Hygiene at a nail salon comes down to two rules: everything that touches a client and can be sterilised is sterilised before the next one, and everything that cannot be sterilised is fresh for each client. If a salon meets both, you can sit down and relax. Here is how to recognise it and how we do it at nails and the city.
Why hygiene matters in a manicure
It matters because manicure tools work on the skin and sometimes graze it. Nippers, an e-file bit or a pusher passed from one client to the next without sterilising can transmit fungi, warts or bacterial infections. It is not alarmism: it is why regulations require sterilisation, and why at our salon it is part of the service rather than an extra.
What is sterilised and what is single-use
The rule is simple: metal is sterilised; anything porous is thrown away.
| What | What we do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Nippers, scissors, metal pushers | Autoclave-sterilised after every client | Metal withstands heat and comes out sterile |
| E-file bits | Autoclave-sterilised after every client | They work on cuticle and skin |
| Files and buffers | Fresh for every client | Porous; cannot be sterilised |
| Orange sticks | Fresh for every client | Wood absorbs and cannot be sterilised |
| Towels and cloths | Washed at high temperature after each use | Fabric in contact with skin |
| Pedicure bowls | Disinfected and fitted with a disposable liner | Water and the skin of the feet |
| Table, hand rest and lamp | Disinfected between appointments | Surfaces the hands touch |
Sterilising is not disinfecting
Disinfecting means applying a product that kills most microorganisms; sterilising means eliminating all of them, spores included, with heat and pressure in an autoclave. A spray or a soak in disinfectant liquid is fine for surfaces, but not enough for tools that graze the skin. If at a salon the nippers come out of a jar of blue liquid, they are disinfected, not sterilised.
What to look for when you walk into a salon
Five signs you can see from the chair:
- Tools arrive in a sealed pouch and are opened in front of you. That is the proof they went through the autoclave.
- The file is new, or you are offered it to take home: it should show no signs of use.
- The table is cleaned between one client and the next, not only at closing time.
- The technician washes her hands or puts on fresh gloves before starting.
- The salon smells clean, not of a strong product covering something else.
And one question you can always ask: "Do you sterilise in an autoclave?" A good salon answers without hesitation.
How we do it at nails and the city
Between clients we autoclave-sterilise all metal tools and e-file bits, which come out in a sealed pouch for each appointment. Files, buffers, orange sticks and wipes are fresh for you. Towels are washed at high temperature, pedicure bowls have a disposable liner and the table is disinfected before you sit down. We have done it this way since 2007 because, for us, hygiene is not an extra: it is part of the care.
The same applies to a manicure, a pedicure or a brow bar treatment: brow tweezers and scissors follow the same circuit.
What you can do
- Come with healthy skin. If you have a cut, a fungus or a wart on your hand or foot, tell us: we adapt the service or postpone it, for you and for everyone else.
- Do not peel polish off at home: it leaves the nail porous and more exposed. Here is how to remove gel polish properly.
- If you see a yellow or thick nail, look at it before polishing: it may be a fungus. We explain it in yellow nails.
- Your own file at home, and nobody else uses it.
You can book your appointment through Treatwell or write to us with any question about how we work.
Frequently asked questions
Do you sterilise your tools at nails and the city?
Yes, in an autoclave, between clients: nippers, scissors, pushers and e-file bits come out in a sealed pouch for each appointment. Anything that cannot be sterilised, such as files, buffers and orange sticks, is fresh for you.
What is the difference between disinfecting and sterilising?
Disinfecting kills most microorganisms with a chemical product; sterilising eliminates all of them, spores included, with heat and pressure in an autoclave. Tools that graze the skin need sterilising.
Can I bring my own tools to the salon?
You can, but there is no need: ours arrive sterilised and sealed for every appointment. If you bring them, we sterilise them before use, because tools that have been in a toiletry bag are not sterile.
Can you do my manicure if I have a nail fungus?
If we see signs of a fungus we do not polish over it: we tell you and recommend treating it first, because polish makes it worse. We can work on the other nails with the necessary care.
Can you catch a fungus from a manicure?
At a salon that does not sterilise, yes. At one that autoclave-sterilises and uses fresh porous items, the risk is minimal. That is why it pays to check whether tools arrive in a sealed pouch and the file is new.