This summer, many women will go to the nail salon to be pampered and may get something they don't expect.
Leah Light - Celebrity Nail Stylist shocking story
(WARNING Disturbing Images )
"So tonight I have been contacted with some very disturbing and heart breaking news ... If you saw the segment I filmed with 20/20 you will have seen and heard about the lady who contacted me a few months back telling me about the pedicure that she had that went terribly wrong, and she got a staph infection .... well tonight Brandy contacted me to tell me things had gone from bad to worse!!
"Hi Leah well last time I talked to you I was dealing with the wound vac from the most recent surgery at the time. As of may 20 the infection from the pedicure overtook my body and the Dr's gave me 48 hrs to live unless my leg was amputated, at the time I was fully unconscious so my mom and fiance; had to make the decision on my behalf to have my leg amputated below knee. Just imagine, all this from just a pedicure".
Brandy's Foot before it had to be amputated

That is one reason why reputable spas use stainless steel basins , with disposable ONE USE plastic liners- there are with no screens, piping or anything that can trap bacteria such as those fancy whirlpool chairs that are so comfy to sit in but can be detrimental to your health if not properly cleaned.
Sanitization and sterilization of all implements, tools and area is so important in the salon and spa business. TOENAILS do fly sometimes!!!
You may save money at a cheap nail spa place but in the end you may pay for more than you bargained for. Using a Trusted spa ensures you are going to a reputable spa with high standards!! We encourage our clients to ask questions and they can check for cleanliness at any time, it is important to be educated and informed ...it's YOUR health!
Stainless Steel Pedicure bowl
Here is part of the 20/20 investigation from ABC:
A 20/20 investigation showed that many salons are unsanitary and in some cases are causing customers severe infections.
Of 27 discount salons tested by Esoterix Inc., a laboratory that specializes in infection and disease control, 24 had possible disease-causing fungi and bacteria.
Watsonville Outbreak
Cherri Brown treated her daughter Amy to a pedicure at Fancy Nails in Watsonville, Calif. Now they both have painful sores on their legs that have been slow to respond to antibiotics.
"I've had these on my legs for four months now," complains Amy. "And they're not gone"
Fancy Nails shut down after investigators found high levels of tuberculosis-related bacteria in all of the salon's footbaths.
Unfortunately for Cherri, Amy and more than 100 other women who went to the salon, however, even when the boils and skin ulcers heal, they often leave deep purple scars. Getting rid of them may require skin grafts or laser surgery.
The owner of Fancy Nails admitted to state investigators that he never cleaned the suction screens in the footbaths where debris from hair, skin and nails accumulate — that is where the bacteria is believed to have built up.
Disturbing Revelations
California investigators say they've found similar bacteria at 16 of the 18 salons they checked.
And it is not exclusive to California. 20/20 went with inspectors to manicure stations in Dallas, Phoenix, Boston and Houston. Almost all tested positive for potentially harmful bacteria.
The majority of the salons simply had poor sanitation practices. Nail buffers and emery boards, which are supposed to be thrown away after one use, were being used on customer after customer
Inspectors found many discount salons using heavily diluted disinfectants — in some cases, not sterilizing instruments at all. Tests on one set of clippers found bacteria from human feces.