times.
The board is focusing on the use of small whirlpool baths in which the feet are soaked as part of a pedicure. Customers often shave their legs before a pedicure, which allows bacteria to enter the body through small cuts, Kristy Underwood, the barbering and cosmetology board's executive officer, told The Times.
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 were all cited, according to The Times.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
