Test drive: Doctor fish pedicure

Garra Rufa or nibble fish make their way to city spas with the guarantee to free your soles of dead skin

Test drive: Doctor fish pedicure

Garra Rufa or nibble fish make their way to city spas with the guarantee to free your soles of dead skin

When it comes to beauty, bizarre is definitely in. There's a spa in northern Israel where snakes get to play masseuse by writhing up and down the backs of a privileged few. While in Austria, people pay to allow leeches to happily gorge on their blood as part of a cleansing treatment. In Mumbai, feet need some TLC? Go for Garra Rufa!

The tiny fish, supposedly all the way from Turkey, are now swimming cheerfully inside fish tanks at select city spas, ready to give tired feet a nibble.

The Thai Spa in Lower Parel, offers fish pedicures ranging from 10 to 45-minutes. On the day we went, we opted for the Doctor Fish Special Therapy, a treatment that involves keeping your feet dipped in a fish tank while excitable fish happily exfoliate your skin or, less poetically, feast on dead skin on your soles.

The spa's beige, burnt orange and magenta tones, aroma of orange blossom, dimmed lights, and the sound of gurgling water, will help soothe your jangled soul. And if you are really lucky, you might even be treated to the soothing sounds of elevator music. Never mind that you might have to share the room with at least four other people and that the service can sometimes border on indifferent -- space is at a premium here, and thankfully you don't need to share your massage chair with anyone.

First, your feet are washed with warm water scented with rose petals, then wiped. You will be pointed in the direction of a low bench on which you need to perch yourself before you take a leap of faith, eyes closed and lips pursed, and plunge your feet, one at a time, into the lukewarm, fish-infested water. It's a good idea to close your eyes if you're even the slightest bit squeamish, because watching those fish determinedly make their way to nibble your feet can be daunting. Does it hurt? Not at all. Does it tickle? You bet.

A good fifteen minutes later when you are done sipping on what tastes like herb-infused tea, and suitably braver, comes the real treatu00a0-- the 15-minute head, neck and shoulder massage.

So, is the fish pedicure worth all the press it's been getting? Well, we must admit our feet did look clean and exfoliated. But if you are the one who goes "eeow" easily, this treatment is not for you.

The water is changed daily and filtered to remove particles including leftover fish food and waste (eoww!), the staff claims, but the cloudy water that's brought before you could put you off. So, maybe not everyone will replace it with their regular pedicure. Still, we are Indians, and we'll try anything once.

At: The Thai Spa, High Street Phoenix. From 11 am to 9 pm, open all days. Call: 30404529. For: Fish pedicures start at Rs 200 and go up to Rs 600 (plus taxes).

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What's the name of the fish used in the Doctor Fish Therapy pedicure?
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