Spa Bath With Fish Is A Wash
Midbrain update…
Here’s a follow-up to a fish bath story featured in a Beauty Science or BS poll from last year. In that story, we learned that some spas in China were using flesh-eating fish to exfoliate skin.
Seattle Fish Spa Bath
Well, the idea proved too enticing for one nail salon owner in Seattle. She started selling her own fish spa 
bath treatments. For $30 you could soak your feet for 15 minutes in a spa bath filled with tiny, flesh-eating fish.
Customers apparently loved it. The government however, didn’t. They shut down the operation when it was deemed “unsanitary and potentially unsafe”.
Alternatives to Fishy Spa Baths
I don’t know if it’s unsanitary or not but it seems a bit strange. There are more efficient and less animal-involved ways to exfoliate your feet. For example, you can try Flexitol Foot Scrub, the Revlon Hand and Foot Exfoliator or even an Exfoliating Stone File. Unfortunately, none of these will feel quite the same as tiny creatures devouring your feet so if that’s what your into, you might want to save your money for a trip to China.
Oh and by the way, now that she can’t offer the service any more, the spa owner said she would take the fish home as pets and sell the spa bath equipment on E-bay.
Any buyers out there?
Anyone else disappointed about not being able to get a fish exfoliating spa bath in the US?
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Joanna Says:
I read an article about two sisters that got this treatment done and got some serious infections from it!!!
Sharon Says:
Actually, there is a spa in Alexandria, VA that also offers this treatment. Virginia apparently has no problem with it, they just mandated that the fish be divided in separate tanks per customer and that the water be changed between customers. The people who have tried it say that it works wonderfully. I think I’ll pass.
Lisa G. Says:
The whole idea of fish eating dead skin on my feet is just creepy, LOL! I’ll stick to pedicures and home exfoliation. BTW, I’m doing a makeup giveaway on my blog–drop by if you’d like!
http://drivennurseexec.blogspot.com/2008/09/makeup-giveaway.html
holly bradbury Says:
Had this in japan (called Dr. Fish). It was kinda creepy and they only seemed to bite in areas wihtout any dead skin (tops os feet, ankle)
Ali Says:
…Not to mention, this is not very humane for the fish. I can’t imagine that many survive very long.
First, they are obviously overcrowded (so much for one gallon per inch of fish), second, they are being exposed to whatever people put on their feet — moisturizers and soap residue can kill fish. And do the salon owners bother conditioning the water? This would be Especially important in Virginia, with its hard, heavy-chlorinated water.
I bet you anything these fish are viewed as disposable tools for exfoliation and not animals… jeez, just use a pumace stone.
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