Fish pedicures: Carp rid human feet of scaly skin

[okarol]

Fish pedicures: Carp rid human feet of scaly skin

By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press Writer Mon Jul 21, 3:04 PM ET

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Ready for the latest in spa pampering? Prepare to dunk your tootsies in a tank of water and let tiny carp nibble away.

Fish pedicures are creating something of a splash in the D.C. area, where a northern Virginia spa has been offering them for the past four months. John Ho, who runs the Yvonne Hair and Nails salon with his wife, Yvonne Le, said 5,000 people have taken the plunge so far.

"This is a good treatment for everyone who likes to have nice feet," Ho said.

He said he wanted to come up with something unique while finding a replacement for pedicures that use razors to scrape off dead skin. The razors have fallen out of favor with state regulators because of concerns about whether they're sanitary.

Ho was skeptical at first about the fish, which are called garra rufa but typically known as doctor fish. They were first used in Turkey and have become popular in some Asian countries.

But Ho doubted they would thrive in the warm water needed for a comfortable footbath. And he didn't know if customers would like the idea.

"I know people were a little intimidated at first," Ho said. "But I just said, 'Let's give it a shot.' "

Customers were quickly hooked.

Tracy Roberts, 33, of Rockville, Md., heard about it on a local radio show. She said it was "the best pedicure I ever had" and has spread the word to friends and co-workers.

"I'd been an athlete all my life, so I've always had calluses on my feet. This was the first time somebody got rid of my calluses completely," she said.

First time customer KaNin Reese, 32, of Washington, described the tingling sensation created by the toothless fish: "It kind of feels like your foot's asleep," she said.

The fish don't do the job alone. After 15 to 30 minutes in the tank, customers get a standard pedicure, made easier by the soft skin the doctor fish leave behind.

Ho believes his is the only salon in the country to offer the treatment, which costs $35 for 15 minutes and $50 for 30 minutes. The spa has more than 1,000 fish, with about 100 in each individual pedicure tank at any given time.

Dennis Arnold, a podiatrist who four years ago established the International Pedicure Association, said he had never heard of the treatment and doubts it will become widespread.

"I think most people would be afraid of it," he said.

Customer Patsy Fisher, 42, of Crofton, Md., admitted she was nervous as she prepared for her first fish pedicure. But her apprehension dissolved into laughter after she put her feet in the tank and the fish swarmed to her toes.

"It's a little ticklish, actually," she said.

Ho said the hot water in which the fish thrive doesn't support much plant or aquatic life, so they learned to feed on whatever food sources were available — including dead, flaking skin. They leave live skin alone because, without teeth, they can't bite it off.

In addition to offering pedicures, Ho hopes to establish a network of Doctor Fish Massage franchises and is evaluating a full-body fish treatment that, among other things, could treat psoriasis and other skin ailments.

Ho spent a year and about $40,000 getting the pedicures up and running, with a few hiccups along the way.

State regulations make no provision for regulating fish pedicures. But the county health department — which does regulate pools — required the salon to switch from a shallow, tiled communal pool that served as many as eight people to individual tanks in which the water is changed for each customer.

The communal pool also presented its own problem: At times the fish would flock to the feet of an individual with a surplus of dead skin, leaving others with a dearth of fish.

"It would sometimes be embarrassing for them but it was also really hilarious," Ho said.

[Adam_W]

Eww! I'm not letting FISH anywhere near my feet.

[okarol]

Here's the accompanying photo 

[kitkatz]

That is a new game of Go Fish!

[glitter]

I would love this!!  I wish there was one here!   

[Katonsdad]

I tried it !!!    It did not work real well and I am not
allowed back at PetSmart anymore either     

Katonsdad

[okarol]

 

[thegrammalady]

april and some friends were talking about this last nite (i was actually let out of the house) i love pedicures but am not sure i would try this.

[kitkatz]

"Here fishy fishy fishy!"

