Ever heard of the term – “You get what you pay for?” This always crosses my mind when things are very cheap such as clothes, accessories, beauty products etc. How can they be that cheap? The same thing applies in the nail industry. How can some of these conveyer belt style nail salons be so cheap? Let me give you a few little known truths as to why!
- Most of the workers are not qualified nail technicians, therefore they don’t get paid accordingly As you would already assume, many of the workers are from overseas and they come here and just get trained on the job. Very few are actually qualified nail technicians as the industry unfortunately isn’t regulated to make it law that they have to be which is very sad. There’s even been many audits and investigations to make sure some of the girls from overseas have actually come here and are working at their own will and not been human trafficked which is really scary. A lot of people assume human trafficking is just for prostitution etc but it can occur for labour services as well.
We make sure all of our Glam Squad girls are qualified nail technicians and they are paid correctly.
- Their practices speed you through a service. You get a quick service at the detriment of your beautiful nails. I remember going in and asking for acrylic refills and get told I need a new set (No, I didn’t have lifting or anything) then proceeded to get my acrylic nails flicked off using another nail tip! The thought of this procedure makes me cringe now and I can’t believe I ever put up with it. People still do to this day. I’ve heard some horror stories since being in the industry of paramedics being called out to nail salons because people have been so badly cut and won’t stop bleeding. Then there’s the drilling on your natural nails to remove acrylic or shellac while taking layers off your natural nails. All of these practices are just to turn over as many people as possible. Don’t worry about the health of you or your nails. So many times we have clients come in who have been to these other nail salons and they have ruined their nails. There is a myth out there that shellac ruins your nails, its not the shellac that ruins your nails, its the process that these places use that ruins your nails.
We always look after your nails as number one and as we say, we would much rather take care of your nails with our old school practices of filing and soaking and have return clients with healthy nails rather than return clients because their nails need attention every week because of the quality of them.
- Products are poor quality. A lot of the time, the different products used are not even authentic brands but rip off, cheaper versions. Then don’t get me started on the acrylic! People often say that Glamour doesn’t have that strong nail salon smell. That’s because we use high quality products and not cheap and nasty versions. Also speaking of acrylic, a lot of places still use acrylic that has MMA in it which is actually illegal in Australia. It is super cheap and can be purchased in bulk.
- Occupation Health and Safety Procedures are not followed. This includes sanitising tools, hands, correct cleaning procedures of nail desks and pedicure chairs. As a lot of the workers are not qualified, they have not been taught the proper skin penetration act which includes all the industry health and safety procedures which is so important. We make this a very high priority in Glamour with all our girls not only following but going over and above these procedures to avoid skin infections and diseases. Also ever seen the skin peelers they use on heels for pedicures? These are actually illegal in Australia and should never be used.
We’ve all seen the horror stories on A Current Affair and on Social Media of the Chain Nail Salons in Shopping Centres and it makes my blood boil. I’m still not entirely sure why people still put up with this or even risk it. Putting all of this aside, just the level of service that you receive is hideous at a lot of places. I think slowly women are realising this and not putting up with it anymore. Getting your nails done should be a pleasant and pampering experience as it’s something we do for ourselves because we deserve it. This is one of the reasons we opened Glamour Nail Bar. We wanted somewhere nice to go and get our nails done and somewhere you could make an appointment and it actually existed, to have nail technicians that you could talk to and explain what you wanted on your nails, as well as walking out with amazing nails and feeling like a million dollars. We wanted to have somewhere that the service was amazing while still keeping the prices competitive in the industry. After not being able to find anything like this, we decided to open one ourselves and the rest is history!
