Is off to a Fish spa tonight!!!

Oooh yes me and my maid of honour went to the one in camden market in april very strange but after a minute its fab!!

enjoY!

I cant think of anything worse than putting my feet into a vat of water which has seen many a trotter! gross

Ugh, no. I couldn't not think of the feet that have been in the fishy mouths before me...,

OOoh does it work as i have what they call winter feet at the moment and need them magically tansformed into princess feet....? xx

Hahha they do clean them... but yes i do agree about the fish mouth and other feet thing!! Urgh i didnt think of that.....having MAJOR second thoughts now....x

This is the reason they are being banned in the States/other countries...

Are they????!! OMG i didnt know this..... Is it bad for the fish then?? Sorry im a bit of a novice when it comes to stuff like this, My friend wanted too have it done and asked me to join her, Im REALLY not up for that though if it hurts the fish, I thought they were ok.....☹️?

Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_fish#Legal_status

Oh no, I think the fish are quite happy!! There are various laws in lots of countries that govern how cosmetic tools can be reused. The fish are counted as a cosmetic tool and as they are too expensive to replace after each use and aren't going to respond too well to steam sterilising, there's no legal way to allow to different people to use the same fish. So they are banned.

As far as I'm aware, it doesn't hurt the fish. They have banned it in the US due to hygiene concerns. Think of all the manky feet that could have been in the water/ touched by the fish prior to your visit. All manner of verrucae/ fungal infections could be passed on. ?

Didn't see FTLOMB's post prior to my post, but WSS.

Oh bejesus!!! I am NOT going i honestly didnt think of any of that!! So glad i posted on here! Urghh. I do feel slightly silly that i didnt think of that tho! ?

A lot of places use U V light to sanitise the area

Depends where you get it done. The ones I've seen in the UK look terrible, A tiny fish tank with a few measly fish in them.

We did ours in Kuala Lumpur at a very posh spa. It was fab! The pond was huge and there were shed loads of fish in there. They watched you as you walked in all hungry looking! ?

Errghhhh not thought about any of this! wont be going again, nothing like a good old spa pedicure if u ask me

Walking past one of these in a local shopping centre and watching about five women with their feet in a tank full of fish, getting stared at by passers by (like me! ?) put me off slightly. I'd be curious to know what it feels like though x

*rushes off and books in for a 'normal' spa pedicure to be washed, scrubbed and filed to an inch of my life to forget the fish pedicure experience!

Yet you'll try on shoes that other people have also tried on? Use public toilets, swim in public pools, walk barefoot on the beach?

There is very little chance of catching a verruca or athlete's foot from a fish spa - if it's done properly. The rules say staff must inspect feet for infections before a client can use a spa, water is filtered and UV treated constantly, and you should be provided with sanitisable shoes (crocs) for walking about or washable floor coverings (towels).

I go once a month, but I know not everyone likes the idea. UK Health and Safety rules are different from the USA - the yanks tend to ban things they're not sure of instead of monitoring regulation - they think it's cheaper and easier. It took 2 years for the spa operators to persuade the HSE to allow them, and they are currently being recommended as a tratment for eczema and psoriasis by many medical practitioners. My dermatologist thinks they should be able to prescribe it on the NHS.

But don't knock it until you've tried it.

I understand your point, but I still feel that it is different from fish actually nibbling on feet.

I'd just like to add, I never sit on public toilet seats! ?

It's all about hovering dontchaknow.

Yep, one of the best leg workouts there is!

OK point taken. You as in people in general, not you personally. There's still very little risk involved in fishy foot spas.

Just a few questions for the hygiene paranoids out there - will you be checking with your manicurist/pedicurist that they sterilised all their files before you are seen? Or your make-up lady on your wedding day has sterilised her brushes before she starts on your face? Do you disinfect door handles before you touch them? Do you discard your mascara exactly 6 months from opening it? You get my point....

Eugh, not for me either. The thought of my feet being nibbled at repulses me.

I had it done in a spa, was OK, really freaky with the fish!

I dont think it did as good as a pedicure would, but it was a giggle ?