... Something Fishy ...

Saw this article whilst reading the Paper yesterday. Remembered that Ida asked me to try it while we were at IMM the other day *hehehe* I don't think this will put you off that much gal. Just to share okies :D.

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Flesh-nibbling Fish Pedicure Banned

The Daily Telegraph


DALLAS — Texas has banned fish pedicures over health and safety concerns, denying salon customers the opportunity to enjoy the sensation of hundreds of small fish nibbling away the dead skin from their feet.

Fears were raised over the safety of having the same fish clean the skin of multiple customers, leaving them open to possible infections, said Ms Susan Stanford of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Because the foot baths and holding tanks are home to live fish, they cannot always be properly cleaned and disinfected, Ms Stanford added.

She said she knew of no cases of anyone getting sick from a fish pedicure. “It is in the realm of possibilities,” she said in Wednesday’s online edition of The Dallas Morning News. “We are erring on the side of safety.”

A co-owner of Zen Luxury Nail & Beauty Bar, in Frisco, a Dallas suburb, said she was disappointed to learn she could no longer offer the service, and said she did not know what to do with the 500 guppy-like fish she bought for US$2,500 ($3,670).

“I guess we will either keep them as pets, or send them back,” she said.

The fad caught on in the US after a Virginia salon began offering it.

Thousands of customers have tried the unorthodox treatment, in which they immerse their feet in warm water filled with tiny, voracious carp.

The toothless fish, termed garra rufa but known as “doctor fish”, nibble away at dead skin while leaving healthy flesh untouched, providing what advocates say is a natural alternative to potentially unsanitary razors, clippers or pumice stones.