Fish pedicures: Carp rid human feet of scaly skin

By MATTHEW BARAKAT – 8 hours ago

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.

Fish pedicures are creating something of a splash in the D.C. area,
where a northern Virginia spa has been offering them for the past four
months. John Ho, who runs the Yvonne Hair and Nails salon with his wife,
Yvonne Le, said 5,000 people have taken the plunge so far.

"This is a good treatment for everyone who likes to have nice feet," Ho
said.

He said he wanted to come up with something unique while finding a
replacement for pedicures that use razors to scrape off dead skin. The
razors have fallen out of favor with state regulators because of
concerns about whether they're sanitary.

Ho was skeptical at first about the fish, which are called garra rufa
but typically known as doctor fish. They were first used in Turkey and
have become popular in some Asian countries.

But Ho doubted they would thrive in the warm water needed for a
comfortable footbath. And he didn't know if customers would like the idea.

"I know people were a little intimidated at first," Ho said. "But I just
said, 'Let's give it a shot.' "

Customers were quickly hooked.

Tracy Roberts, 33, of Rockville, Md., heard about it on a local radio
show. She said it was "the best pedicure I ever had" and has spread the
word to friends and co-workers.

"I'd been an athlete all my life, so I've always had calluses on my
feet. This was the first time somebody got rid of my calluses
completely," she said.

First time customer KaNin Reese, 32, of Washington, described the
tingling sensation created by the toothless fish: "It kind of feels like
your foot's asleep," she said.

The fish don't do the job alone. After 15 to 30 minutes in the tank,
customers get a standard pedicure, made easier by the soft skin the
doctor fish leave behind.

Ho believes his is the only salon in the country to offer the treatment,
which costs $35 for 15 minutes and $50 for 30 minutes. The spa has more
than 1,000 fish, with about 100 in each individual pedicure tank at any
given time.

Dennis Arnold, a podiatrist who four years ago established the
International Pedicure Association, said he had never heard of the
treatment and doubts it will become widespread.

"I think most people would be afraid of it," he said.

Customer Patsy Fisher, 42, of Crofton, Md., admitted she was nervous as
she prepared for her first fish pedicure. But her apprehension dissolved
into laughter after she put her feet in the tank and the fish swarmed to
her toes.

"It's a little ticklish, actually," she said.

Ho said the hot water in which the fish thrive doesn't support much
plant or aquatic life, so they learned to feed on whatever food sources
were available — including dead, flaking skin. They leave live skin
alone because, without teeth, they can't bite it off.

In addition to offering pedicures, Ho hopes to establish a network of
Doctor Fish Massage franchises and is evaluating a full-body fish
treatment that, among other things, could treat psoriasis and other skin
ailments.

Ho spent a year and about $40,000 getting the pedicures up and running,
with a few hiccups along the way.

State regulations make no provision for regulating fish pedicures. But
the county health department — which does regulate pools — required the
salon to switch from a shallow, tiled communal pool that served as many
as eight people to individual tanks in which the water is changed for
each customer.

The communal pool also presented its own problem: At times the fish
would flock to the feet of an individual with a surplus of dead skin,
leaving others with a dearth of fish.

"It would sometimes be embarrassing for them but it was also really
hilarious," Ho said.
On the Net:

* http://www.yvonnesalon.com/


_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


I just knew Herring would find a suitable retirement job.

HK wrote:



Fish pedicures: Carp rid human feet of scaly skin


[ snip ]


I just knew Herring would find a suitable retirement job.

I grew up in that area.

BAR wrote:
HK wrote:



Fish pedicures: Carp rid human feet of scaly skin


[ snip ]


I just knew Herring would find a suitable retirement job.

I grew up in that area.


Do you think there is a connection between Alexandria, Virginia; carp;
feet, and your upbringing in that area?

On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:30:57 -0400, BAR wrote:

HK wrote:
BAR wrote:
HK wrote:
BAR wrote:
HK wrote:



Fish pedicures: Carp rid human feet of scaly skin


[ snip ]


I just knew Herring would find a suitable retirement job.

I grew up in that area.


Do you think there is a connection between Alexandria, Virginia;
carp; feet, and your upbringing in that area?

Yeah, it has to do with an area that is wealthier than McLean and
Great Falls.


Whatever.

Don't believe me check it out yourself. From Alexandria south on the
parkway to Rt 1 is a very pricey area and has been for about 45 years.

Just to get your mind out of the gutter...

We played The Osprey of Belmont Bay yesterday. This is a great place to
lose a bunch of balls. I went through about half a dozen. Shot a 97 though!

http://tinyurl.com/6c8dq9

John H. wrote:
On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:30:57 -0400, BAR wrote:

HK wrote:
BAR wrote:
HK wrote:
BAR wrote:
HK wrote:


Fish pedicures: Carp rid human feet of scaly skin

[ snip ]

I just knew Herring would find a suitable retirement job.
I grew up in that area.

Do you think there is a connection between Alexandria, Virginia;
carp; feet, and your upbringing in that area?
Yeah, it has to do with an area that is wealthier than McLean and
Great Falls.

Whatever.
Don't believe me check it out yourself. From Alexandria south on the
parkway to Rt 1 is a very pricey area and has been for about 45 years.

Just to get your mind out of the gutter...

We played The Osprey of Belmont Bay yesterday. This is a great place to
lose a bunch of balls. I went through about half a dozen. Shot a 97 though!

http://tinyurl.com/6c8dq9

Isn't that a full length course? Does it play like a links course, must
get a bit windy when the sun comes up? We used to do quite a bit of
water skiing on Belmont Bay from about 6:30 AM to 8:30 AM from May to
September, when the Sun came up we went in because it started to get too
choppy. From the pictures I've seen they haven't learned how to use a
lawn mower on the rough at The Osprey.

