A new foot therapy is coming to Newbury town centre at the end of August.
Footfetfish will be appearing initially for 2 weeks (30th August 2010 - 12 September 2010) at Newbury's Kennet Shopping centre (Opposite Mon Cherie, the florists) where they will be demoing the latest in foot pedicure therapy.
Bizarre and unique foot pedicure therapy involving hundreds of fish sucking on peoples feet. Having recently arrived from mainland Europe and the Far East, these fish nibble away at the skin leaving the skin feeling fresh and clean.
This treatment improves the skin for sufferers of eczema and psoriasis and other forms of dermatitis. Ultimately it is a lot of fun and fascinating to watch.
As a promotional offer for Newbury's Kennet Shopping centre the treatment costs only £10 for 20 minutes.
It's amazing that this has been viewed 250 times and nobody can think of anything to say about it. Perhaps it is just too far fetched to be believable. I don't think I will offer my feet, as all the fish would end up floating on the surface after a few minutes.
"While legal and largely unregulated in some countries, North American health bodies have questioned the safety of using the fish for beauty treatments. As Joanne Woodward Fraser with the Canadian Ministry of Health argues, the use of these fish constitutes a health hazard: "Fish used for pedicures can't be disinfected or sterilized without causing harm to the fish. Using the same fish to clean the skin of multiple spa clients could lead to the spread of infection" For this reason, up to 14 states in the US have banned the use of fish for spa treatments and in Canada the treatment falls under the individual provincial health units. Salon owners are working with health authorities to reduce risk by changing the water in-between clients, using filtration systems or even replacing the fish with each pedicure, but at a price of approximately $2,500 for the fish, this is not likely to be economically feasible.
A second safety concern is the use of look-a-like fish. Some salons are substituting the real, more expensive Garra Rafu with cheaper fish called "chin chin". Not only are clients not getting what they pay for, but these fish actually grow teeth as they age and are potentially more dangerous because they can break the skin and therefore readily spread infection. Clients seeking a fish pedicure should be very wary of impostors. The only way to be safe is for clients to purchase their own Garra Rufa and keep them well fed with a regular diet of dead skin".
I searched for where you got that quote from and noticed you missed out one line from between all that, must have dropped out while you were copying and pasting . Here it is To date, there is no evidence that infections have been spread from client to client through fish pedicures
I'm sure if you got in touch with the person at Footfetfish he would explain the precautions they take and the fish don't have teeth. Best to research properly I find.
I've seen this a few times on the television, fascinating
Just out of interest I Googled for other dangers in Beauty Salons. There's loads of examples of course, mostly from the USA, I'll refrain from quoting the nasty infections to be caught in nail salons.
Could using the dryers at nail salons—you know, the ones you stick your finger or toes under so you mani-pedi dries faster—lead to skin cancer? That’s the buzz we’ve been hearing lately; that since the bulbs in these dryers emit UV light, they’re practically as dangerous as indoor tanning.
So we checked in with dermatologist Ellen Marmur, MD, author of Simple Skin Beauty and chief of dermatologic surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York City. Dr. Marmur told us that our fears are warranted.
There is substantial and long standing evidence on a wide range of toxic effects in salon workers, particularly hairdressers and beauty stylists. These include nausea, sleep disorders, fatigue, and numbness and pain in the fingers. They also include allergic dermatitis, acute lung irritation, asthma, and chronic bronchitis.
modern technology I suppose, whats wrong with the good old pumice stone? something else to worry about-what if some of these fish get flushed down the sewers and find their way back up into toilet pans, they might start nibbling bums, so next time you use the loo, particularly public ones examine the bowl carefully before you sit down..........
How true. Can we take it then that Kennet Shopping were already aware that this stuff had been banned in a number of States and yet were still happy for it to go ahead? I mean, as you say, it's best to research properly, so I'm sure you did.
modern technology I suppose, whats wrong with the good old pumice stone? something else to worry about-what if some of these fish get flushed down the sewers and find their way back up into toilet pans, they might start nibbling bums, so next time you use the loo, particularly public ones examine the bowl carefully before you sit down..........
Quote from the internet The pumice stone (like the kitchen dish rag) could harbor all kinds of germs and fungi. If you are determined to use one, I would make sure it is sterile before each use. This could best be accomplished by boiling the stone before each use. For this and the other reasons mentioned in this thread, I would consult doctor for advice before using pumice stones, especially if you have impaired sensation in your feet.
It's a minefield out there is't it?
Back to the fish, they come from the sea right? Let's all stay away from the sea, goodness knows what would happen if we stuck our feet in there!
"Can we take it then that Kennet Shopping were already aware that this stuff had been banned in a number of States and yet were still happy for it to go ahead? "
Those fish popped up in Camden last December. At the time I thought it so odd I never expected them to last more than a month. But 8 months later and they're doing well.
They're tiny little fish and look quite cute while they're about their business. Not man eating monstrosities of the deep!
Sorry, you said " back to the fish", and since the topic was the Garra Rafu it seemed reasonable to assume you meant back to them. When you then said "they come from the sea right?" I felt that clarification was needed, and pointed out that the Garra Rafu do NOT come from the sea, being, as they are, freshwater fish.
Threep.
oh, and for the third time of asking....(since you pointed out it was always best to research properly)
"Can we take it then that Kennet Shopping were already aware that this stuff had been banned in a number of States (14) and yet were still happy for it to go ahead? "
This is a great idea that could catch on; particularly if we made it bigger. I know several people I'd like to see swimming with fish. Perhaps move the venue to Northcroft? I'm willing to donate the fish....
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