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The Globe and Mail wrote:

CALLUSES BE GONE: FLESH-EATING CARP
Spa goers bite at fish pedis They swarm your feet, feed on your dead flesh and turn your scaly skin smooth

MATTHEW BARAKAT

Ready for the latest in spa pampering? Prepare to dunk your tootsies in a tank of water and let tiny carp nibble away.

Fish pedicures are creating something of a splash in the D.C. area, where a northern Virginia spa has been offering them for the past four months. John Ho, who runs Yvonne Hair, Nails & Tanning Salon with his wife, Yvonne, said 5,000 people have taken the plunge so far.

"This is a good treatment for everyone who likes to have nice feet," Mr. Ho said.

He wanted to come up with something unique while finding a replacement for pedicures that use razors to scrape off dead skin, he said. Razors have fallen out of favour with state regulators because of concerns about whether they're sanitary.

Mr. Ho was skeptical at first about the fish, which are called Garra rufa but are typically known as doctor fish. They were first used in Turkey and have become popular in some Asian countries.

But Mr. Ho doubted they would thrive in the warm water needed for a comfortable footbath. And he didn't know if clients would like the idea.

"I know people were a little intimidated at first," Mr. Ho said. "But I just said, 'Let's give it a shot.' "

Tracy Roberts, 33, of Rockville, Md., said it was "the best pedicure I ever had" and has spread the word to friends and co-workers.

"I'd been an athlete all my life, so I've always had calluses on my feet. This was the first time somebody got rid of my calluses completely," she said.

First-time customer KaNin Reese, 32, of Washington, described the tingling sensation created by the toothless fish: "It kind of feels like your foot's asleep."

The fish don't do the job alone. After 15 to 30 minutes in the tank, customers get a standard pedicure, made easier by the soft skin the fish leave behind.

Mr. Ho believes his is the only salon in the United States to offer the treatment, which costs $35 for 15 minutes and $50 for 30 minutes. The spa has more than 1,000 fish, with about 100 in each pedicure tank at any given time.

Dennis Arnold, a podiatrist and director of the International Pedicure Association, said he had never heard of the treatment and doubts it will become widespread.

"I think most people would be afraid of it," he said.

Patsy Fisher, 42, of Crofton, Md., admitted she was nervous for her first fish pedicure. But her apprehension dissolved into laughter after she put her feet in the tank and the fish swarmed to her toes.

"It's a little ticklish, actually," she said.

Mr. Ho said the hot water in which the fish thrive doesn't support much plant or aquatic life, so they learned to feed on whatever food sources were available - including dead, flaking skin. They leave live skin alone because, without teeth, they can't bite it off.

In addition to pedicures, Mr. Ho hopes to establish a network of Doctor Fish Massage franchises and is evaluating a full-body fish treatment that, among other things, could treat psoriasis and other skin ailments.

He spent a year and about $40,000 to get the pedicures up and running.

State regulations make no provision for regulating fish pedicures.

But the county health department - which does regulate pools - required the salon to switch from a shallow, tiled communal pool that served as many as eight people to individual tanks in which the water is changed for each customer.

The communal pool also presented its own problem: At times the fish would flock to the feet of a customer 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," Mr. Ho said.

Quote:

But wouldn't it be a lot cheaper to, like, stick them in a river?

Alatar wrote:

Heh, Sharky, you can nibble my toes anytime.

Jude wrote:

NienorCarpAttack?

Jude wrote:

Hey, can we call you "Carpy" now?

It would be cool if your initials were "D. M." Then we could call you "Carpy D. M. "

Alatar wrote:

Why mess about with a dremel?