Spa and Salon Safety

Avoid infections during personal services

Whether you’re heading out for a manicure/pedicure, facial, wrinkle injection, lip filler, microblade or more, make sure you walk out with what you asked for – not an infection.

Unfortunately, serious infections like hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV can spread during personal services if proper steps to clean, disinfect or sterilize equipment and tools are not strictly followed by service providers.

Ask questions and know what to look for

Don’t be afraid to ask questions and look around before and during your personal service to help protect yourself from infections:

  • Ask if your service provider is qualified to perform your service*
  • Ask how equipment and tools are cleaned, disinfected or sterilized between each client
  • Watch that your service provider washes their hands before service
  • Make sure single-use items (such as emery boards, buffer blocks) are new 
  • Check that equipment (such as needles, microblades) are in sealed, sterile packages that are opened in front of you
  • Refuse the service if you don’t feel safe

* Is your service provider qualified? Some personal services are such as injections, fillers and vampire facials are considered Controlled Acts, and must be performed by a qualified provider.  For your safety, ask if your provider has the proper qualifications before you agree to these services.   

Learn more safety tips for the services you get done

  • Review the Safety Checklists by Service Type below. These checklists will give you more detailed lists of things to look for when getting different types of services done.
Safety Checklists by Service Type

See the Be Spa Safe Guide for more detailed safety checklists for these non-invasive services:

See the Invasive Personal Services fact sheet for more detailed safety checklists for these invasive services:

  • Wrinkle injections
  • Lip fillers
  • Microneedling
  • Microblading
  • Permanent makeup
  • Ear and body piercing
  • Tattooing
  • Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) facial (vampire facial)
Frequently Asked Safety Questions

Q: What is a personal service setting?

A: Personal service settings are places such as spas, medi-spas, salons and others that offer:

  • Non-invasive services generally include manicure, pedicure, waxing, facial, hairdressing, barbering and laser hair removal
  • Invasive services (where skin is intentionally broken) such as tattooing, ear/body piercing, permanent makeup, electrolysis, microblading, microneedling, vampire facial, lip filler and wrinkle injection

Q: Does York Region inspect spas?

A: Yes. York Region public health inspectors inspect personal service settings at least once a year to:

  • Make sure they follow proper infection prevention and control practices to reduce the risk of infection
  • Educate operators and workers on best infection prevention and control practice requirements
  • Respond to complaints

York Region Public Health also inspects personal service settings that are temporary (e.g., special events), mobile and located in private homes. If a personal service setting passes an inspection, it will receive a green Proof of Public Health Inspection sign to post at its location.

York Region also provides personal service setting owners, operators and providers with education on how to prevent infections.

Q: How can infections spread?

A:  Serious infections can spread whenever contaminated tools and surfaces, infected skin, blood or body fluid comes into contact with another person.

If personal service providers are not properly washing their hands, or cleaning, and disinfecting or sterilizing the tools and work surfaces, there is a risk of disease-causing microorganisms being transferred from one person to another. This can happen when:

  • Unclean hands touch the treatment area
  • Clients’ broken skin comes in contact with contaminated tools or surface

Serious infections can be spread at personal service settings such as spas, medi-spas and salons if they are not following proper infection prevention and control practices. These infections include:

  • Hepatitis B
  • Hepatitis C
  • HIV
  • Skin infections
  • Nail fungus

Q: How should spa tools be properly handled?

A: There are many different tools that are used during personal services. Some are to be used once (single use) and thrown away, as they cannot be properly cleaned, and disinfected or sterilized after each use. Other tools that can be used more than once (reusable) must be cleaned, and disinfected or sterilized between each client to prevent the spread of infection.

Do not be afraid to ask your personal service setting for new single-use tools before your service. To learn more about single-use and reusable tools for manicure, pedicure, facial, waxing, hairdressing, barbering and ear piercing, refer to the Be Spa Safe guide.

For additional information on invasive services including tattooing, ear/body piercing, permanent makeup, electrolysis, microblading, microneedling, vampire facial, lip filler and wrinkle infection, refer to the Invasive Personal Services Fact Sheet.

Q: How should tools and work surfaces be cleaned?

A: While all tools need to be cleaned, depending on what the tools are used for, they will need to be disinfected or sterilized. For example, tools that come into contact with blood or body fluids must be treated with a higher level disinfectant or they may need to be sterilized. Do not be afraid to ask your personal service setting how they clean, and disinfect or sterilize their tools and work surfaces. If you are not comfortable with the infection prevention and control practices, do not be afraid to refuse the service and contact Health Connection at 1-800-361-5653, TTY 1-866-512-6228.

Q: When should I avoid getting personal services?

A:  You should avoid getting personal services when you have:

  • A cut, tear or open wound
  • A rash or skin infection
  • Irritated or severely dry and chapped skin
  • Just shaved your legs (avoid getting a pedicure)
What is considered a personal service setting?

Personal service settings are places such as spas, medi-spas, salons and others that offer:

  • Non-invasive services include manicure, pedicure, waxing, facial, hairdressing, barbering and laser hair removal
  • Invasive services (where skin is intentionally broken) such as tattooing, ear/body piercing, permanent make-up, electrolysis, microblading, microneedling, vampire facial, lip filler and wrinkle injection
Resources for Personal Service Settings Operators and Workers
Spa Protocol, Regulation and Infection Prevention and Control Guide

Public Health inspects personal service settings as required under the Ontario Public Health Standards for Infection Prevention and Control Protocol, 2019 at least once every 12 months to ensure compliance with the Personal Service Settings Regulation 136/18 and adherence to infection prevention and control practices. This regulation does not apply to a setting where the personal services are mainly provided by a member of a health professional under the Regulated Health Profession Act, who is engaged in the practice of his or her profession.

Operators can learn about best practices by reading Guide to Infection Prevention and Control in Personal Service Settings, 2019. This document provides the minimum standards for cleaning, disinfection, sterilization of equipment, maintenance of the premises, personal hygiene and basic infection control practices to reduce the risk of blood borne infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV and other types of infection for both clients and personal services settings workers.

Fact Sheets for Personal Service Settings Operators and Workers
Disinfection Posters
Record Logs
Special Events

If you are the organizer of a special event where personal services will be offered, you are required to:

If you are a vendor of a special event where personal services will be offered, you are required to:

  • Complete the Personal Service Settings Vendors Application Form
  • This form is for those who are providing personal services such as tattooing, body piercing, ear piercing, etc.
  • Email/fax/drop off the Personal Service Settings Vendor Application Form 20 days before the event
Personal Service Settings Fact Sheets

Related Resources