Lamenting the Lack of Salon Inspectors

I had been waiting for someone to wake up and notice that things are getting out of hand at the nail shops around the Los Angeles area (“In Good Hands?” Nov. 12).

I am a customer who contributes to the multimillion-dollar nail business in California, and at times I have wondered if I am putting myself at risk by having a simple beauty treatment like a manicure and pedicure.

For many years my girlfriend and I were dedicated clients at a shop in West Los Angeles. We had a standing appointment every Tuesday night after work. On my last visit, I went to the bathroom to wash my hands, and when I turned on the light, crawling on the sink, toilet, walls and floor were hundreds of tiny cockroaches.

At the time I did not think about reporting the incident. I did not know where to send a complaint. Thanks to Pamela Warrick, I now can, since she has listed the Board of Cosmetology’s address in the article. I plan to write a letter, and suggest that anyone else who has had a similar incident at their nail shop do the same.

The unfortunate part about all of this is that the Board of Cosmetology has only four inspectors to handle the 51,000 licensed manicurists in California. Hopefully, if enough people say something, maybe the Board of Cosmetology will try and do something.

PAMELA HARRIS

West Los Angeles