Fish Pedicures: The Cadillac of Flesh-Eating Spa Treatments

I used to think mud baths were weird. Now the  is giving me a new procedure to balk at: fish pedicures.

How does it work? Customers’ tootsies are submerged in a tub of 100 flesh-eating fish called “doctor fish,” which then nibble away at the dead skin on your feet. (The fish are toothless.) The Yvonne Hair and Nails Salon in Washington, D.C.’s owner, John Ho, claims that the hot water in which the fish thrive doesn’t support much plant life, so the fish learn to feed on whatever was available — including dead, flaking skin. They leave live skin alone because, without teeth, they can’t bite it off.

The fishy treatments aren’t ending with pedicures, either – Ho hopes to establish a network of Doctor Fish Massage franchises and is working on a full-body fish treatment that, among other things, could treat psoriasis and other skin ailments. Mmm hmm.

While it’s a little wacky and more than a little creepy, I admit I’m intrigued. Ho’s customers claim they’re losing calluses they’ve never been able to remove. I might just try it the next time I’m in D.C. – as long as I can eat some sushi during the pedi. That way I can show these fishies how we feel.