What better way to celebrate a girls’ day out than hitting the spa for a group pedicure? After all, a very reliable source with years of experience tells us that studies show feet clad in high heels that are shopped in for 6-8 hours will suffer 80 percent less trauma when treated to a pedicure at approximately the fourth hour!  
If you’re feeling the need for a little pampering, a regular pedicure should be on your calendar. Just make sure you choose a safe salon and review the following recommendations (provided by the International Pedicure Association – IPA) before getting your toes wet:

Go with your first impression. Does the salon look clean, especially the pedicure area and thrones? (No misnomer there!) Don’t overlook small details and consider checking out the restroom for an indication of overall salon cleanliness standards.
Ask how (and how often) the nail instruments are being sanitized. Each state’s guidelines can be found by calling the state cosmetology board. Make sure tools are fully submerged in a very clean solution. Also confirm that tools that are not disinfected are thrown away after each use. Some pedicurists even recommend bringing your own sterile equipment.
Same story on the whirlpool foot tubs. Since the tubs can be a major source of bacteria and contamination, it is important to know how they are being cleaned and how often.
Does the pedicurist ask you a few simple health questions, gathering information pertinent to you and the condition of your feet? It’s possible a professional pedicurist may even recommend a doctor or podiatrist when recognizing a condition which they’ve seen before. This, of course, should be done before putting your feet into the whirlpool.
Are the nail technicians/pedicurists licensed, as evidenced by their licenses hanging for clients to see? Check the walls for these, as well as for state inspection ratings. Find out if your pedicurist is a member of the International Pedicure Association. In addition, does he/she have any certifications or extra training beyond a license? Ask these questions if you can’t tell from looking around.
You can help yourself by not shaving your legs or having any open cuts or wounds on your feet before a pedicure. Make sure your nail technician has thoroughly washed hands and request they wear a new pair of gloves. Confirm yours is a freshly laundered towel or a new disposable towel.
The area between the toes is the second most common area for bacterial and fungal contamination (after the nail folds).  If you don’t bring your own sterile tools, at the very least consider bringing your own nail separator and your own polish. The same nail brush is re-dipped into their polish bottle and who knows who chose that Vixen Red before you?  

Linda Bond, executive director of the International Pedicure Association has shared many of the above guidelines and warns us: “The consumer is not aware of the potential risk they are in if their salon or spa is not practicing safety standards and using infection control.”  
The IPA’s mission is to help meet the need of the pedicurist by providing a support network offering higher education, higher quality and safer procedures. It offers a member directory on its Web site: www.pedicureassociation.org through which you can find your next local pedicurist, including Charlene Briggs of Changes Salon, featured in this month’s magazine!
Tune in next month when we feature “Which Salons Let You Bring Your Own Wine.”