[monrein]

I'm having fantasies about buying a bunch of little carp and feeding them my feet every couple of days for the pedicure effect.  My only question is how do they apply the polish underwater???  I'm sorry if that seems like a "blonde" question.

[MiSSis]

I saw this in our local paper and I must say, it gives me the creeps.  I don't like people touching my feet to begin with and this is just toooooo weird!

[willieandwinnie]

What if you went and they weren't hungry? 

[monrein]

I grew up on a farm in Jamaica and we had irrigation canals running all over the place.  We'd go fishing in them and often sit with our feet dangling in the water where the little fish (we called them ticki ticki) would nibble at our feet and it would kind of tickle.  It's not like they bite or anything.  Now, if I'd been smarter I'd have thought of the pedicure business idea and be making lots() of moolah.

[twirl]

In Texas we try to keep carp off our feet       

[twirl]

in the Rainforest they use piranhas

[Romona]

My dog always licks my toes. What's up with that?

[kitkatz]

I just might kill the fishies with my feet.

[okarol]

It doesn't look very comfortable, sitting on the edge of the tank like that.

Patsy Fisher, 42, of Crofton, Md., center, checks on the progress of KaNin Reese, 32, of Washington, with Tracy Roberts, 33, of Rockville, Md., left, as they indulge in a fish pedicure treatment at Yvonne Hair and Nails salon in Alexandria, Va.

[okarol]

Last updated October 2, 2008 11:09 p.m. PT

Inability to sanitize live carp ends fishy foot treatments

By JON NAITO
P-I REPORTER

For the past three weeks, scores of customers descended upon a nail salon in Kent.

They came from Idaho and Ohio and Minnesota. The appointment book was booked solid two months out.

And men, yes, men, came in droves, too.

They came to Peridot Nail Salon and parted with $30, so that for 15 minutes, tiny fish could nibble the dead skin off their feet.

"Customers loved it," said the salon's owner, Tuyet Bui, who goes by Tweety.

Thursday, however, the Department of Licensing shut down Bui's, um, fishy operation, saying that the pedicures were illegal.

Inspectors from the agency stopped by the shop recently and observed the procedure. After conducting further research, the department decided that the pedicures were unsanitary and potentially unsafe.

Bui was personally delivered a letter Thursday informing her of the agency's decision, which was based on a state law that all implements used in pedicures had to be "sanitized, disinfected, or disposed of after each service to protect salon customers from the possibility of disease and infections."

"You can clean files and other equipment, but there is just no way to sanitize live fish," said Christine Anthony, a spokeswoman for the agency.

Bui was disappointed by Thursday's ruling, which was effective immediately, and distributed to all of the state's licensed salons.

Hers was the first salon in the state to offer the pedicures, which are popular in Turkey and Asia, and Bui said the treatment had garnered an enthusiastic response from customers.

Bui said she spent $3,000 to import the 300 fish from China, which are a type of carp called "chin chin." She paid an additional $10,000 for a machine that would streamline the process.

She said she would start a petition for the state to take a closer look at the treatment, and said that the pedicures are safe and sanitary.

Bui said the pedicures had been a hit since she began offering them, and that customers came from across the country and even Canada. She said the procedure was especially popular with men, who "usually don't want pedicures, but were excited about this."

Contesting the state's ruling that it was impossible to guarantee sanitary conditions, Bui explained that the fish are toothless bottom feeders and cannot contract or transmit diseases or infections. She said the water used for the procedure was changed between customers, and that each customer's legs and feet were washed before and after each pedicure.

"I'm shocked and surprised," Bui said. "I would hope that the state would look into this more before they made a decision. I don't think they took a good look at this."

Bui said she had to turn away eight customers by Thursday afternoon and would soon begin calling her customers, informing them of the ruling.

As for her newly jobless employees, Bui said she would take the fish home as pets, and likely sell her pricey machine "on eBay or something."

P-I reporter Jon Naito can be reached at 206-448-8209 or jonnaito@seattlepi.com.

[monrein]

Oh no....I wonder if I can get a refund on my flight down.