HOUSTON—Every year, men and women spend millions on manicures, pedicures and waxing.

There are thousands of nail salons serving Houstonians, but not all are licensed.

Sadiya Evangelista said she learned that the hard way.

“My eyebrows got redder and redder. I noticed it was a burn. It was blistering,” said Evangelista.

She said her problem started after she got an eyebrow treatment at the Lee Nails salon on Almeda last May.

“I assumed they were licensed.  I assumed they were a reputable business,” said Evangelista.

She said that after getting burned, she returned to the salon the next day.

“When I went in, they had the attitude as if this was something normal. It was business as usual,” she said.

The latest figures show that Evangelista is not alone. There are reportedly thousands of complaints filed each year by injured or unsatisfied customers.

The state is doing what it can to regulate the industry, but inspectors with the TDLR ( Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations) are struggling to keep up the pace.

11 News was with state employee Vennie Draeger on a recent inspection in northeast Houston.

Draeger said that at least a quarter of the salons she inspects do not have the proper paperwork.

“These people are unlicensed. And if they’re unlicensed, then they don’t know what they’re doing in our profession,” she said.

The worst offenders can be found on the TDLR Web site, which lists suspect salons across the State of Texas.  More than 150 Houston nail salons were on that site. If you decide to see for yourself which salons are offenders, visit the Licensing and Regulations site and choose " Search Violations by License Type" from the right hand side from their Online Services menu.

The worst offender was the Venetian Nail Design on Eldridge.

The place had its license suspended for six months. The state also fined the owners close to $17,000 for allegedly failing to clean and disinfect wax pots, applicators, manicure and pedicure utensils, and the whirlpool foot spas.

The Venetian’s owner, Trinh Nguyen, defended his salon. He said that the state’s inspection process was flawed and that the fines were outrageous.

“They are attacking me and pretty much everyone in the nail industry,” he said.

TDLR Executive Director William Kuntz said his staff of 36 field investigators are just trying to keep people from getting hurt.

“What is the cost of public safety?  Should the customer be put at risk because the regulations are too lacking,” he said.

The TDLR fined Lee Nails, where Sadiya Evangelista was burned, more than $18,000 for failing to have a proper license. 

The owner apologized for what happened to Evangelista.

Meanwhile, Venetian Nail Design is appealing the fine and license suspension. They are back open while the process plays out.