Fish Pedicure - Would You Try It?
Have you heard about the "Fish Pedicure" yet? CBS news did a news story on it a week ago, and personally, I find the whole idea rather creepy. Instead of getting a pedicure by an actual employee, you sit and soak your feet in a tub of warm water filled with garra rufa fish, which have no teeth. They suck off the dead skin, leaving your feet exfoliated and apparently amazingly soft. The cost? $45 for 15 minutes. If these fish are anywhere near as cheap as the fish at the pet store, they're getting a pretty good profit, don't you think? Those who have braved the treatment say that it first feels rather ticklish, but then as though your feet are asleep.
What do you think? Would you give the Fish Pedicure a try? Or would you pass and stick with a traditional pedicure? Weigh in with your thoughts below.
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I’ve swam in lots of lakes and oceans where fish would nibble at your legs for free. I can’t imagine paying for the experience.
Good god that’s vile. Why not proceed directly to the application of leeches?
(Though, looking at my feet after last night’s eight-mile training run, it might be more vile for the fishies.)
Cleaner wrasses do a good job on other fish, so why not?
And as for leeches, Charlie, those little parasites can save severed fingers, toes, ears, etc. by pulling out clots and injecting their special anti-coagulants. If I was so unlucky as to lose a digit, I would welcome treatment with leeches too!
I saw this in action on tv the other night and it was completely disgusting! lol!
My feet are far too ticklish and my mind too squeamish! I’ll stick with my Pedegg.
Ew ew ewwww. No way. Why must our culture strive for novelty so incessantly!
Superficial. Stupid. Poor fish.
I saw his on TV too, it looked like it might be fun to have fish nibbling at your tootsies. They are not piranhas, they only eat dead skin.
I think I’m too ticklish for this!
But it sounds like a really natural way to go. Unlike pedicurists, the fish probably wouldn’t take off TOO MUCH skin. I think I trust fish more than humans. The fish survive it, right?
I’d do it.
At least the fish wouldn’t judge my gross scaly feet like I always feel like pedicurists are doing….
I would do it, it sounds like a fun way to go I don’t have a husband or b/f so no one to do it for me so heck yeah!
Tried with after much persuasion from my son. You’re right, it’s so ticklish and takes time for me to relax myself and enjoy the treatment. We had to clean our feet at a wash area, before dipping them into the pool of fishes. We had great fun at the end of the fish spa session.
This is very wrong. How will the fish be fed if there aren’t enough customers? Is human skin the ideal, complete diet for these fish? What happens to the thousands of fish when this fad is over? No matter how the fish are treated, it’s yet another commercial use of animals when animals are sentient creatures with their own lives and interests. These fish will suffer and die for the sake of human vanity and the eternal pursuit of novelty.
I would really like to hear whether or not these fish do get their daily dietary needs off the feet. Is someone going to chime in?
OK seriously. “Is human skin the ideal, complete diet for these fish?” Let’s step outside the PETA mindset and be rational. You buy algae eaters to clean the algae off your fish tank, but is that all you feed them? No, you supplement with a scientifically formulated food that rounds out their diet. Does it make sense to starve the source of your income when there aren’t enough customers? That’s bad business sense. And either way you look at it, the fish are being fed a more constant supply of food than they would receive foraging in their natural habitat. Would I have the fish pedicure? Probably not. But do I think it’s humane and cruel to have ANY animals in captivity? Get real. Having worked at a captive breeding facility for endangered canids for four and a half years, I have personal experience with two species who would be extinct today if it had not been for zoos and captive breeding facilities. Look up the history of the Mexican Gray wolf and the Red wolf, then tell me they should never have been held in captivity.
well! hmmph
i that’s just disgusting. they need to live there lives like we do. they do like doing it so maybe it’s good for them. it just seems wrong. maybe they’re having fun.
while the thought of having tiny fish sucking on your foot may sound bad, you realy cant judge untill youve actually tried it. I myself felt it was a Ridiculous thing to do, but after much hesitation me n my bf saw the spa open and were like “what the heck let’s try it.” Believe me seeing it on tv and trying it for yourself are two different things, in fact I really enjoyed it. The fishes weren’t at all painful; it was even less ticklish than having the pedicurist use the traditional way of removing Callous. Definitely recommend, tons of fun especially if u don’t do it alone.
While the thought of having tiny fishes sucking on your feel sounds absolutely crazy in reality it isn’t that bad. I myself thought it was a Ridiculous thing to do, but after much hesitation me n my bf saw the spa open and were like “what the heck let’s try it.” Believe me seeing it on tv and trying it for yourself are two different things, in fact I really enjoyed it. The fishes weren’t at all painful; it was even less ticklish than having the pedicurist use the traditional way of removing Callous. Definitely recommend, tons of fun especially if u don’t do it alone.