Foot Spa
Renu is a popular spa in Deerfield recognized for its unique manicures and pedicures. Our one of a kind techniques originate from our profound knowledge of the anatomy and our desire to make clients look their best and feel wonderful as well. Our experienced technicians are always up to date. They hone their professional skills by first learning about the latest techniques and then creating new ways to help you achieve perfection. Our distinctive atmosphere is drawn from European culture which means that if you are a guest at our spa, then you are treated as the guest of honor. At Renu, sanitation is a very important part of our business. We have a reputation for being the cleanest spa in the area and we perform our treatments under strictly sterile conditions. We believe that nothing is more precious than life and good health. That’s why we follow all the new trends in medicine and cosmetology to make sure that you are not only beautified but absolutely safe.
Sanitation
At Renu we use traditional foot baths to soak your feet, but that is lined with plastic bag designed by a foot doctor to create a bacteria free environment for your feet. Despite that, we still add to the water sanitizing salts because we want to kill the bacteria on your feet so it will not enter your body when the skin on your feet becomes thinner during the pedicure procedure. Notice: Using a razor blade or pumice stone during the procedure is illegal. It is also illegal to cut the cuticles.
Essential Pedicure -1 hour - This 60-minute treatment starts by soaking your feet in warm water with our own combination of products to soften your cuticles, corns and calluses. Next, your toenails are shaped, cuticles are eliminated and rough skin is filed down. A relaxing foot massage follows and then the treatment is completed with an application of the polish of your choice.
Design Pedicure -1 hour 15 minutes and up – This is the latest fashion trend in pedicures. We can apply crystals, stones, ornaments, and gold or silver to design a picture. The price of this pedicure starts at $45 and increases depending on the time we need to create the design and the price of the product. This look is always gorgeous and a unique toenail.
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Joggers Pedicure - 75 minutes - If you are constantly on your feet and exercising a lot, you may have developed corns and calluses? Your technician will need extra time to return your feet to perfect condition and that’s why the 75 - minute Joggers Pedicure is the answer to your problems. This treatment starts by soaking your feet in warm water with our own combination of products to soften your cuticles, corns and calluses. Next, your toenails are shaped, cuticles are eliminated and rough skin is filed down. A soothing foot massage follows and then the treatment is completed with an application of the polish of your choice.
Paraffin Hydrating Pedicure - 1 hour 15 minutes - This one hour and 15 minute Paraffin Hydrating Pedicure is the most effective and sophisticated pedicure for dry skin and painful joints. After your nails are trimmed and shaped and your cuticles have been pushed, your feet will be dipped for 10 minutes in a paraffin mask and put in hot mittens. The treatment is completed with an application of the polish of your choice.
Pedicure Deluxe – 1 hour 15 minutes - We start the treatment with an alpha hydroxy acid treatment to eliminate dead skin and promote collagen production. Next, we gently clear the metabolized skin with a brown sugar scrub, followed by an application of the mask. When the mask is removed with warm towels, which feels wonderful, the skin looks softer and younger. Application of your desired polish finishes the treatment.
Reflexology Pedicures - 90 minutes - Oriental science is called Reflexology and it is believed that all the organs of your body have corresponding points on your feet and hands. Oriental doctors can evaluate your health by studying the condition of your feet. If you combine Reflexology foot massage with our manicure, you will feel beautiful and healthy.
HEALTH WISE
By Inga Hansen
Dangerous Waters
Protect clients and employees from the hidden risks in water-based treatments.
WATER TREATMENTS ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE spa experience - they allow clients to close their eyes and relax as jets of warm water wash away the day’s stress. But careless attention to disinfection can turn these treatments from healing to hostile in a matter of days.
“Wherever there’s warm water, there’s the potential for waterborne bacteria and other organ-isms that cause disease, referred to as pathogens, to thrive,” says Matthew R. Freije, president of HC Information Resources, a water-treatment consulting company.
