Getting a pedicure can be a fun and relaxing experience, and taking care of your feet is never a bad idea, but there are some things that a pedicurist can do that are counterproductive to proper foot health. Pay attention next time you go to the salon to make sure your pedicurist never does the following things.

1. Soaking your feet in a dirty tub
If you sit in the chair right after someone leaves and your pedicurist doesn’t take the time to properly clean it, speak up! Bacteria and fungus can grow in in the tub and in the jets that shoot out the bubbles. It’s not uncommon for warts or even athlete’s foot to come from something as innocent as a foot bath if the tub is used without being thoroughly cleaned in between every client.

2. Not using sterilized tools
Never let your pedicurist use metal tools that haven’t been sterilized beforehand. One way to check if the salon takes this seriously is by looking for a bowl filled with blue liquid. The metal tools that have been used should be soaking in that blue liquid (a disinfectant) to effectively kill any microbial life, or at least most of it. Some salons use other forms of disinfecting tools so keep an eye out that the tools haven’t been used on the people before you and that your pedicurist is retrieving them from a disinfected area.

3. Using razors and graters
A pedicurist should never use a razor or grater to get rid of the dead or hard skin on the bottoms of your feet. Apart from increasing the chance of infection, it could lead to a small injury, and that’s all that’s needed for bacteria and fungi to create problems. There are less severe ways to remove dead skin, such as a combination of hot water, a foot scrub and a scrubbing tool. If you have serious callouses, see a podiatrist for removal.