Mum receives endless complaints from clients about various nail treatments they have had done and she is constantly removing what is supposed to be one product from a clients nails only to discover it is a fake replica of a high end product. We were in Birmingham today shopping for my prom dress and decided to see for ourselves what goes on in these salons and what it is that draws people into that false sense of security.
The most important part of any business is customer service and that is where these establishments fall completely flat. Not only is there a lack of communication between the Nail Technician and the client but you'll undoubtedly find yourself sat behind the manicure desk listening to a conversation in a foreign language whilst you wait awkwardly to be acknowledged. This made me feel very uncomfortable, especially seeing as they sat my mum on the other side of the shop to me despite it being completely empty when we walked in! I fail to see how this would appeal to anybody as half the fun for us ladies when it comes to having any sort of pampering done is the thought of having a nice chat and gossip with our manicurist/stylist or whomever you're having treatment with.
Another thing that shocked me was how incorrect their techniques are! It's difficult for a customer to notice these things because only somebody qualified would know how the job is supposed to be done. I'm lucky enough to have somebody who can show me a decent manicure so I can easily spot a bad job and my mother certainly can see it from a mile off. The first mistake made was when filing the nail; this again comes under a failure in customer service, however, I wasn't even asked what shape in which I prefer to wear my nails. I now have half of my nails square and a couple circular! To say they look odd would be an understatement! Another huge failure in technique was when painting them. These bars hardly ever use base coat nail polish which means any dark colour will stain your nail and be horrific when it comes to removing the polish! In addition, the manicurist will hardly ever apply the polish correctly. They don't cap the ends when painting and so consequently the colour will most likely peel off as soon as you submerge your hands in water. Furthermore, the technicians don't use hand cream or any kind of lotion to prep your hands which leaves them feeling dry once the treatment is finished. These are little details only a professional would notice but it's worth taking note off. What appalled me the most was the lack of hygiene measures that these bars perform. My mum uses disposable nail files with her clients that are simply thrown away after use. So clearly, one nail file is used per client, they are never reused. So when the lady doing my nails pulled out a clearly over used nail file that had dead bits of nail flicking off it I was slightly disgusted. Not only this, but to sterilise the instruments used for cuticle work, she simply dipped them in the warm water my hands were soaking in. There was no sign of any disinfectant to clean them whatsoever. In our salon, we soak all of our instruments, combs and all of those things in Barbicide which is a type of disinfectant commonly used in salons.
What this lack of hygiene means in that any kind of fungal infection somebody might unknowingly have can be spread from client to client very quickly. Most Nail Technicians will check on arrival for any sign of fungal infections and not permit treatment to any client that may have one for that reason. Due to lack of communication between the Technicians and the clients in these salons, no such check takes place and so anybody could be spreading harmful germs. Consequently, due to lack of sterilisation, by undergoing treatment at one of these nail bars you expose yourself to any kind of infection.
The final issue would again only be noticed by somebody who is a qualified technician. If you walk into a nail bar and see a certificate on the wall listing every single manicure course under the sun it is highly unlikely that it is legitimate. Anyone who has taken part in a nail course will know that for each type of treatment you get a separate certificate. My mum has several for all of the different types of polish and gel and extension she is trained in. Genuine certificates should be displayed by any establishment offering nail treatment or at least be available for a client to look at if the wish. My advice to you is that if you walk into a nail bar and see a large certificate listing several courses, turn around and walk straight back out again because it is one certificate per course. If they've been taught all of those treatments on one course, they haven't been taught properly!Overall, I hope this has opened your eyes to these bars. So what can you do as an alternative? If you're willing to pay £15-£20 for a shoddy job then I'm sure you wont mind paying slightly more, if not the same price, for a decent one? Most salons these days have qualified manicurists so it's just a case of finding a comfortable salon for you and a technician that you get along with. You can say goodbye to sitting alone silently whilst listening to your technician have a completely separate conversation in an unknown language (that for all we know could be about the state of our nails!) and say hello to a friendly face and maybe even a cup of tea whilst you're there! And you can guarantee your manicurist will be fully qualified and know what they're doing. You don't even have to be lucky to have fully sterilised and clean equipment, it goes without saying. I know I would much rather pay more money for a decent set of nails and I can assure you I will never be walking into one of those nail bars again.
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