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April 23, 2011

fish pedicure treatment at aqua sheko


The other day I decided that it was about time that I had a go at a 'fish pedicure'; the new trend that is currently taking over the beauty world. I know that most people are already clued up on what the treatment consists of but for the few of you that are thinking 'what the heck is a fish pedicure' I will explain. Basically the little fellas like to snack on the dead skin cells on peoples skin (yum) which means that we end up with beautiful soft skin and in turn they get their dinner. I know it sounds slightly gross but let me reassure you all with the fact that this tradition has actually been used in Turkey for hundreds of years and has only recently been discovered by Japan five years ago followed by England roughly one year ago with Aqua Sheko being the first fish spa in London! The little guys get to work by gently sucking the dead skin off the outer layer of your feet whilst producing an enzyme that has a vitalizing effect on the skin to further the treatment.


I was warmly welcomed into the SoHo venue by a member of staff and after a long day wandering around London after spending all day on my feet and travelling from one tube to another my feet were definitely in need of a pamper. Once we were led down to the basement lined with small tanks of fish placed in front of comfy leather chairs our feet were washed thoroughly and checked for any cuts. This process means that everything is kept ultra sanitized. After that we put on the spa-like slippers provided and headed over to the tanks.


As I am not the greatest fan of fish I was slightly hesitant to plunge my feet into a tank full of the hungry little things wanting to munch on my feet. Coming from the girl who has been known to splash about in the sea like a loon if I saw a large one swimming by I was rather proud once I went for it. At first I giggled and pulled them straight back out of the tank again after the strange sensation. I tried again and after some time chatting with the other girls having the treatment done I almost forgot about the fish and just felt completely relaxed. The process feels like tiny little vacuums hoovering up all of your unwanted bits of dry skin, or in basic terms similar to a jacuzzi.


Then we were given a vast list of tea flavours and decided on cooled green tea which was perfect after the hot weather. After we said goodbye to the fishes we were lined up for a hot oil foot massage. It was the perfect moment to ask about the fish and I even found out that another one of their favourite snacks is cucumber! Along with the therapeutic music I very nearly dropped off to the land of nod for a split second. Once the massage had finished I would have been very happy to stay longer and avoid the buzzy crowds of London. However all good things must come to an end and it has to be said that I would love to pay the fish spa another visit once my feet need some help from our fishy friends.


The results were very pleasing and my feet definitely felt a whole lot softer. I also noticed that some hard skin that was developing around my toenails had been nibbled away which saves me a job with the pumice stone! And in the future I'd much rather have the more relaxing/gentler treatment with the fish than go to a salon or tackle my feet at home. I know a few people may be put off by the price but it really is a novelty experience and a great idea for parties or a Birthday present to someone. Considering the cheapest price is £17 for 15 minutes of fish therapy I reckon that's affordable to pretty much anyone. You can even have fish manicures done in these tanks below!


The Garra Rufa 'doctor fish' are a part of the Carp family, they are known to live up to seven years old and originally came from rivers in Turkey.


12 comments:

  1. I really want to try this because I have such bad feet, but I'm so terrified! Maybe I ought to just bite the bullet...

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  2. Thanks for the great review! I'll be treating my mum to a fish pedicure treatement once student loan time rolls around since we've both been dying to try it for ages. And I'm loving the neon pink nail polish!

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  3. @Rachel ah I was completely like that at first. but it's brill honestly!

    @Sophie You will both love it, so much fun, and thank you :)

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  4. Honestly, I have never heard of this treatment but the idea sounds so awesome. I would probably be afraid/tickled though I'm sure it would be a fun experience. Other countries should implement this treatment as well! Thanks for sharing :) xo

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  5. i done this defo worth a go so much fun and it feels like a head massager on your feet !
    ;)

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  6. Wow this looks really awesome! Seems like you had a good time! xo

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  7. I really want to try this! The place you went to looks a lot nicer than most places I've seen too!

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  8. Aww I went to one of these bars the other week with my friend, and after the initial shock and screams, it wasn't too bad.

    I say defo give it a try :)

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  9. SO novelty and exciting :) x

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  10. I want to try this too, my Mum's birthday is coming up soon so I might take her to one of these! How long do you recommend having the treatment for? x

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  11. I am dying to go and do this but none of my friends will come with me!

    http://fashionclosetlover.blogspot.com/

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