Doctor Fish will nibble on you now, this is no ordinary pedicure

She sits with the fishes, and you can too! For a mere $50. per half hour, you too can join Tracy Roberts who is having her tootsies nibbled by a type of fish called doctor fish or garra rufa. Banish the disgusting thoughts, this is a pedicure at Yvonne Hair and Nails salon in Alexandria, VA.

Salon owner John Ho explained the reason for using this type of fish. It seems that they live in rather hot water which will not support much else in the way of plant or aquatic life. They adapted by feeding on available food sources, which often were dead, flaking skin, I suspect that is a delicate explanation. It's not so much that they wouldn't like to eat your entire foot, quite simply they can't. Being toothless, they can most easily gum away on your dead skin. Perhaps for those really difficult callous problems, piranhas could be brought in?

So far 5,000 people have taken advantage of having their rough skin eaten away by the fish. Pedantic that I am, I have a pumice stone from Walgreen's which cost a dollar, and it doesn't make my skin crawl to use it. People report excellent callous removal, which is generally done with a type of razor...this is a choose your poison situation if ever one were heard. Customers report sensations from tingling to ticklish. This may be a selling point when Ho implements the next stage, a full body tank. Clients may stretch out while the fish suck and gum skin conditions such as psoriasis, and give you smooth beautiful skin....shudder.

Each client must have an individual tank now rather than the communal variation with which the fish were first introduced. According to Ho the individual tanks have solved one other problem which existed with the communal tank. "At times the fish would flock to the feet of an individual with a surplus of dead skin, leaving others with a dearth of fish. It would sometimes be embarrassing for them but it was also really hilarious." said Ho, laughing all of the way to the bank. Doctor Fish will nibble on you now, this is no ordinary pedicure
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