Fish Pedicures!

[Sultanosurf]

Kinda like Medialine... for your feet..

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2007/04/10/fish.jpg

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Ready for the latest in spa pampering? Prepare to dunk your tootsies in a tank of water and let tiny carp nibble away.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hzJgRAaYCJMvjh98hAk45as3DPgwD9226PM80

[Quagmire]

You wait til PETA and ASPCA hears about this Mister...

[The Fedora]

um, ewww?

[JoinUsForCake]

"It's a little ticklish, actually," she said.
Oh, tee hee hee... $35 for 15 minutes of this? tee hee heeeee...

Leave it to somebody in NoVa to introduce yet another way to get soulless yuppies to waste their money.

[Mighty Dyckerson]

I wonder if they'd give me a BJ if I dunked my wang in there...

[Another OMB]

We talked about this in our morning meeting today. The reason some places are going to this is concern over the spread of germs/disease by the scrapers they used to use to take off dead skin.

A woman in our meeting said, "But if everyone's putting their feet into this water for the fish to eat the dead skin, won't there be lots of germs and bacteria in the water?" If so, kinda defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

Anybody know more about it?

[Mighty Dyckerson]

But if everyone's putting their feet into this water for the fish to eat the dead skin, won't there be lots of germs and bacteria in the water?

Of course not, silly. They use boiling water.

[Spike]

A woman in our meeting said, "But if everyone's putting their feet into this water for the fish to eat the dead skin, won't there be lots of germs and bacteria in the water?" If so, kinda defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

The Virginia health department has ordered them to build separate tanks for each customer and change the water each time a customer uses it.

[Mighty Snyckerson]

I wonder if they'd give me a BJ if I dunked my wang in there...
Well, they do have small mouths, so it would probably take just one.

[Focker]

In this economical time, I don't think I've got the extra money in my paycheck for this kinda thing. How many people are actually going to use this? I know the article said 5,000 (really? 5,000? seriously? Whatetver)...but does the place think it's going to make money? I don't know what the cost of living in Alexandria is, but...yeesh.

And despite the fact that they're tropical fish (and about 50x the size of those in the pic), what's to stop a disgruntled employee from sneaking a baby barracuda in there? Ouch.

[22]

I wonder if they'd give me a BJ if I dunked my wang in there...

They probably would. The story said they eat dead skin.

[Shot A Load]

I guess the economy isn't hurting some.

BTW, Dyckerson just got smacked.

[Jane Craig]

22 rocks.

[Another OMB]

The Virginia health department has ordered them to build separate tanks for each customer and change the water each time a customer uses it.

Thanks, Spike. I wonder if other states are following suit, or will?

[Diggin' Bear]

Oh, my gosh. 22 and Snyckerson, ya'll rock!

[neodeity]

I wonder if they'd give me a BJ if I dunked my wang in there...

No, they only do toe jobs.

[Spike]

Thanks, Spike. I wonder if other states are following suit, or will?

The Doctor Fish Massage company claims it's the only company offering this service in the US, and both of their locations are in Virginia.

Outside the US, this is actually not a new thing. It was a fad in Japan for a while and also showed up in Thailand and Hong Kong. When I was studying Japanese, we actually watched a video in class about a Japanese onsen that offered fish massage, but for the whole body.

I don't really see what the big deal is regarding the health concerns. People will get in a public swimming pool that they KNOW has urine in it. People will sweat at the gym and then get into the whirlpool where other nasty sweaty people have been. People swim in lakes and the ocean, where the water is unfiltered and there's plenty of fish sh*t, among other contaminates. And they're afraid of fish that remove and ingest dead skin? As health threats go, this one is pretty damned far down the list.

[TVMattNYC]

This looks like a great idea!

Of course, I already have Clownie nibbling on my toes ...

[Ralphie the buffalo]

Of course, I already have Clownie nibbling on my toes ...

What did he do with his brown banana?

[Mighty Dyckerson]

What did he do with his brown banana?

Your mama ate it.

[mothball]

http://www.fishingcny.com/minnows.jpg

So, how long until some good ol' boy takes home a bucket of shiners for his wife's tootsies?

[the original buttongod]

CBS UTTM ran it overnight feet nibbling here (http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=74177&catid=148)

[s'news]

State says fish pedicures are illegal

Live, tiny carp used in the salon industry's latest trend — pedicures by fish — has been deemed unsanitary and illegal, state officials said today.

By Sonia Krishnan (http://search.nwsource.com/search?sort=date&from=ST&byline=Sonia%20Krishnan)
Seattle Times staff reporter



Pedicures by fish — the use of live, tiny carp to clean feet — has been deemed unsanitary and illegal by the state.

The state Department of Licensing issued a statement this afternoon saying officials were "greatly concerned" that customers, in their quest for smooth heels, are willing to soak their feet in a tank of toothless fish that feast on dead skin.

