Fish Pedicures

I just recently learned of a new spa treatment, fish pedicures. A man in Washington D.C. has been using fish to give his customers a pedicure. The fish are used as an alternative to razors to remove calluses, which the owner considers a good thing considering that razors are no longer favored because people can no longer be sure if they are sanitary. The fish are known as doctor fish and have become quite popular in Asian countries.

I personally think this would be a little weird. To dip your feet in a tub full of fish and let them eat the calluses of your feet. Gross. I would expect people to have the same general reaction but after reading some reviews on it, I find that most people were actually satisfied with and enjoyed their pedicure.

The pedicure does not only consist of leaving your feet in a tank full of little fish, after the fish treatment, which can either be 15 or 30 minutes (depending on how much you pay for) have done their job the customers are given a standard pedicure. which is supposedly made easier because of the soft skin that the fish leave. At this particular nail salon in Washington D.C the price for this special pedicure is $35 for 15 minutes and $50 for 30 minutes.

I'm a little apprehensive about this. Of course it doesn't hurt, or people would not be paying to have this done (and the fish don't have teeth), but does anyone ever think that those fish that are eating the dead skin off their feet have eaten the dead skin off other peoples feet as well. The fish all swim in one communal pool and customers all sit around this pool with their feet dipped in, is that clean? I guess it is because the county's health department has allowed this and has not voiced any concerns, but I don't know that I would feel comfortable doing this.

I find this a little strange and I'm not sure that I would be willing to try it considering that I really don't know if this is sanitary. The overall experience for people who have tried this is that they were a little unsure at first, but after the pedicure was done with, they actually enjoyed it and would be willing to do it again. Maybe I'm just being a germ freak, although I would like to hear from people who did not actually enjoy this pedicure treatment.