I read the NY Times nail salon expose. Pedicures here in suburban Texas strip malls cost over twice what they apparently do at some of those east coast salons, so perhaps the workers are receiving minimum wage. I have often said that I could afford a pedicure more often if I didn’t overtip so much. I guess my instincts were correct.
I felt bad when some of the workers interviewed in the NYT piece talked about how the customers didn’t talk to them. I am guilty…the salon workers here tend to be Vietnamese and speak virtually no English, so I don’t chat. (I rarely chat when I am having my hair cut, either; I’m not the chatting at the salon type.)
The only thing I can really think of to help personally is to give my generous tip directly to the worker, rather than adding it to the credit card bill when I check out.
Thoughts? Mind you, getting a pedicure is a treat for me. I’m not a regular and the salon I frequent doesn’t offer the rock bottom prices.
My understanding is that the situation isn’t great in CA, but it’s not nearly as bad in NYC. There is no way a mani-ped in NYC should cost half what it does in the rest of the country. The good news is that officialdom will now be looking into things and let’s hope nail care gets a lot more expensive and these poor women get paid a fair wage. Most shocking to me was that Korean women got paide more than Chinese who got paid more than Hispanics.
Wow. I just read that. Our prices are much higher here in middle Tennessee, and many of the salons do not allow the workers to speak in their native languages. They speak English to the customers and to each other. I love my salon, and the husband/wife team who work there speak fairly good English and seem to have a decent life. I was in Philadelphia last week and now suspect the salon I popped into for a quick manicure might have been similar to the ones in the article. There were about 10 young Korean or Vietnamese women working, hardly anyone spoke English, and the manicure only cost $10. We pay $15 here for a basic manicure and about $30 or more for shellac.
While high prices are not guarantee of quality, I would be very concerned that such low-price salons that abuse their workers may cut corners in other aspects of their business, too, like not disinfecting equipment properly etc. If you are paid peanuts, would you be motivated to follow all instructions and precautions religiously?
It’s not just about if or how much the manicurists are paid, but also about the chemical fumes and acrylic dust they inhale on a daily basis. It’s a small thing, but I buy my own “safe” (because who really knows) polish and take it to the salon with me.
I get my nails done at the salon where I get my hair done. She is an independent operator and sets her own fees. I would never go the type of nail salons they are talking about in the expose.
Andrew Cuomo has issued emergency measure to protect nail salon workers.
I have been concerned for years about the chemicals these young women are exposed to day after day. As someone with a degree in chemistry I can say with it is shocking. I do not understand how there is no regulation. For those who go to get their nails done there is probably no issue with chemical exposure (although I would never take a young child into the salon). And wearing a dust mask does nothing to stop inhalation of harmful funes.
DrGoogle, me too. My middle schooler has lately been on a nail painting rampage - she does tiny little designs on her nails etc. I try to warn her about the fumes, and ventilation etc but the warnings only seem to stick for a few days.
I have my nails done weekly by the same person I’ve gone to for several years. She also housesits for me when I’m on vacation and I’ve hired her husband for moving and other projects. I pay her $25 for a natural manicure…she rents her chair from the salon, but otherwise, it all goes to her. I read the NYT series and I’m not at all surprised. I have always avoided these salons - they make me very uncomfortable and it’s obvious they are nasty places to work.
If they are cutting corners by cheating or abusing their workers, they are probably cutting corners on hygiene, and I would worry about a nasty infection.
Salons often do not pay a living wage any more than restaurants do. Workers are usually dependent on tips.
At many hair salons in our area, I would even say most, stylists lease their space and pay the owner a portion of their sales as well. Makes it difficult if you don’t have a large established base of clients.
Nail salons ( some- but still ) are notorious for their connection to trafficking, both human & drugs. http://seattleglobalist.com/2012/05/22/rest-stop-poster-campaign-targets-human-trafficking/3888
Also even if chemicals are not banned by the FDA, the air quality is still not great, for clients but specially for workers.
But the reason I won’t go to a nail salon is because I am afraid of the bacteria.
I didn’t read the article, but did see a few summaries of it, so I’m not exactly sure what people are paying in NYC. Here in the Chicago suburbs, I pay $45-50 for a fill and pedicure. I always tip $10 in cash, and every Christmas, I give a very generous tip. The place is owned and operated by a husband/wife team… no other employees. They often open the front and back door to the salon for a few minutes every hour or so to help the fumes escape, so it doesn’t smell like a salon. They wear masks, mostly to avoid dust when filing, and not because they think it will help with chemicals.
I have gone a couple of stints without getting my nails done, and my cuticles suffer horribly; they get torn up and banged up against. And my real nails don’t break, they tear. This is really the best way for me to keep my nails from hurting due to damaged cuticles (I’ve tried all the home remedies) and torn nails.
Thankfully, neither one of my daughters inherited my nail genes; they have gorgeous nails with no effort.
I’ve been going to the same salon monthly for 10 years. They are all Vietnamese, but I always pay my tips in cash to the individuals directly. They seem to all be related and they know me by name. I do chit chat with them, even if their english is terrible. I’ve been learning words in vietnamese - here’s last months fun fact…words and names are only ever one syllable. I’ve heard about weddings, babies, they’ve seen my daughter grow up. I feel like Norm from Cheers every time I walk in. However, I know they work about 60 hours a week. They wear masks when they do fills.
I would only go to a place where the workers are treated fairly and knowingly pay a premium for that. I’m friendly with the woman I see, since I’ve been going for years, and have a good idea of the pay structure. She also does all the other spa services, too, waxing, gel, Shellac, facials etc.
She does work hard, but no more than an 8 hour day and she takes off at least a day and a half per week. Her bosses are good to her and the rest of employees and even as a single mom she is able to afford a decent home. I’d never go to the kind of place profiled in that article.
I just went today. Paid $40 plus tip for a mani and pedi at one of the Vietnamese owned salons.I always pay cash and bring my own polish. Most of them seem to prefer you pay in cash. Many of the salons in my area no longer do acrylic nails. We have a lot of similar salons in our area. The three I have used over the last few years are mainly family run businesses and I hope all the employees are treated fairly. I have been to a few that gave me a weird vibe and I didn’t go back.
I go to a day spa to get my nails done–it advertises natural products for nails and other services like facials. I’ve been going since it opened ten years ago; I know the owner–she’s there every day and is the receptionist. The women that work for her are locals–so language isn’t a problem. There are 3 full-time people (2 for mani/pedi and 1 for facials/waxing, etc.) The part-time manicurists are all recent graduates of the cosmetology program at the local regional vocational high school. They’re all very friendly and chat with customers.
The manicure part of this salon operates differently from most nail salons. You book an appointment for a specific time and when you get there, you sit at a long bar with other customers (there’s usually a fair amount of socializing among the customers). One manicurist starts the manicure–cuticles, filing, etc. and then another manicurist finishes it up–hand scrub, polish, hand cream, hand massage. Pedicures are like in most salons. I pay $24 for a manicure and $50 for a pedicure. The employees share tips for manicures–you put them in a jar before you leave. Tips aren’t shared for the pedicures. I always tip well. I don’t think this is a salon like the ones in the NYT expose.
I read the article and was horrified. I have often wondered why/how manis/pedis cost so little in NYC. Here in NoVA I pay about $40 for a pedi and $25 for a mani and always tip well.