A Fish Spa – The Most Unusual Treatment in Town!

Hand therapy bar

I regularly meet up with five lifestyle journalists and a different spa experience really appealed. We had a choice of a hand or foot treatment at the second Aqua Sheko fish spa to open in London, in Frith Street, just off Shaftesbury Avenue.

When I mentioned my fish spa pedicure to my friends and colleagues I had a mixed response:

• Eek! I couldn’t possibly do it!
• Nothing would induce me to do that!

Having a 'treatment'

So what was it like? We all found it rather fun! After the initial trepidation of putting my feet in the tank of warm water when the fish flocked to my toes, I hardly felt the little Garra Rufa fish nibbling away and spent the 25 minute treatment watching them work hard, while I sipped herbal tea. The treatment ended with a wonderful foot massage that gave me a spring in my step!

Garra Rufa fish, a species of carp, inhabit Turkish hot springs where they naturally breed and feed. For years people with psoriasis and other skin disorders have visited the springs for the fish to painlessly nibble away the dead skin. By peeling away ordinary callouses and the thick lesions of psoriasis, the fish leave feet feeling softer and prettier.

This fish spa phenomenon has been taken up enthusiastically in the Far East where fish foot therapy is available in shopping malls and department stores.

There is of course the concern about transfer of skin infections.  If your feet have any broken skin like Athlete’s Foot, or bruises, it is recommended you wait until they heal before having the treatment.  At Aqua Sheko they have a UV water filter installed to destroy unwanted organisms.

Washing your feet just before the treatment is necessary which also ensures the removal of any skincare chemicals that might harm, or even kill, the fish.

At Aqua Sheko it’s possible to have a whole body treatment! This is something yet to be experienced … maybe a New Year treat.

All details on the Aqua Sheko website

Val Reynolds Brown, Editor