Fish Spa’s health benefits & risks are important to consider before getting one. Also known as “Fish Pedicures,” these experiences have become increasingly popular worldwide, as a way to exfoliate the skin. In these spas, you dunk your lower legs and feet in a tank where Garra rufa Fish or Doctor Fish, a small, toothless carp, nibble away your dead skin. Overall, I aim to share my experience and the information uncovered for anyone to make their own choice on these spas.
Mawin Fish Spa in Pattaya, Thailand
Even though my Fish Spa experience in Pattaya, Thailand was upbeat and positive, it also made me feel uneasy. Travelling makes me impulsive and sometimes my actions precede my research, as was the case with Fish Spas. In Pattaya, I purposely skipped the sunscreen on my legs that day, to prepare for the fish spa, as it can’t be good for the fish.
I went to the Mawin Fish Spa, where they first cleaned and inspected my legs/feet for cuts or wounds. Passing inspection, I dunked my vulnerable limbs into the fish tank. At first, it was overwhelming, not being able to leave my legs in the water for over 30 seconds. It tickled immensely and felt just plain weird.
When I compare photos of my tank to other spas, it seemed that mine had a lot more fish. There were at least 100 fish nibbling away on my legs and feet. After I finally psyched myself out that these weren’t indeed Jaws or piranhas, I eased into the experience. They offered 15-or 30-minute sessions. As I sat there facing the street, many pedestrians walked by looking at me and querying the experience. Finally, in 15 minutes, I eagerly pulled my feet out of the water. Then the assistant dried my legs and feet with a fresh towel.
Fish Spa’s Health Benefits
There are many claimed benefits of Fish Spas. While nibbling away dead skin layers, this causes a tingling sensation that stimulates nerve endings and blood circulation in the feet. Also, this increases endorphins, which help with pain and stress. The fishes salivate an enzyme, dithranol, which stimulates new skin cell production. Most noteworthy, I found a study from Evidence-based Complementary Alternative Medicine in 2006, suggesting these fish spas may contribute to helping psoriatic symptoms.
Health Risks
In Thailand, Fish Spas are almost as popular as Thai massages. However, in the U.S. 13 states banned Fish spas for safety reasons. Comparatively, in China, you immerse your whole body in the water with the fish. Fish Spas are popping up all over the world, with many different opinions on their benefits and risks. Some experts claim it’s theoretically possible to pass on bacterial or fungal infections through the fish or water, as the water is not cleaned between patrons. Furthermore, there is potentially a higher risk if you or the fish have any cuts or wounds where disease can be transmitted. Thankfully, this is why the spa inspects your legs and feet before the treatment.
Many spas claim that they use UV light and filters to keep the water clean; however, some experts claim that if the UV was strong enough to kill the pathogens it would also kill the fishes. Most of these places do not empty the tanks between the patrons. Another thing to consider is the fish, like all creatures, have waste they leave behind. As opinions vary overall on these spas, anyone should avoid Fish Spas if they have newly shaven legs, cuts or wounds, eczema, or diabetes.
Ethical Questions
For me the deciding factor to not return to a fish spa is based on the unethical behavior toward the fish. PETA has been critical about the use of these fish, based on callous methods of transporting them from the Middle East, often in plastic bags of water across continents. PETA also suggests that the spas starve these fish, so they nibble on your limbs. These fish naturally feed on periphytons, not dead skin. In a sense, it’s like feeding a duck bread.
Overall…
Overall, my intention is to present the information and leave it up for the reader to decide for themselves on fish manicures. I do not feel the benefits of the fish spas outweighs the potential infection risks and the unethical actions toward the fish. Even though my Fish Spa experience was reasonably pleasant, I will not do this again and go back to using my loofah.
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