At first I just thought it was a bit of a 'fad' - the idea of fish eating away at dead skin on your tired feet seemed more of a novel idea than an actual solution to worn out footsies! Well, that, and the fact that I am petrified of fish. It's a strange but rather real phobia that put me off the garra fish pedicure's that are hitting the high streets at the moment. As I'm rarely without a pair of heels and always neglecting my poor feet I thought it was time to take the plunge (excuse the pun) and see what all the fuss was about. I headed to Heavenly Feet, a new salon in Chester that, for the moment, exclusively offers the highly-sought after garra fish pedicure's for just 10 pounds for 15 minutes. The fish, dubbed 'doctor fish', have been used for centuries in open-water spas in Turkey and the middle east but only really became popular in the beauty industry when their healing benefits reached Japan and these 'express tanks' became available. Ideal for the treatment of skin conditions such as psoriasis these tiny garra rufa fish nibble away at hardened keratinsed skin that has formed a layer on the epidermis.
It took a good few minutes of coaxing by my good friend Vicky and after the initially bizarre sensation of the hungry critters nibbling away at your worn out heels and tired toes I actually began to enjoy it! I couldn't look at my pedicure therapists in the tank and likened the sensation to that of gentle jacuzzi bubbles. The fish aren't as aggresive as you'd think despite their initial hungry rush to your toes (I've seen the film Piranha!) and after a few minutes the 'pedicure' becomes relatively relaxing (if it isn't for the scores of tourists who like to gather at the window and watch you squirm as you first dip your feet in) After your initial session of 15 minutes your feet are removed from the tank and gently cleansed. My feet felt really smooth on the surface and some of the dead cuticles around my toenails had been removed but my heels were still quite hard and rough, but I was told this was because of the amount of time I had left my feet in and was advised to come back once a week for hourly treatments.
I was surprised to see an elderly gentleman next to me having the same treatment and he told me he'd been coming for these pedicures twice a week for about two months and his cracked heels had all but gone! He told me he did a lot of walking and wasn't really looking after his feet and his wife had booked him in for an appointment and he'd been a convert ever since. Another friend and dedicated fish-pedicure convert also told me that in order to get the best result you'd need to book your appointment first thing in the morning as this is when the fish have a bigger appetite....lovely image isn't it? I think, for now, I'll stick to my softening Scholl creams and pumice sticks!
Overall conclusion: Three out of five stars: a relaxing and unusual treatment but not a dramatic enough result to warrant frequent visits. Worth a try and ideal to maintain healthy feet but not an option for tried and worn out toes that need work!
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