Equipment, when not properly maintained, is an ideal environment for tiny pathogens to hide and multiply. Once released, they have the ability to wreak havoc on clients’ skin and lungs, and inflict irreparable damage on your spa’s reputation.
It’s important to guard your spa against these dangerous bacteria by understanding which ones present a problem, what to do to avoid hazards and how to reduce risks without too much downtime.
Hidden Dangers
Pathogens take two routes to enter your spa. One is through clients’ bodies when they soak in your tubs, and the other is through water that fills the tubs. “Water comes into buildings from natural sources like lakes and rivers,” says Janet Stout, Ph.D., laboratory director at Special Pathogens Laboratory. “Certain organisms and bacteria are natural inhabitants of these bodies of water. Once inside your spa, they can find nutrients and continue to grow, particularly in warm water.”
Some of the waterborne pathogens that cause the greatest concern among healthcare professionals are mycobacteria, pseudomonas and legionella.
Mycobacterium is one of the most common bacteria. The Mayo Clinic has linked hot tub lung, a respiratory illness that causes wheezing and shortness of breath, to a strain of it. “Mycobacterium avium belongs to the same class of bacteria that causes tuberculosis,” says Edward Rosenow, M.D., a pulmonologist at Mayo Clinic. “Unlike tuberculosis, hot tub lung isn’t contagious.”
Mycobacterium fortuitum was identified as the culprit in a 2000 outbreak in Watsonville, California, where 110 pedicure clients experienced oozing sores and ulcers on their legs. The State of Colorado Department of Barber and Cosmetology Licensure changed its disinfection regulations to help prevent a similar occurrence in its state.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control cites that mycobacteria is a major problem in pedicure spas. A study of 30 foot baths conducted by the California Department of Health Services in Berkeley, California, in 2000 found that mycobacteria were isolated in virtually all pedicure spas surveyed,” said author Due J. Vugia, et al. “The sole exception was a foot spa that had been in service 11 days.”
“Pseudomonas is another organism commonly found in improperly treated hot tubs,” Stout says. “It can cause wound infections and a rash known as hot tub folliculitis, an infection in the skin follicles. Pseudomonas has also been associated with urinary tract infections.”
Named for its most famous outbreak among American Legion delegates in 1976, legionella is the bacterium responsible for Legionnaires’ disease, a potentially deadly illness that causes flu-like symptoms and pneumonia.
“The good news is most of us are well enough that, even if we’re exposed to these bacteria, illness doesn’t occur,” Stout says. But a weakened immune system or an unclean environment that enables significant overgrowth of bacteria can put clients at risk.
In addition to entering open wounds or hair follicles, bacteria can lead to a host of respiratory problems if inhaled. “When bubbles in the tubs burst, tiny droplets of water can enter the lungs and cause infection,” Freije says. “Clients and employees are even at risk of inhaling bacteria-laden water droplets if they stand too close to a decorative fountain that’s not kept clean.”
Reducing the Risk
Steam rooms are unlikely to cause pathogen concerns because “the bacteria can’t survive at the temperature needed to convert water to steam,” Freije says. Your primary area of concern is soaking tubs. Disinfection standards are dictated by the EPA, and state and county Departments of Health.
Bacterial -growth prevention in tubs and foot spas begins with effective cleaning and water treatment protocols based on the type of tubs your spa offers. “There are two types of equipment - fill - and - drain tubs, where water is drained after each use, and larger whirlpool spas, where water is kept in the tub for a length of time,” Freije says.
Following are some basic disinfection protocols to keep equipment safe, but be aware that your state may have more stringent requirements.
Jetted tubs require the use of biocides such as chlorine or bromine to destroy dangerous pathogens, and the chemical levels must be monitored regularly. “Depending on your state, the requirements for testing may be as often as every hour, which can be a challenge,” Stout says. “One way to make sure the appropriate amount of biocides is present is to use an automated feeding system.” These systems read the chlorine or bromine levels then inject chemicals into the water as needed.
