The Asian ladies that work in nail salons

[Charlieandthechocolatecake]

Please forgive my ignorance. Please!

I had a pedicure today (for the first time in 5 years!)

I was thinking whilst i was there that the majority of that staff in salons I have been to are Asian women. Some of them young.

I've also noticed that in my experience, their English is limited.

I'd like to know if anybody knows if these women are here specifically to do that job?

Or are they here for education? A better future?

I ask because I have never had my nails done by an Asian woman that can speak fluent English.

I had my nails done by a lovely young woman today...i know this is a career choice for many that have a passion for it. But is it for these women in particular or do they hope to gain an education here and an alternative career? If like to think so.

I wonder about people trafficking too. It happens. (I won't go to nail bars for this reason).

I had my first ever pedicure, loved it, then read a whole load of stuff about likely slavery in salons. That was the end of that.

I agree, I don't know why there aren't more prosecutions of the employers and traffickers. Of course it must be a difficult crime to prosecute but we manage to have vice squads and drugs squads, is there a modern slavery squad?

It may be of course that the crimes and prosecutions are not glamorous enough to be reported.

Same here megle - I'd rather do my nails at home than risk funding trafficking.

I also assumed they were trafficked :(

hellokitty thank you for taking the time to write those posts, they're an absolutely fascinating insight.

Bleurgh I'm impressed! I know some cultures train children from an early age in a specific craft, and wondered if those dainty dainty designs were part of that.

However, I know the porcelain painting people in Stoke were able to do similar. I still think there is a cultural element though, even in Stoke. Seeing your parent practise and learn to reproduce the designs accurately,etc.

I don't know any teens who have the patience to learn that.

There was something in the news the other night about trafficked women in nail bars and it said if you're ever suspicious to tell the police. You could save someone from an awful existence I guess.

There's been a lot of trafficking cases near me. In fact one which is about to go to court I saw the trafficked person doing the school run twice a day for years and it never crossed my mind that they were trafficked. There's a lot of stuff right under our noses.

mrsFloss

These salons have a reputation for using MMA for extensions. It's bone cement, highly allergenic & if it rips will take the nail off at the root. It's known for discolouring which is why they only infil or grind it off which eventually damages the nail permenantly. It's been banned in America where most states licence nail techs.

A reputable nail salon uses acrylic designed to be used as a nail, it's thinner, applied properly avoiding the skin so no allergies & if it rips will break at the extension point not the root. It doesn't discolour & you can remove it by soaking in acetone. You don't have to ever remove them, they can be re-balanced every three weeks.

I think it's very hard to say. I should imagine there's a certain amount of trafficking and coercion but also, as hello says, it is viewed as Ann excellent career in Vietnam so plenty of people will do it voluntarily and legitimately.

The one I used to go to in Houston when we lived there was owned by a mum and her sister, and their 5 daughters did shifts whilst attending the local university. If you liked a particular person to do your nails, you planned around their class schedule. None of them went on to be manicurists - 2 are now dentists, 1 is a primary school teacher, 1 is an accountant, and the last one is still studying to be a geologist.

The one I went to near my house in London was run by a Thai guy in his early 20s, and he also employed his family.

Near my new house, they all seem to belong to and be run by English people.

NotYoda. Weird assumption. Why Philippines? I've never met a Filipino working in a nail salon

www.nailsmag.com/article/107930/the-mma-controversy

Never been in a nail salon. Read it somewhere.

It's not racist and I also
Wonder the same OP

I wonder the same about the Eastern European car wash places as well.

Ooh I always wondered this too. I don't care if aliens were doing my eyebrows/nails eye but I do often so see if the lack if English means that maybe they do t know enough to have read contracts/laws etc or instructions in chemicals and all that stuff and whether they are paid properly and treated right.

I so set about the men too though we have all these barbours and off licenses open at all hours and who's making sure these staff get breaks and are paid correctly and have the protection we do.

I also read they are used for trafficking. If you google nail bars, trafficking, loads if horrible stories come up, including poor young girls forced to do nails in the day and sex work at night.

I would not use one.

Unless you do your homework quite thoroughly on the nail bar you are using there is a good chance the person doing your nails is a slave.

This is the reason why I'll never use a nail bar. What you see on the shop floor is just the tip of the iceberg.

notsaid do you know what racism actually is?

I've always wondered this about the eyebrow threaders too.

We have salons full of almost non english speaking nail technicians here OP.
I have wondered about their conditions of work on many occasiona. None of them wear masks, they work relentlessly all day and I'm wondering if they even receive basic pay.
I can't ask them because they don't understand.
I assume they must have work permits or visas because the salons are in full view on shopping streets rather than hidden away in the backstreets.
I do wonder where they are living and under what conditins often.
A nursing home I once worked for used to hire black south african ladies, get them visas, pay them less than the rest of us and take most of their salary off them for "rent" in their grotty nurses accommodation for which they were charged well over the going rate.
I reported it to the relevant authorities but the only thing that happened there was that I was sacked.

In Italy (in very nice town) there is a walk-in hairdressers next to a Thai "massage parlour". When the hairdresser's gets very busy the owner thumps on the connecting door and some girls come out and start cutting hair...

Well you mean specific parts of Asia, for a start, don't you? Asia is a big place.

I am not l owledgable enojgh tobe able to pinpoint which part of Asia someone comes from. I imagine people from Asia find it equally tricky to identify which European country someone is from just by looking and go with "European" as a description.

hotmail124 if you're going to pull someone up on their grammar you probably should make sure yours is impeccable.

One of my students - a 17 year old boy - works in the salon owned by his sister. It isn't his career option but a good part time job.

Why on Earth was the OP's question considered racist?

Can't we ask anything these days?!

Anyway OP I have often wondered the same.

Our local Indian restaurant had a plethora of young Indian men working in it with very little English. Sadly, it was raised and many were working illegally and on very little pay.