Luxury pedicures are very popular with men and women alike and many upmarket salons are trying new things to entice customers seeking the ultimate pedicure experience. One of the latest and more unusual methods of treating the feet and toes is through the use of flesh eating fish called Garra Rufa. Originally from Turkey, this member of the Carp family is also known as "doctor fish" due to their ability to relieve various skins conditions such as psoriasis. These tiny, toothless fish gently nibble off dead skin revealing the soft, healthy dermis beneath.
The pedicure treatment involves soaking the client's feet for fifteen minutes in large fish tanks with approximately 100 Garra Rufa.The treatment causes a mild tickling sensation but no discomfort should occur beyond fear of fish which some people may experience. Popular in Turkey for many years, the treatment has now spread to Asia, Europe, and North America.
Safety Fears of Doctor Fish Pedicure Treatment
While legal and largely unregulated in some countries, North American health bodies have questioned the safety of using the fish for beauty treatments. As Joanne Woodward Fraser with the Canadian Ministry of Health argues, the use of these fish constitutes a health hazard: "Fish used for pedicures can't be disinfected or sterilized without causing harm to the fish. Using the same fish to clean the skin of multiple spa clients could lead to the spread of infection" (Baute, p. 16).
For this reason, up to 14 states in the US have banned the use of fish for spa treatments and in Canada the treatment falls under the individual provincial health units. Salon owners are working with health authorities to reduce risk by changing the water in-between clients, using filtration systems or even replacing the fish with each pedicure, but at a price of approximately $2,500 for the fish, this is not likely to be economically feasible.
A second safety concern is the use of look-a-like fish. Some salons are substituting the real, more expensive Garra Rafu with cheaper fish called "chin chin". Not only are clients not getting what they pay for, but these fish actually grow teeth as they age and are potentially more dangerous because they can break the skin and therefore readily spread infection. Clients seeking a fish pedicure should be very wary of impostors.
To date, there is no evidence that infections have been spread from client to client through fish pedicures, but health authorities fear that in an unregulated market, the possibility is very real. The only way to be safe is for clients to purchase their own Garra Rufa and keep them well fed with a regular diet of dead skin.
Source
Baute, Nichole. "The right to bite? Popular pedicure raises redflags." The Toronto Sun. June 30, 2010 (A1,A16).
Marilyn Michaud - Marilyn Michaud teaches English Literature and writing in Toronto. Her research interests include American history and culture, Gothic ...
Join the Conversation