Hair-curling discoveries in Queenstown salon inspections

One salon was pinged for storing chemicals next to the tea and coffee. Photo / 123RF

Mould, poor hand-washing facilities and sub-par disinfecting are among a raft of issues discovered at Queenstown hair salons.

At another, chemicals were stored next to tea and coffee.

Council inspectors visited 22 salons in the Queenstown and Arrowtown areas in the past year to check if they were up to scratch.

Hair salons are required to meet health and hygiene standards under the Health (Hairdressers) Regulations 1980, and are inspected annually.

Inspection reports released to the Mountain Scene newspaper show two salons, Arrowtown Hair Company and Hair Trucco, were found to have mouldy walls or ceilings.

In Hair Trucco's case, the inspector found its toilet ceiling was "covered in mould".

Many others had issues with their hand-washing facilities, from sinks being used to store dirty equipment to no paper towels or hand towels. The reports also identified issues with build-ups of hair clippings on floors and on bench surfaces.

Remarkables Park Cutting Room was pinged for having no suitable method for cleaning and disinfecting equipment.

"The sterilising jar was full of hair and debris and would not be an adequate method to disinfect your equipment," the inspector notes.

"On asking about dilution of the chemicals for disinfecting, it was apparent that no accurate method of measurement was being used."

Clippers had also not been cleaned, which the inspector pointed out "has been brought to your attention on the last two reports".

And there were build-ups of hair both swept into a cupboard and on work surfaces.

But salon owner Daz Hooper says the report's not a "true reflection" of his salon.

"I was quite gutted with that report," Hooper says.

"She came on a day that wasn't ideal, we were quite busy and short-staffed."

Hooper says the issues raised had been sorted it out.

"I've got a clean salon."

Vivo Remarkables Park got a telling off for storing chemicals next to tea and coffee.

Vivo, Hair Trucco, and Arrowtown Hair Company didn't respond to requests for comment by deadline.

- Mountain Scene