by Scott Coates

Trends come and go and SE Asia certainly has no shortage of them.
Over the last six months there has been a mushrooming of Fish Spas around the region. What is a Fish Spa you ask? Good question. We’d never heard of them either until a few months ago.

It's a ticklish feeling

From Singapore to Chiang Mai, Thailand, large fish tanks with seats above them have been popping-up. Stocked with inch-long Garra Rufa fish, you put your feet in the tank’s warm water and let these little fish do their thing. They have no teeth and suction-like mouths. They love to eat dead skin off feet and legs. A typical session runs 15-30 minutes and costs about $5US (in Thailand).

Fish Spas attribute the benefit of these fishes’ insatiable appetite to something called Dithranol, which they secrete when they nibble. Apparently this chemical is used in many dermatology creams and aids the health of skin. It’s said that some people with skin diseases such as Psoriasis notice dramatic improvement after several sessions.

While in Hua Hin, Thailand with my parents and girlfriend on vacation my dad expressed an interest in trying a Fish Spa and off we went in search of one. It didn’t take long to find one and into the tank their feet went. The first reaction was laughing and huge smiles due to the ticklish feeling of the fish eating. After a few minutes the tickling went away and turned into a

Nibble, nibble, nibble

semi-relaxing feeling. They both said it wasn’t entirely relaxing as it’s a weird feeling to know hundreds of fish are nibbling at your feet and legs. The Garra Rufa sure do have an appetite and didn’t let up for the 20 minutes they tried the spa. So what was it like? My girlfriend ended up with some blood as the fish ate a small scab right off her leg and my dad claims his skin was much softer and even some leg hairs were missing from the feeding frenzy that went down in his tank.

Erika & Don enjoying their treatment

While there is little regulation of these spas in SE Asia, they have been recently banned in the US states of Washington and Texas, citing patrons getting infections from the service. Keeping the warm water clean is definitely a key challenge but spas in Singapore insist they keep the water clean using ultraviolet light.

I have yet to try a Fish Spa but will do so sometime soon when my feet are feeling in need of a deep cleaning. Whether you give it a shot or not, it’s very fun for participants and those who just want to watch. Smiles, laughing and of course a ton of hungry fish create quite a spectacle. Want to see what it looks like – here are some Fish Spa videos on YouTube.