Letter From Birmingham: Trying a Fish Pedicure

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Letter From Birmingham: Trying a Fish Pedicure

Tuesday, 25 October 2011 20:54

(Column) - I am sitting with my feet dangling in a glass tank full of warm water where thumb-sized fish are nibbling my toes.
As crazy as it may seem, this is latest trend in pedicures, an ancient Middle Eastern which is practiced all over the Far East and which has now arrived in my county, Worcestershire.
The latest beauty craze involves toothless Garra Rufa fish, also known as "doctor fish", a type of toothless carp from Turkey sucking away dead skin. It is PK_Jarju

claimed the treatment helps with blood circulation and general foot health.
The new pedicure has now become a must do thing for both men and women including celebrities who get their feet and hands nibbled by the tropical freshwater carp. Stars such as The Only Way Is Essex's Amy Childs and James Argent have been pictured enjoying the fad. Manchester City ace Vincent Kompany, 25, had a fish pedicure live on Sky TV's Soccer AM.
I am generally afraid of fish- so it was with a mix of caution and curiosity that I last weekend agreed to try out the latest craze in pampering in my town. As part of my university module assignment, I arrived at the Aqua-Spa Fish Therapy Centre in a cold Saturday morning and after rinsing my feet, I gritted my teeth and dipped my feet into a state-of-the-art pod containing 150 of the tiny epidermis-eating swimmers for an organic pedicure like no other.
Feeling just a fraction of the fear the contestants on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here must endure when they are about to immerse themselves in a pool full of eels or worse, I thankfully soon got over the initial shock at seeing the tadpole-sized skin hungry fish gently gliding over my skin and suck at my feet and between the toes using their suction-shaped mouths to remove dead skin, while causing no damage to my healthy skin.
The feeling was nice but unbearably ticklish. It was like hundreds of little kisses or champagne bubbles. It's certainly a pampering you'll never forget. And with promises it will leave you with refreshed, noticeably smoother feet and a sense of well-being - it's worth fighting off your fish fears for.
The Garra Rufa fish pedicure is very therapeutic and their exfoliating action is also reported to leave skin healthy and glowing and is also said to be beneficial for those with skin conditions such as psoriasis and for the removal of corns and callouses as the fish secrete a therapeutic enzyme called dithranol which reduces the over development of skin cells.
The only downside to the shops is that it is glass fronted and it makes customers feel like they’re in a tank with people staring in at them.
Neil Major, managing director of the shop, said he was inspired to open the shop after trying the therapy while on a holiday in Thailand with his wife Jacky. He said the pedicure treatment is very clean and safe and health officials in England and Wales are currently unaware of any cases of infection associated with the use of fish spas pedicures in the UK.
Aqua-Spa’s fish pedicure costs £10 for 15 minutes; £18 for a half an hour and £25 for a 45 minutes pedicure. It also provides an hour-long evening party for up 10 people including free drinks for £150.
Staffs at the shop are really friendly, knowledgeable and willing to chat about all aspects of the treatments, fish and shop equipment, and they do their best to reassure any nerves that first time customers might be feeling.
The Garra Rufa treatment may be all the rage at the moment but the real test of this beauty regime is whether it will still be making waves for many years to come.