Fish Pedicure

Planning on getting a fish pedicure but do not know what to expect? Don’t worry or feel ashamed. It is normal to feel apprehensive when getting a fish spa, mainly because this is something new and unique.

Although more and more people have tried it, there are still a lot who have doubts about experiencing this new kind of spa service because of the fact that it involves fishes nibbling on your feet!

There really is nothing to be scared about the fishes used in fish spas. These fishes are called Garra Rufa and are also referred to as doctor fish because of the many health benefits they give.

Garra Rufa fishes are small, usually only an inch long, and have no teeth. Their mouths are like suction caps, which they use in nibbling on the dead skin and callouses of the feet.

When you go to a fish spa, you will usually find a pool filled with warm water enough for you to soak your feet in. Others have knee-deep waters. Of course, these pools have hundreds of Garra Rufa fishes.

As soon as you place your feet in the water, the doctor fish will then gather around your feet. Be sure not to move around too much because doing so will drive away the fish.

The fish will then start to suck on your toes and your heels to seek out dead skin cells and callouses. This action of the fish will cause a tickling sensation at first but after some time, the sucking action will be stimulating, much like a massage.

As the fish sucks on dead skin, they also release enzymes that promote skin health by stimulating the growth of new skin cells. This is the reason why people who suffer from skin problems frequent fish spas.

Getting a pedicure used to be only for good grooming. But things have changed and now there is a pedicure that, aside from promoting good grooming, also promotes good health – a fish pedicure.

You can get fish pedicures in a fish spa. This is done by a species of fish called Garra Rufa, which are native to the river basins of the northern and central Middle East, specifically Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq.

These fishes are placed on pools with knee-deep warm water or just enough that you can soak your feet into.

The fishes, which are usually only an inch long and have no teeth, suck on dead skin cells and callouses found in the feet. This sucking action stimulates the flow of blood in the body the way massages do. The soft massaging action of the sucking is called a micro-massage.

And, because the fish feed on dead skin, the pedicure promotes the growth of new skin, which results to the lightening of minor scars and the healing of skin problems caused by psoriasis and eczema. By spending even just 15 minutes in a fish spa, the skin on your feet will feel soft and supple.

Fish spas are also a great way to relieve stress. Soaking your feet in warm water for 15 minutes or more is relaxing. Add to that the fishes nibbling on your feet, which could be ticklish during the first few minutes that you spend soaking your feet in the pool. Giggling and laughing as the fishes feed on dead skin on your feet is a great way to forget about deadlines and problems.

So the next time you feel like getting a pedicure, visit a fish spa and enjoy a pedicure that will rid your feet of dead skin while at the same time make you healthy.

Getting a fish pedicure in an establishment offering fish spa is one of the “in” spa treatments today. There are even places in the world that consider these fish spas as attractions.

How did these fish spas came to be and where did they originate?

There is a story about two brothers who discovered a hot springs in Kangal, an area near Turkey. The brothers bathed in that hot springs and were delighted to find little fishes who nibbled on their feet. The brothers were said to have returned to the springs to bathe several times and one of them, who was suffering from a skin problem, later found that he has recovered after the fishes in the spring fed on the dead skin in the area affected by the skin condition.

The news about the recovery of one of the brothers from the skin condition spread and soon many people who had skin problems came to spring so they too can have their dead skin eaten by the small fishes. And thus, the discovery of fish spas.

The fishes found in that hot springs were later on found to be Garra Rufa. These fishes are a native to the river basins in northern and central Middle East, specifically Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq.  Garra Rufa fishes are small, usually only an inch long, and have mouths that are like suction cups. Take note, these fishes do not have teeth!

Because of the news that these fishes can help ease skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema, Garra Rufa fishes are also known by nicknames such as doctor fish, nibble fish and physio fish.

Aside from helping alleviate symptoms of skin problems, fish spas are also a natural way to exfoliate and can also promote blood circulation. This is because the sucking action of the fishes can stimulate circulation the way massages do.