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Nom. Fish pedicure. Two words that really look a little strange together don’t you think? The beauty world is abuzz with these little feet eating fishies.

I recently received an e-mail from a reader that I’m going to share with you:

“Hi, I am interested to know if there is a place in Perth where I can get a fish pedicure. I had one of these in Thailand and found it to be the best pedicure I have ever had. I would really appreciate your response to this.
Many thanks”

So first of all lets get some fast facts about what a fish pedicure actually involves!

♥ Feet are placed into a small pool or tub of warm water, where Garra Rufa (commonly known as Doctor Fish) are present.

♥ Dr Fish are toothless, love eating dead skin flakes & are used because they leave the living skin untouched!

♥ Your feet are nibbled at for 15-45 minutes.

♥ It is reported to be VERY ticklish at first!

♥ When the pedicure is over, you are meant to be left with baby soft feet.

The treatment is extremely popular in many Asian countries, especially in high-tourist areas.

Now here is where I break your heart a little bit after building you up to be all keen on some critters munching on your tootsies…

There are some prevalent health, hygiene & cruelty concerns when it comes to fish pedicures.

♥ Investigations in the United States have led to the banning of fish pedicures in Florida, Texas & New Jersey.

♥ “Unlike standard pedicure procedures, which have strict sanitation and equipment sterilization standards mandated by state laws nationwide, it is impossible to sanitize or sterilize the hundreds of fish used in the fish pedicure treatment.” (source)

♥ “the study found that fish pedicures are unsanitary and may lead to the spread of fungal and bacterial infections through small cuts or lesions in customer’s feet”

♥ The fish are starved when pedicures aren’t being performed, in order for them to consume an amount of dead skin considered adequate for a ‘successful pedicure’.

♥ As they thrive in a warm water environment, there are questions as to whether salons keep the water heated during times when the salon is not operating.

So it appears unlikely that fish pedicures will be making their way to our shores (legally in any case) anytime soon, due to these concerns.

We’ll just have to stick to our regular deluxe salon pedicures & ped-eggs, which really isn’t so bad now is it?!

If you’ve had a fish pedicure, leave a comment and let me know how you found it!

Be well,

xoxo