SAVVY CONSUMER: Scary Salons
June 23, 2006— -- It's finally, officially summer, a time when many people seek out beauty treatments to go with their more daring summer outfits. But beware: some ugly things go on in the beauty business.
Salons perform pretty intimate procedures, so how safe and sanitary are they? Beauty treatments seem glamorous, but they can be gross. They should be relaxing but they can cause stress.
Kim S. is a licensed makeup artist herself, and she thought she knew what to look for in a salon. So when festering boils appeared on her calves, she didn't want to believe her twice-monthly pedicures could be the cause. Kim spent hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars trying to get better. She tried three different antibiotics. They made her sick and made her miss work, but they didn't cure her infection.
It turns out the purple sores on Kim's legs were caused by a bacteria related to tuberculosis. The throne-like foot baths that women consider so luxurious can harbor the bacteria because they're often hard to clean.
Nail salons are number one when it comes to consumer complaints and disciplinary actions in the beauty business. Here are some other samples I've uncovered during investigations: one salon cut a customer's cuticle so deeply that it bled for days.
A judge awarded another woman $150,000 because her nail salon used a hazardous chemical on her.
Two other salons were suspended when health inspectors found rodent droppings on their nail implements.
I sent a producer undercover and she found violations at the first nail salon she visited. A technician filed her nails with a used emery board. That's a no-no. The tech also insisted on using a razor device on the producer's calluses even though they're illegal in many jurisdictions.
Hair salons harbor their share of hazards, too. The Food and Drug Administration says hair dyes and perm products are two of its top complaints. Used improperly, the chemicals can make your hair break off or fall out. They can singe your scalp and even blind you. People with chemical allergies may have trouble breathing or go into shock.
And it's no wonder. Take relaxers, for example. Many contain sodium hydroxide, the same chemical found in oven cleaner, car polish and paint remover.
Hair salons are supposed to completely immerse combs and brushes in sterilizer solution. But I found salons that had been accused of watering down that solution or skipping it altogether. Worst case scenario? You could get lice along with your haircut and blow dry.
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