I've visited My Nail Spa several times and it's typical to receive rude and impersonal service. I continue to go anyway because they usually do a fair job. I visited on Saturday, January 20, 2007 for a French manicure and spa pedicure before my faculty ball at the Embassy Suites that evening. My nails looked fine, but about 4 days later I developed a very swollen, very sore right thumb. The pain progressed to untolerable and I visited the Urgent Care clinic on Poplar Tent Road in Concord, NC on Monday, January 30 since I teach at Cannon School right next door. After having taken 1,000mg of Ibuprofen each day of the weekend of the 26-28, I absolutely couldn't take it anymore. My thumb was the size of 3 thumbs and the pain was unbearable. The doctor at the Urgent Care clinic immediately numbed and drained my thumb with an 18 guage needle - it was full of pus! The doctor cultured the pus and put me on an antibiotic for staph. The staph culture came back positive! I was on antibiotics for 7 days and had to have my thumb drained twice. My entire cuticle fell off, and my thumb nail is currently dying. I'm visiting the same doctor a third time to have my nail and joint looked at again, because after 3 weeks, my thumb is still sore. Upon reading about staph, it turns out that certains strains of staph can be deadly if they enter your bloodstream. Strep and staph are rampant in low grade as well as ""upscale"" salons. Bacteria and fungus are extremely common among even pricy nail salons. It is typical that the people at My Nail Spa do not properly clean their instruments. My advice: DO NOT let a salon use a cuticle trimmer and do NOT let them use callus shavers. These tools open up your skin and make you more susceptible to infections! If salons do not use a tuburculocide (a fungicide/germicide/virucide with hospital grade strength) you're risking infection. Summary: a $45 manicure and pedicure have cost me $150 and incredible pain! Not worth it!!!
Pros: They do a fair job, but there are much cleaner salons out there!
Cons: I got a STAPH INFECTION from their improperly sanitized tools! They're also very rude!
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