Five hygiene questions to ask before you sit in any salon chair

Most clients judge a salon by how it looks. The things that actually protect you are usually behind the counter, so it is worth asking directly — a good salon will be happy to answer.

First: are files and buffers single-use? Porous tools cannot be properly sterilised. At our salon they are opened in front of you and discarded afterwards.

Second: how are metal tools sterilised? Wiping with alcohol is not sterilisation. Ask whether clippers, cuticle nippers and pushers go through an autoclave or a UV steriliser between clients.

Third: are basins and foot spas disinfected between appointments, or just rinsed? Standing water in a pedicure bowl is a common source of skin infection.

Fourth: does the barber use a fresh neck strip and a laundered cape for every client? And fifth: what happens if you have a reaction — is there a patch test option for adhesives and gels? If the answer to any of these is vague, book elsewhere.