“You’ll still need to do a manual check with a water-testing kit once or twice a day, depending on your state’s regulations,” Freije says.
Most states offer, and in some cases require, water-treatment training where owners and managers learn to perform and document water tests. It’s important, Stout cautions, to have more than one member of your staff trained in water treatment. “We had a situation where the employee responsible for water testing went on vacation, and the next person in line didn’t really understand what she was doing,” Stout says. “She diligently tested the water and recorded her results but didn’t understand what she was measuring. When we saw the logs, the bromine levels had been at zero for two weeks, which means there was no biocide in the water.”
In addition to chemical treatments, hot tubs need to be drained regularly, and the inside must be scrubbed and disinfected thoroughly before refilling. “I’d recommend completely draining and cleaning your hot tub every week or two. The frequency required varies from state to state, so contact your Department of Health to make sure you’re in compliance,” Stout says.
Drain-and-fill tubs, including hydrotherapy and foot spas, are emptied after every use, so there’s no need to use chlorine or bromine, or monitor chemical levels. However, this doesn’t mean they don’t need to be monitored. “If you’re system has circulation piping, 8 to 10 ounces of water will remain in the pipes even when you drain the tub,” Freije says. This sitting water offers an ideal environment for bacterial growth. Once the tub is refilled, the bacteria will circulate into the water and onto your clients’ skin. The EPA requires you to drain the tub, wipe away all debris, and refill with fresh water and hospital-grade disinfecting solution after every use. The solution must be circulated for a minimum of 10 minutes.
Some states, particularly those that have experienced outbreaks, have enacted more stringent requirements. Amanda Gorecki, owner of Healing Waters Med Spa (healingwatersmedspa.com) with locations in Wichita, Kansas, and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, uses Barbicide Plus and bleach to clean her circulation-pipe pedicure and hydrotherapy tubs, per new state regulations in Kansas. She also cleans out filters and drains weekly. "There was a bad outbreak of pseudomo-nas in our community," she says. "As a result, our regulations changed this year. We have to use more powerful disinfecting solutions, and we had to add bleach to the process."
New pipeless units feature jets that "screw onto the outside of the tub to agitate the water," Freije says, "so there's no worry about bacteria associated with circulation piping. The jets can be removed and cleaned with a bleaching solution, but there's no need to circulate the disinfecting chemicals." Some states, including Colorado, err on the side of safety and require owners to circulate disinfecting solutions even in portable or pipeless units.
Dealing with Downtime
One of the biggest challenges of new disinfection standards is determining how to integrate the protocols needed to keep everyone safe without cutting too deep into your bottom line. "We get so booked that 1
can't afford to have a station empty for 10 minutes between each client," says Roula Nassar, owner of Roula's Nail Spa (mom-consulting. com/rns_index) in Houston. "To maintain our sanitation standards without losing money, we disinfect while the client is there."
Nassar's employees are trained to drain, scrub and refill the pedicure foot spa between soaking and polishing, so the disinfecting solution can circulate while the technician polishes the client's nails. "By the time the tech is done, the station has been disinfected, and we've circulated the jets," Nassar says. "And the client has seen it all, which gives her peace of mind." With eight pedicure stations and a nine-hour workday, Nassar saves 90 minutes of downtime per station for a total of 12 hours each day by incorporating disinfection into the service.
Gorecki has designated one spa assistant to hydrotherapy tub disinfection. "We have an assistant come to the hydrotherapy room and disinfect the tub while the therapist is closing out the service and showing the client her recommended retail products," she says. By the time the therapist is done, the tub is ready for the next client. This system provides the dual benefit of reducing downtime and "allowing the therapist to spend more one-on-one time with the client," Gorecki says.
"It's crucial to maintain your water therapy equipment and treatment rooms," she adds. "You put so much money into branding your spa and building your reputation, you can destroy all that by skimping on disinfection compliance."
Inga Hansen is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer. Email her at ihansen@ socal.rr.com.
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