Improper equipment for hot stones

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Little Lady

Active Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2013
Messages
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Location
Scotland
Hi everyone, just wondered what everyone's take was on using a hot towel cabbie to heat hot stones? I hate not having the proper machine to heat them and equipment to remove the stones with. The stones are scalding hot when they come out and I'm scared I'll either burn myself or my client. Surely it's a breach of health and safety too. The salon owner knows they should be heated with an actual hot stones machine but still continues to get us to use the cabbies.
 
I think that that is a health and safety issue that needs to be addressed. But in not sure who to take it to if your boss isn't listening.

@KHS @squidgernetball @RED STAR @kahuna hair and @AcidPerm have a wealth of knowledge they might be able to help.
 
Thanks for the vote of confidence @Tori1992. I haven't got a clue lol.

Seriously, this is a health and safety issue. If you or a client got burnt she wouldn't have a leg to stand on. You're well within your rights to refuse to use the equipment, citing health and safety - easier said than done I know.

The only other thing you can do is contact your local council and ask who you need to complain to. Make out you're a client and tell them they're using a towel warmer for stones.

Call Me. I'll do it for you.

As a salon owner I can't believe how many people run salons so badly.

My lovely rep came in the other day and said the salon she'd been to the day before had 6 spiders in the room they put her in to do consultations. She said she had to sort the spiders before she could work.

Seriously, some salons are just crap!

Vic x
 
Sadly this does happen, it's not regulated :(
However, towel steamers I've come across clearly states on manufacturer info they don't recommend this.

Soooooooo when it comes to insurance and a client gets burnt by a stone from a towel warmer she'll be screwed!! As she's not using the equipment govenerned by manufacturer instructions and guidelines.her insurance will be invalid.
 
There's a mobile therapist in my area that uses a kettle! Yes a kettle [emoji15].....I say no more x
 
There's a mobile therapist in my area that uses a kettle! Yes a kettle
emoji15.png
.....I say no more x

:0 what the...
 
:0 what the...

I know I mean I just put them in the tumble dryer works a treat [emoji87]...........

I'm so joking but yeah seriously and the only reason I know is because I booked her ! X
 
Thank you to everyone for your replies. I said again today to the salon manager about it, so I'm hoping she'll say to the boss and it can get sorted. Good advice about calling the council, I'll do that if she still doesn't see sense x
 
Shoot me down but we use a slow cooker on low with a damp towel liner and stones never get too hot. Have had a proper hot stones machine before and honestly can't tell the difference between the two.
 
Shoot me down but we use a slow cooker on low with a damp towel liner and stones never get too hot. Have had a proper hot stones machine before and honestly can't tell the difference between the two.


I'm not going to shoot you down as its not my business what you use .....but I don't understand why anyone wouldn't use the tools they are trained with....if you used the hot stone machine before why have you switched to a slow cooker? I'm not being negative just intrigued as to why and whether insurance would cover of God forbid something went wrong and you wasn't using the correct equipment x
 
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I'm still chuckling at the stones in the tumble dryer lmao - what a lovely sound lol

Pinknsparkly slow cookers are meant for food! Not solid objects. They're also meant to be used with water, not a damp towel.you.
This is a disaster waiting to happen I wouldn't want to be your client when it explodes lol not to mention not being able to claim on your insurance.

I don't understand why people cut corners then claim they're professionals - generalising there.
 
In college my teacher said a slow cooker was just as good that's where I got the idea. However I wanted to do things properly so to speak so we had an all singing all dancing stone machine when opening it was awful, broke after about 18 months and the stones were always scalding hot don't think the temp gauge was too reliable tbh. I asked insurance and they said as long as staff are trained in handling the stones as per their training and the stones don't go above a certain temp it's fine. On another subject I don't use a towel steamer as I don't like them but was at a beauty show a few years ago and they were selling them my hubby asked what the difference was between that and a food steamer. They couldn't tell me and proceeded to look flustered and and stuttered something about the water never runs out? Just makes me lose faith in these "professional" pieces of equipment. Maybe the hot stones machine I got was a just a fluke and all others are ok not sure but it put me off especially spending nearly £300 on it and when I questioned it with manufacturers they weren't bothered. My slow cooker has a temp control so doesn't heat the stones too hot and have found it much easier to use and more reliable it's not even a case of penny pinching as my slow cooker was dear as it has the inbuilt temp.
 
