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Spa Secure reveals top six sanitation errors
Spa Secure – the international licensing organisation developed in July this year by The Spa Association (SPAA) – has revealed the top six sanitation errors recently found in spas.
In order to receive licensing from Spa Secure, facilities must undergo an extensive evaluation process which includes a rigorous on-site inspection and a written test.
The six areas where sanitation problems were most frequently found were: nails, hair, treatment tables, waxing, wet rooms and flooring.
Nail areas were found to have problem sanitation due to a lack of sterilisation of implements – such as nail files – with toe separators and porous foot buffers being reused too many times.
Hair bowls were found not to be sanitised between clients, with inspectors finding evidence of previous clients’ hair in drain taps, while waxing areas also lacked sanitation due to double dipping into wax with clients and some estheticians reusing orange wood sticks over and over again.
Bedding on treatment tables in some spas was left unchanged between clients and primarily occurred with blankets, duvets comforters and bolsters.
Inspectors also found bacteria in rugs and in some spas, porous materials used had led to rotten flooring.
Lastly, wet rooms lacked proper sundries storage with dirty floors and mats and the re-use of materials on multiple clients was also problematic.
Spa Secure believes that raising awareness within the spa industry is the primary way to enhance standards on an international level.
If a spa passes all stages of its examination, Spa Secure will issue a licence which lasts for two years. Spa Secure facilities are then also subject to unannounced on-site auditing throughout their licence period. Details: www.spasecure.com