The Fish Pedicure Has Hit the U.S.
Some of you may remember me talking about the Fish Pedicure last year after seeing Wilhelmina Slater plunge her feet into a tub of “Dr. Fish” on Ugly Betty. Well, as I discovered on the Solessence blog this morning, those little skin eating babies have made their way Stateside.
Previously found only in Turkey and Asian countries, the Yvonne Hair and Nails salon in Alexandria, Virginia is the first location in the U.S. to offer this treatment. Owners John Ho & Yvonne Le have brought in more than 1,000 garru-rufa fish to serve their clientele. The service costs $35 for 15 minutes and $50 for 30 minutes and is followed by a standard pedicure.
Now I’m sure that like me you’re wondering how any of this is sanitary or regulated. Unlike the communal pools seen overseas, the state board required the owners to create individual tanks in which the water is changed for each customer.
So how many of you are dying to try this out? The customers interviewed all said they just felt a bit of tingling or slightly ticklish sensation. Maybe I stand alone but I’m so ready to hop a plane to D.C. and try it out.
Images and info: FoxNews.com
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
I´ve heard about people with bad psoriasis who regularly takes baths with some kind of fish that eats the dead skin, it seems like a gentle and “natural” treatment to me.
I would totally try it. I’m fascinated by this idea.
OMG! I love when fish nibble on my toes when we go to the river. This is so cool!
Crazy! When I move to Maryland in the fall, I’m going to have to make a trip to this place for sure. Thanks for the article! =)
First I saw this was on last week’s “I Survived A Japanese Gameshow.” It was a reward for the team that won the challenge. It certainly looks cool and I’m definitely curious about it.
Ha! I think this is fab! I’m so ticklish though… I would probably ruin it by laughing too hard!
I just don’t think I could do this! I would be way too scared.
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I know this is weird but what happens to the fish,since the water has to be changed so often. Belly up fish ugh!
Lipgloss Bitch – You’re right, the fish were originally used in Turkey to help with psoriasis.
Anon – We should start petitioning our local salons to import the little buggers.
Lynbird – As long as they don’t have teeth, I wouldn’t mind either.
Tooshytostop – OMG if you go, PLEASE let us know what you think. I’d love to hear about it first-hand.
Newystyle – I stopped watching that show. Figures I’d miss the week with something that would interest me.
Jamila – The BF is ticklish too and that’s what he wonders, if he could handle the sensation.
KatieM – I would imagine with the cost of acquiring/importing 1000+ fish, they take pretty good care of them when they aren’t being used in the tanks.
I could not, I would not. I freaks me out. Honestly I feel bad for the poor fish having to eat dead skin. I know, I know, no one is forcing them but still….ewe.
actually, i just might go to this, living in the DC area. My co-worker just told me she would go with me, so i will report back when I do…
Id love to give this a go.
I dont feel bad for the fish since its a natural thing they do
I live in the DC! I’m totally going to try this! Changing the water (without killing the fish) so frequently must be difficult.
I saw a sign for this the other day and I seriously thought that I was seeing things. I’ll have to see if I can check it out.
P.S. If you do decide to hit the DC area, we must meet for coffee. : )
i saw this on the tyra banks show a couple of months ago and i really want to try it!
Really??? No one has a problem with fish eating your cheese off of your feet. Cause sticking my feet in a bath of cheese toe eating fish sounds so gross. EEEWWWEEEE, but you all knock yourselves out!
This just strikes me as needlessly cruel to the fish, especially the part where they’re required to change the water every time for the customers. I used to work at a specialist aquarium store where I taught customers about appropriate fish care, and let me tell you overstocking tiny, unfiltered tanks with these little fish and changing the water multiple times a day is NOT good fish care.
I’d predict there’d be a very high mortality rate for those poor little guys, and I think it’s shameful, I really do.
No no no no no.
This pretty much grosses me out; but I’ve got an appt tomorrow at 10 (strictly in the interest of beauty and fashion). I’ll let you know how it goes! Hope
No way in hell! lol
I would totally try this. It sounds soothing, actually.
Use my feet as bait? Not in a million years. I’ll stick to my Olay Thermal “Pedicure in a tube.”
I was goin’ to whrite the same thing as lipgloss_bitch:)
When I visited my distant relatives in an Indian village…they lived near a freshwater river and I went once to the waters edge while the cousins took a dip in the river while I sat at the edge with my feet in the water.
BOY did those little itty bitty fish chomp down on whatever was on my skin…it was insanely ticklish I was chuckling like crazy while these fish kept going at my feet…not that I would do it again as I felt a bit scared?
I’m too scary for something like this but it’s probably just the thing I need for the amount of skin I get on my feet now. I don’t know what it is seems like the older I get the worse it is and only so much that can be done for it.
If it makes it’s way to PA I’ll have to see:)
NEVER! I think it’s unsanitary and disgusting!
I’d love to do it, but i don’t know whether i’d be brave enough to actually go through with it!
What about the poor fish? That sounds really quite distressing for them?!
I can understand this for psoriasis under care of doctors and animals under care of veterinarians, but NO WAY do I support beauty salons doing this who will NOT adhere to the quality of water for the fish, especially with the constant water changing. That is very shocking to the fish’ system, as is constant feeding. This is animal abuse and I am completely against it. Vanity is not worth destruction of another life form (though many slovenly people will probably disagree as they dip their swollen, overweight entitled appendages into the water while ignoring their basic health and well-being). WRONG.
LOLOL. ohh this is what it is. on the tv series “i survived a japanese gameshow”, i saw that there were fishes that eat the dead skin cells because it’s the “food” they would eat if none other. this is such an interesting discovery. XD
I love the outdoors and spend most of my weekends fishing, thus the idea of a fish pedigree sounds almost natural to me