In college my teacher said a slow cooker was just as good that's where I got the idea. However I wanted to do things properly so to speak so we had an all singing all dancing stone machine when opening it was awful, broke after about 18 months and the stones were always scalding hot don't think the temp gauge was too reliable tbh. I asked insurance and they said as long as staff are trained in handling the stones as per their training and the stones don't go above a certain temp it's fine. On another subject I don't use a towel steamer as I don't like them but was at a beauty show a few years ago and they were selling them my hubby asked what the difference was between that and a food steamer. They couldn't tell me and proceeded to look flustered and and stuttered something about the water never runs out? Just makes me lose faith in these "professional" pieces of equipment. Maybe the hot stones machine I got was a just a fluke and all others are ok not sure but it put me off especially spending nearly £300 on it and when I questioned it with manufacturers they weren't bothered. My slow cooker has a temp control so doesn't heat the stones too hot and have found it much easier to use and more reliable it's not even a case of penny pinching as my slow cooker was dear as it has the inbuilt temp.




But cooking oil for instance is just as good for massage it provides slip etc but It doesn't mean to say I'm ever going to use it on a client..... can you imagine turning up with a bottle of crisp n dry under your arm......[emoji15]


Sorry maybe I'm just anal and please don't think I'm having a go far from it but as I said I just think we should use the tools we trained with.....and a hot stone machine is made to heat hot stones so I couldn't think of why anything would be better than that.....

Maybe you did have bad luck with your first one but seriously I would worry as to whether you will be covered by insurance should something go wrong .....

X
 
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You do know there are 'professional complainers' out there, don't you?

These are the clients that are on the look out for something to make a fuss about and get compensation for.
We regularly read about them in Geekland as they make our members lives a misery.

Anyone that isn't using the correct tools will be a natural target for this type of client. Even if your insurer does cover you, you'll still have the stress of dealing with the situation and the potential effect on your reputation as someone who cuts corners.

It's up to the individual how they run their business and I can understand the logic behind using a similar warming device, but it's still not following manufacturers recommendations and that's what the compo client will focus on.
 
Yes I am aware of professional complainers I have come across a few to no avail but that's another story.....

I understand what you are all saying I really do and totally respect it it's just have been let down by such products before and have had dealings with insurance before and I do everything properly and they still never paid out. My salon got ram raided and I had to foot the bill as insurance refused to cover as the police report as to what the reason for it happening was inconclusive so to be honest have no faith in insurers even if you do everything to the book either. My insurance did say it was
Ok so think I will leave it there thanks for your thoughts but i do realise the implications and have considered them before making my choices so thanks but I do not wish to discuss this further as I didn't post this to ask for advice about myself was just explaining why I came to these choices for the information of the OP as thought it may be helpful to have a different viewpoint.

Although I have to say would not use a towel warmer for stones as I can not see the sense as there is no consistent temp control
 
As a footnote, when dealing with Insurance companies, don't automatically accept their offer if they're trying not to pay out or are trying to pay you less than you think you are due.

It's often worth pushing them and taking your complaint further.

Some years ago, I had a fire in my kitchen caused by a poorly serviced boiler/cooker. After about nine months of arguing backwards and forwards, my insurer eventually paid me the £5k outstanding of the claim.

It pays to persist!
 
I also used to use a proper hot stone warmer but I had so many problems trying to get it to the right temperature I gave up. I ended up using a preserving pan over a portable electric hob and was able to keep the temperature to a steady 40-50C and constantly checked with a thermometer. The stones were never too hot, I never burned anyone or myself, they were perfect. I looked at a really expensive stone heater and it worked in a very similar way to my setup.
 
I use the vulsini heater now and before that I used a traditional hot stone heater. However, when I trained we were also told you could save money and use a slow cooker. I've never done it as I'm a bit OCD on using 'proper' equipment but we were definitely told we could and that insurers accept that!
 
Just because you can use something doesn't mean you should..

I personally use the correct heater, as I just don't want to risk it. X
 
I agree with certain things that you should use the correct equipment, and using a kettle, towel warmer for heating hot stones is compleatly wrong, but we have one hot stone warmer and one slow cooker in work and they are EXACTLY the same, except for the BIG price difference, the only difference at all is the one has hot stone warmer written on it! We use them in exactly the same way with water and the slow cooker is much better at keeping the stones at a constant temp. Yes something's you should never skimp on but on others I do think if they slap "spa" or "beauty" on the front of something they can charge you 4 times as much for exactly the same thing!
My insurance firm said there would be no problem at all as we are all trained in handelling the hot stones! X
 

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