Hi Geeks,

This may be going over old grounds not sure? But im wondering why anyone hasnt done anything about NSS salons i.e shut them down?

Isnt there anything we can do as beauty therapists or talk to anyone to get them closed down or to up their standards at least?

As we all know they charge less than us as they use cheap and nasty products and dont keep upto level with hygiene (sp?) so at this time of creditcrunch people are trying to look good for less and this includes people having their nails done at NSS. I feel like almost everyone i speak to goes to NSS salons (my area is full of them) and its hard to talk round them to get them to come to me or another higher standard therapist all they are thinking about is the price they are paying!

I worry as im spending over 1000 on training for the nail industry and im thinking is it worth it? As people dont seem to care what brand or product you use its more about the price that you are charging, and the products i will be using - CND including my efforts i cannot afford to charge 15.00 for a full set!

Isnt there anything we can do? At all?

Sadly at this moment in time there's nothing being done about it.

I had a H&S inspection last week by the local council this is how it went.

Inspector walks in and shows me her ID and says 'I'm here to do a H&S inspection.
ME; ok what would you like to see first
HER; oh no it's ok I'd like to ask you a few questions first.
Me;ok
HER; do you have a fisrt aid kit
ME; yes. would you like to see it?
HER; no, it's ok
HER: do you have an up to date fire certificate?
Me; yes, would you like to see it?
HER; no thanks
HER; (tick boxes on sheet) ok you've passed your inspection and as the nail industry is classed as LOW RISK you wont be seeing us for another 4-5 yrs

No wonder the NSS gets away with what they do

Knowing my luck now they will read this and be knocking my door down on monday

Sorry to sound stupid...but what does NSS mean!? (forgive me i'm new!)

NSS = non standard salon
I.e salon employing nail techs with very little or no proper training,uses poor quality products (sometimes MMA) and very poor hygine standards.
HTH

the nss by me charge between £20 and £25 for a full set then extra if you want them painting! its ridiculus, i charge £25 including paint and am fully qualified, alot of people go because they dont take bookings, you can just walk in

Ive often thought about doing a protest outside one of these nail bars,but wondered if it would actually solve anything,and how could I be sure they are NNS/MMA users.

Most peeps that have come to me from NNS, say they will never go back ,they are put off by them.Unfortunatly one of my old clients did go back..because they were quicker...she said!!People like this seriously need their heads testing, the damaging doesnt seem to bother them ,but this is obviously the reason they will keep going back.BECAUSE THEY ARE QUICKER

But how would you know a nail bar was NNS/MMA untill you actually try it out for yourself?? I certainly wouldnt want to go there to see for myself, and could only assume from their ex clients from what they say about them,that they actually are,ok we can reconise a possability of MMA being used on someones nails when they come to us,but we will never know if they were an NNS salon...(hope that makes sense.)

My god thats ridiculous! They make it too easy for people. x

I would send a friend into the NSS salon seen as my friends do use them instead of me!! And tell them to look out for certain things etc

I would protest but i would be protesting every day for 2 weeks around my area seen as there are so many x

I think part of the problem is, when we talk about them in here, we obviously understand the down falls of these salons.
However, if you talk to a general public about MMA, they go "What????"
The key is education.
More people know about pros and cons, then more likely they are to choose the healthy option.
However, having said that, there are always people who don't care and who just want to have a set of nails......even if they have been warned of possible problems.
And they do konw their way to NSS salon.

Personally, I feel that it's up to "US", the quality techs, to do something about it.
If we make noise, and push the 'Leaders' of the industry to make even more noise.. something will change.

Consumers won't make noise because most of them are ignorant of what NSS is... and don't realize what's going on.

The harder 'WE' work together at informing the public, and making demands of our government, demanding more of our schools in terms of education, demanding more from our distributors, etc...... the more likely things will change.

But if we continue to sit and complain - all the while doing nothing - then exactly nothing is going to happen.


"Seek and you shall find. It is always so in life".
A very wise person said that, and I've held onto it for years, seeing the truth of it many times over.

One person alone can't make the change, but form a strong enough group..... all sorts of great things can happen.

