Reviews

Live OC Magazine – April - May "07

Do You Need To Be Concerned?
-now the waterless pedicure
By Dalia Van Den Boogard

What was once a luxury reserved for the rich and famous has since become a routine beauty ritual for man females: the professional pedicure. In their quest for physical perfection, women of Orange County want to look good from head to toe, and many no longer consider a salon pedicure an indulgence, but a necessity. Not only does a pedicure soften the skin of your feet and spruce up your toenails, it also melts away the stress of the day through the foot spa treatment. However, since 2000, when outbreaks of skin infections linked to pedicures first hit the news, nail salon patrons may not be as likely to close their eyes an relax when dipping their feed in a spa basin.

Instead, many customers are now keeping a watchful eye on whether or not the basin is not only adequately cleaned, but also properly disinfected, before their service. Spraying and wiping is simply not enough. If your salon is not strictly adhering to even the minimum standards recently set forth by the State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, your pedicure is putting you at risk of contracting fungal nail infections, bacterial skin infections, viral infections, and even blood-borne viral diseases like hepatitis.

The manicure and pedicure service at Allen Somers uses an innovative technique that offers the soothing benefits of steamed towels, rather than a tub with water, greatly reducing the risk of transmitting infections. In addition, the high-end stainless steel nail implements are sanitized in a state-of-the-art autoclave, a device used in the medical field to sterilize surgical instruments. Each client receives a new file, buffer, and a set of toe separators, all sealed in plastic, that will be used during the pedicure and that the client can either keep or throw away. Even the neck pillow on the chair has a disposable cover that is discarded after each service. All of these measures offer a degree of protection from consubstantiation that goes above and beyond the norm in Orange County.

"No more soaking your feet in a tub that everyone else just used. Instead, we wrap your feet in clean, sterile towels. They"re Egyptian cotton, and specifically washed... and the steam caddy for the towels even has an antibacterial ultraviolet light. You get a spa-like experience without the jacuzzi bubbles. It feels great, and you don"t have to worry about getting an infection," says Allen.

I visited Allen Somers for a Waterless Pedicure last month and was impressed with the cleanliness of the salon and the professionalism of technician Mindy Winkler. With a demure manner and a delicate touch, she treated me to what the salon"s brochure refers to as "The Deluxe Foot Facial." Having my feet wrapped in hot, steamed towels was an extraordinary and completely relaxing experience. I absolutely did not miss a foot bath. Winkler flawlessly performed the service, which included nail shaping, cuticle conditioning, the smoothing of calluses, a mild exfoliation, a moisturizing paraffin treatment, and – the highlight for me – an extended salt scrub massage of my feet and legs. The finishing touch was a perfectly-applied nail polish, which I let Winkler select for me because I was still transfixed by the massage.

One of the most refreshing aspects of the nail service, besides an optional peppermint foot mask, is the lack of confusion about what you are going to end up paying. The charges are clearly defined: for both manicures and pedicures, you can get either the express service or the deluxe. There are not a lot of add-on"s, or what Allen calls "a la carte" items, for the $45 deluxe pedicure, The only extras are the foot mask and a French manicure. The genial staff at Allen Somers is happy to provide you with a brochure and explain costs up front.

You won't find the waterless spa pedicure technique everywhere, although if it were up to Allen, you would. He strongly believes in the exchange of ideas and information within his industry and improving methods and standards across the board. Allen, a hairstylist, had considered adding manicures and pedicures to his salon services, but says, "The whole Watsonville outbreak made me think, "Why provide my customers with a bacteria-pool bath?""

Alarmingly, two deaths last year have been blamed on infections contracted after getting pedicures. The first was in Fort Worth, Texas, and the second was in Sunnyvale – California"s first casualty allegedly caused by complications from a pedicure-related infection.

"The problem with all this," says Allen, "is that many salon owners who use foot baths find these new regulations both time-consuming and cost-prohibitive." He has observed cleaning measures in both strip mall salons and upscale establishments that have not even come close to following mandated procedures which includes soaking the spa tubs for ten minutes with barbicide filled to the soak level. "I've been inspected just twice in twelve years," he says. "The state inspections are so limited that a lot of salon owners are willing to gamble and, if necessary, pay the increased fines."

Because the waterless approach does not use a traditional pedicure water basin, Allen does not have to worry about foot bath inspections. Although Allen hopes to see other salons reduce health risks by abandoning their traditional foot tubs, he states, "Currently, we are the only salon in Orange County that does a waterless pedicure, to our knowledge." It seems surprising that more salons are not offering this service, since it's not only a safer alternative, but more cost effective for salon owners. Adds Allen, "Wouldn't it be nice if we could be advocates in the industry to make this technique the standard?"

Allen Somers Complete Imagery Salon is located off MacArthur Boulevard at 18025 Sky Park East, Suite C, in Irvine and offers a full range of beauty services including anything to do with hair and nails, but also noteworthy is the facialist Andrea Sheppard who specializes in a host of treatments, such as customized facials, cellular rejuvenation, eyelash extensions, micro dermabrasion, rosacea treatments and more.

To make an appointment for the salon"s Waterless Pedicure service, please contact Mindy Winkler at (714)675-2319.