Christine Anthony, spokeswoman for the department, said it's impossible to sanitize the live fish. "You can clean the tank, you can clean the water, but there's no guarantee that the fish aren't carrying something from the previous customer."

Today, officials hand-delivered a letter to the Peridot Nail Salon in Kent that was the only spa, to their knowledge, offering the treatment, Anthony said. Inspectors visited Peridot last month after it was featured on a television news report.

In the notice given today, "we asked them to stop using the fish immediately," Anthony said. Letters are also being sent to licensed salons across the state informing owners that it's unlawful to perform the treatment, she said.

"Hopefully, we can catch other salons before they buy the fish," she said.

The pedicures, popular in Turkey and other Asian countries, started gaining attention in the states after a Virginia-based spa talked to the media this summer about the benefits of using the fish instead of razors to slough away scales and calluses.

At Peridot, an employee who declined to give his name, said he was "speechless" about the state's ruling. The salon just started offering the fish pedicures on Sept. 19, according to its Web site.

"We've been getting a pretty good response, because of the fact that it's such a novelty," he said. The pedicure costs $30 for 15 minutes.

The employee said he had tried the pedicure once.

"It feels good, it's very therapeutic," he said. "It's almost like a massage."

Sonia Krishnan: 206-515-5546 or skrishnan@seattletimes.com (skrishnan@seattletimes.com)

[Another OMB]

Okay, here's my question: how is it unsanitary if the fish are ingesting dead skin from other people? As long as the fish don't have teeth, which I'm assuming based on what they do, the dead skin gets sucked INTO the fish, then digested and processed.

So customer B is never coming into contact with anything from customer A, as long as the water has been changed.

My thinking is it's the same reason why mosquitoes can't transmit AIDS. Even if they suck in the blood of someone infected, if they then bite you, they're sucking IN your blood, so the AIDS-infected blood isn't going into you.

[Spike]

My thinking is it's the same reason why mosquitoes can't transmit AIDS. Even if they suck in the blood of someone infected, if they then bite you, they're sucking IN your blood, so the AIDS-infected blood isn't going into you.

Malaria.

[Another OMB]

Malaria.

You know, I thought about that, and other mosquito-borne illnesses. But, from what little I know about it, in those cases the mosquito itself carries the disease, like ticks do. On the other hand, AIDS is in the blood of the person being bitten, and I guess for whatever reason the mosquitoes don't acquire the disease.

My point is, the fish won't necessarily transmit anything. But I'm no immunologist, or biologist or any other kind of ologist.

[Oswego]

I didn't know they had nails?

[Jane Craig]

IMHO, anyone who wants either a fish pedicure or a snake massage really needs a head exam!

[Spike]

IMHO, anyone who wants either a fish pedicure or a snake massage really needs a head exam!

What kind of head?

[s'news]

http://www.united-mutations.com/soundtr_movies/monkees_head_cd.jpg

[Mighty Dyckerson]

They should have used piranha.

[Spike]

They should have used piranha.

They save those for tough cases.

http://www.myfootshop.com/images/medical/derm/heel_fissure_composite_mod.jpg

[s'news]

For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Susan Stanford
October 8, 2008
512) 463-3208


Texas Department of Licensing
and Regulation
Statement on "Fish
Pedicure" Procedure


AUSTIN - The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR)
received several inquiries about a procedure known
as "fish pedicure" or "doctor fish." This procedure involves a customer
placing his or her feet in a footbath in which fish eat
dead skin cells on the customer's feet. The issue is whether cosmetology
and barber establishments may offer this procedure
in Texas.

TDLR concludes that this procedure is not permitted in Texas under
TDLR's health and safety rules.

TDLR researched the health and safety aspects of the procedure,
including seeking the opinion of officials at the Texas Department of
State Health Services. Based on this research, we believe that the
procedure poses an undue risk to public health and is not consistent
with TDLR's health and safety rules at 16 Texas Administrative Code,
Sections 82.100 - 82.114 (barber) and 83.100 - 83.114 (cosmetology).
TDLR rules do not permit this procedure because the same fish are used
on multiple customers and could transmit infectious diseases.
Additionally, the use of live fish does not allow for the footbaths and
the holding tank for the fish to be adequately cleaned and disinfected
in accordance with the rules.


###

[tater]

They should have used piranha.

Or a ooooooooooooooo Barracuda! :rockon:

[Another OMB]

Or a ooooooooooooooo Barracuda! :rockon:

YOU CAN'T SING THAT! YOU DON'T HAVE PERMISSION!!

[The Thrill]

YOU CAN'T SING THAT! YOU DON'T HAVE PERMISSION!!

Maybe we just need practice first. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwSJkS3CDbQ) http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/YwSJkS3CDbQ/default.jpg