Fish Spa

Want to go for a pedicure? What about a fish pedicure? I spotted a poster in Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia, and for less than $10 per 30 minutes you can stick your feet in a tub of minnows to let them exfoliate your skin by feeding off of dead skin and bacteria. I couldn’t resist (being a biologist and all).

I’m in KL for the ASEAN mid-year Fulbright Enrichment Conference. To explore the offerings of this clean, modern, Asian city – and despite the late hour— my new friends and I headed for the Spa. We were herded up a narrow staircase where we carefully removed shoes prior to entering the “spa”—a converted living room (whose owner was busy watching TV). A woman employee led us to floor level sinks to wash our feet and then over to the tank…

It was a 2 meter x 1 meter FISH TANK with benches on either side. Slide your butt to the middle of the bench, swing your legs over, and dip---slowly. The first 10 minutes we laughed uncontrollably. Completely shocked at the new tickling sensation. I can best describe it as a light scraping against your feet (really they are sucking). I was thrilled, but shocked that some of the fish were only slightly smaller than a computer mouse! The fish are called Garra Rufa or Dr. Fish.

Kinda yucky in a bizarre sort of frightening way? Yes. Kinda touristy? Definitely. But the sensation of those first few seconds as you immerse your foot for that very first bite? Absolutely priceless.