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Mangesh Hattikudur
Bored with Exfoliating? Try Flesh-eating Fish!
by Mangesh Hattikudur - August 23, 2007 - 11:56 AM

flesheatingfish.jpgI know, I know. I promise I won’t be posting any more pics of animals in water today, but TheCellar had these terrific photos on their site, and I just couldn’t resist. The snaps are of a day spa in China where people come to have their dead skin cells gobbled off by “nibble fish.” Thoroughly skeptical, I looked it up and was stunned to see how popular the treatment is worldwide. The Garra rufa, alternately known as the doctor fish, the kangal fish and the reddish log sucker, only dines on the dead areas of skin, leaving healthy cells to grow. Amazingly, the fish are used everywhere from Turkey, flesheatingfish2-1.jpgto England, to Japan, and are especially good for polishing your feet and helping to cure psoriasis. Reportedly, bathers feel no pain from the treatment, just some “pleasant tingling,” and a lovely post-spa glow. Of course, I’m already the type of person who dips his toe in the water and contemplates at length before jumping in. I’m not sure the thought of flesh-eating fish is going to speed that process up any. Images via TheCellar.

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Comments (10)

  1. This strange phenomenon made an appearance on Ugly Betty (Wilhelmina wanted perfect feet to woo her fetishist boss).

    posted by Jai on 8-23-2007 at 12:17 pm

  2. I would do this if there was one nearby.

    posted by Brook on 8-23-2007 at 1:22 pm

  3. Assuming from the pics there’s no face treatment, I can imagine someone with a glowing body and a subpar, acne-pocked face. Even if there were some way to have the face treated, that would be way too creepy.

    It looks like they really go crazy for the feet, which is actually kinda awesome.

    posted by Johnny Cat on 8-23-2007 at 1:56 pm

  4. I’d do that for my feet no problem. Full body, not so sure.

    posted by EV on 8-23-2007 at 2:25 pm

  5. too wierd!! having little fishies nibble your feet is one thing, the whole body treatment would just be scary somehow!

    posted by lindsay m on 8-23-2007 at 4:10 pm

  6. I wouldn’t have a problem with it, unless of course, they found their way into my bathing suit. That would be quite disconcerting!

    posted by Cyndi on 8-23-2007 at 4:18 pm

  7. I would definitely do this for my feet, seeing as how I spend the majority of the summer barefoot or in crusty sandals. I’m pretty sure I could walk over hot coals with few ill effects.

    posted by Rachel on 8-24-2007 at 6:31 am

  8. As long as it didn’t tickle too badly, then I’d try it. We used to stand really still at the edge of the lake and let the minnows nibble on our toes. It tickled like mad, so it became a competition to see who could stand it the longest.

    posted by Tru on 8-24-2007 at 9:13 am

  9. At the cottage during certain times of year we have whole schools of baby(ish) sunfish that do much the same. It’s quite an odd feeling.

    Do where form fitting clothes however.

    posted by tinfoil on 8-24-2007 at 2:10 pm

  10. I’ve done it. It doesn’t tickle too badly and your skin feels great afterwards.

    posted by griever on 8-26-2007 at 12:15 am

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