Commentary

“We were shocked when we found out there were no regulations on the books concerning these foot spas.”

Zachary Thompson is here to help victims of botched pedicures. Thompson heads the Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services, and his department found a woman who developed “dark splotches” on her legs after getting a pedicure at a local nail salon. The culprit: a seemingly innocuous foot spa. Thompson responded the only way he could, by hosting a press conference and announcing new statewide regulations that include: washing foot spa basins between each pedicure with Environmental Protection Agency-approved disinfectants; flushing basins for 10 minutes at the end of business each day; soaking the basins overnight every two weeks with bleach; and keeping a log of cleaning procedures.