Ask the Mayor: How Do I Lodge Complaint Against Nail Salon?

Mayor Alan Arakawa answers some of the questions submitted to his staff. Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the “Ask the Mayor” column. Submit your own questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa at (808) 270-7855,  [email protected]  or mail them to 200 S. High St., 9th Floor, Wailuku, HI 96793.

Mayor Arakawa:

Q: The last time I got a pedicure, the salon did not do a good job of keeping their equipment and basin clean. I got a nasty fungal infection on my foot that was oozing, raw and took days to get rid of. Totally disgusting.

How do I lodge a complaint about the nail salon? The nail technicians can barely speak English so it doesn’t seem like they could possibly have passed the licensing exam.

A: There are two state agencies that you can contact. The sanitation aspect would be overseen by the Department of Health’s Environmental Health Services Office, Sanitation Branch, which administers rules governing sanitation at barber shops and beauty salons including nail salons.

Tools used on multiple customers are supposed to be thoroughly sanitized for each use.

To reach the Maui office of the Sanitation Branch, call 984-8230.

Regarding licensing, you can file an online complaint form with the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) at www.cca.hawaii.gov/consumer-complaints/.

Nail salons are a regulated industry, so complaints are handled by the Regulated Industries Complaint Office (RICO).