(PS: for the record, I have been quietly working on making 'noise' in my own neck of the woods.... and will be approaching local government very soon)

Personally I think we should all concentrate on being the best Nail Tech we can be and leave the dross to it. Clients are not as stupid as we assume and the discerning will look at NSS nails and think 'there must be a better way of doing this' and then seek out other tech's (you and I). By moaning about or slating them we run the risk of it looking like professional jealousy (which trust me I know it isn't).

In an industry that is unregulated (in the UK and Canada and Aus(?)) I don't believe we can change anything at the moment. How long have hairdressers been around? A long time. But, their industry is not regulated either.

Again personally, I don't regard the NSS as my competition. People who want quick, no appt necessary and the cheapest service going are not my target market. I want clients who appreciate my skill, respect my training and knowledge and wont jump ship as soon as someone else knocks a quid off their prices.

Focus on doing what you do the best and ignore the dross.

As ever JMHO,

Very good point V perhaps we should get everyone on here to go to their government and kick up a fuss about these salons.

You see i know and understand that you should try to be the best nail technician possible but sometimes its not enough, sometimes clients want the cheapest price they can find no matter how much you tell them about the damage of NSS they dont care they only have 15-20 pounds to spare that month they know they mostly cant get that with a high standard nail technician so where are they going to go? All they want in pink and whites they all look the same so they will go to NSS salon Despite how good we are.

xx

Love you as much as ever, hun, but don't think we'll ever agree on this one LOL

Hi all,

Yep we have NSS all over here in Australia, and all we can do is educate our clients. But having said that some still go, then come back for an infill and say "Oh I do know why I went there?", But they are so fast.

I felt like screaming, even though we do educate them, and we have further training, it is frustrating.

The last visit to Sydney, I went into a NSS, and all were wearing masks, only 2 spoke English, 4 had just arrived the day before to Australia, and I asked for an infill, well they don't file / or / drill the old, they were pushing this little metal thing between my acrylic and natural nail, lifting them, I kept saying "ouch, why are you doing that", they would only say "oh sorry", but to cut a long story short, they took (ripped) them all off, only stuck on white tips, and bam they were done, no prep, no files, only this metal thingy (never seen one before), and the acrylic L & P, in clear bottles, no labels, nothing.

I will admit, I had rings of fire, I had very sore nail beds, and I ASKED QUESTIONS:

1 what brand of liquid is that?
2 what brand of powder is that?
3 where do you get your products from?

and I was told "it comes in big drums", and "don't know where it comes from", then someone boss lady said something to her in their own language, so she would not talk to me anymore.......

But not once did I see any tools, or files, or implements or benches washed or sanitized. NOT ONCE.

That was it, within 35 mins I was in and out, all for $25.00



I cant do a set for that sort of $$$$, it is a joke.

The regulations here in Australia are very relaxed, and unfortunately we train hard, spend thousands on training, and in the end, we will come out on top.........Hopefully.

Ps.........and I hate white tips.. I even said, "i don't like white tips, can you sculpt instead to be more natural?" She just kept her head down
...I looked liked like a person with fake hands....lol

We have a few in my area too and from what I hear, people here are more bothered about the time than the cost.

My sister in law's friend asked me to do her nails in her lunch break, I said it may take up to 2hrs and she said "WHAT?! *** (nss) only take 40 mins maybe you should go work there and they can teach you!" I politely replied "I could do them in 40 mins too if I shaved off the top few layers of your nail" How rude

The way I see it is, it isn't going to get better anytime soon so I just concentrate on my work and let them get on with theirs.

Please please PLEASE dont think i am targeting you because i am not (NOT)
I just have to ask.. why would you allow them to do this to you?? I cannot understand why you did not get up and walk out!!
An old client came to me with damage to her NN from an NSS drill.. she said it was very painful when it was done, and yet she sat there through the whole set.. because she didnt want to be rude!!!

anyway..

Everyone one of my clients "old and new" has horror stories about NSS.. (whether they be first habd or second) I honestly answer there questions and educate them on what they need to know and hope to god they never go back.. but sadly the 40 min lunch break jobbie will always be a draw card..
The thing i notice is they "seem" cheaper.. but then when the client has been suitably "enhanced" (cough) they charge ridiculous prices for the zing and the bling.. which in my opinion says it all.. Its about getting the client in with the price and sending them off with the illusion that they have been pampered!

When you get a client.. Talk to her.. pamper her.. make her feel lovely and they will come back to you, not some NSS.. and in so we will start to see change.