I am going out to Cincinnati this weekend to play golf with a bunch of
guys. Five rounds in two and a half days. Sixteen hours of driving and
about 40 gallons of prime US gasoline out the tail-pipe.

HK wrote:
BAR wrote:
HK wrote:
BAR wrote:
HK wrote:
BAR wrote:
HK wrote:



Fish pedicures: Carp rid human feet of scaly skin


[ snip ]


I just knew Herring would find a suitable retirement job.

I grew up in that area.


Do you think there is a connection between Alexandria, Virginia;
carp; feet, and your upbringing in that area?

Yeah, it has to do with an area that is wealthier than McLean and
Great Falls.


Whatever.

Don't believe me check it out yourself. From Alexandria south on the
parkway to Rt 1 is a very pricey area and has been for about 45 years.


Yes, I know. We have some friends that lived south of Alexandria in a
very tony area, What that has to do with a salon offering carp bowls for
removal of dead toe skin escapes my imagination.

Northern Virginia is just too damned congested these days for decent
quality of life. When I had my office on the edge of Alexandria, it took
me 15 minutes to drive over to a local coffee shop that was only three
miles away. I have a number of friends who live throughout Northern
Virginia. We meet in DC these days.

BTW, did you know the Springfield area of Fairfax County is pretty much
run over with MS-13 gang members these days?

You won't catch me moving to No. Va. again. When I move it will be East
until Assawoman Bay or South, 200 or more miles.

BAR wrote:
HK wrote:
BAR wrote:
HK wrote:
BAR wrote:
HK wrote:
BAR wrote:
HK wrote:



Fish pedicures: Carp rid human feet of scaly skin


[ snip ]


I just knew Herring would find a suitable retirement job.

I grew up in that area.


Do you think there is a connection between Alexandria, Virginia;
carp; feet, and your upbringing in that area?

Yeah, it has to do with an area that is wealthier than McLean and
Great Falls.


Whatever.

Don't believe me check it out yourself. From Alexandria south on the
parkway to Rt 1 is a very pricey area and has been for about 45 years.


Yes, I know. We have some friends that lived south of Alexandria in a
very tony area, What that has to do with a salon offering carp bowls
for removal of dead toe skin escapes my imagination.

Northern Virginia is just too damned congested these days for decent
quality of life. When I had my office on the edge of Alexandria, it
took me 15 minutes to drive over to a local coffee shop that was only
three miles away. I have a number of friends who live throughout
Northern Virginia. We meet in DC these days.

BTW, did you know the Springfield area of Fairfax County is pretty
much run over with MS-13 gang members these days?

You won't catch me moving to No. Va. again. When I move it will be East
until Assawoman Bay or South, 200 or more miles.



When we go out to the Shenandoah, I try to get through the Northern
Virginia portion of I-66 as quickly and quietly as possible. We start to
breathe a little easier once we are west of Manassas. Once in a while my
wife likes to shop at some of the stores at Tysons...I hate going
there...but there are three stores at that mall with some appeal for
me...restoration hardware, ll bean, and apple. I usually can kill enough
time to match up with my wife's shopping. If it going to be a really
long day, I head over to Microcenter, but, nowadays, if I need computer
stuff, I hit the Microcenter store on Rockville Pike.

We still like Virginia Beach, but we head down there through southern
Maryland, and avoid the Virginia I-95 and Richmond messes.

We're looking at some second home possibilities in the Hilton Head to
Savannah areas. The problem is, it is one hell of a long drive. Flying
is a possibility, but the airports in that area are dinky, and so are
the planes. We like St. Simons Island in Georgia, but it is awfully far
from just about everything and living there would probably drive me bonkers.

On Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:34:25 -0400, BAR wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:30:57 -0400, BAR wrote:

HK wrote:
BAR wrote:
HK wrote:
BAR wrote:
HK wrote:


Fish pedicures: Carp rid human feet of scaly skin

[ snip ]

I just knew Herring would find a suitable retirement job.
I grew up in that area.

Do you think there is a connection between Alexandria, Virginia;
carp; feet, and your upbringing in that area?
Yeah, it has to do with an area that is wealthier than McLean and
Great Falls.

Whatever.
Don't believe me check it out yourself. From Alexandria south on the
parkway to Rt 1 is a very pricey area and has been for about 45 years.

Just to get your mind out of the gutter...

We played The Osprey of Belmont Bay yesterday. This is a great place to
lose a bunch of balls. I went through about half a dozen. Shot a 97 though!

http://tinyurl.com/6c8dq9

Isn't that a full length course? Does it play like a links course, must
get a bit windy when the sun comes up? We used to do quite a bit of
water skiing on Belmont Bay from about 6:30 AM to 8:30 AM from May to
September, when the Sun came up we went in because it started to get too
choppy. From the pictures I've seen they haven't learned how to use a
lawn mower on the rough at The Osprey.

I am going out to Cincinnati this weekend to play golf with a bunch of
guys. Five rounds in two and a half days. Sixteen hours of driving and
about 40 gallons of prime US gasoline out the tail-pipe.

Yeah it's a full length course. For most of the holes you've got two
choices - the fairway or a lost ball. They provide four extra balls per
cart. It's not a links course, but I don't know what to call it, other than
a bitch.

Have fun on the Cincinnati trip. I'm going to NC in a few weeks for some
golf in the Winston Salem area. I'm trying to figure out a way to strap the
clubs to the motorcycle. It gets right at 50mph. I think I can stand the
bag on the passenger foot peg and then strap it down tight. We'll see.

On Jul 22, 8:23*am, HK wrote:
BAR wrote:
HK wrote:
BAR wrote:
HK wrote:
BAR wrote:
HK wrote:
BAR wrote:
HK wrote:

Fish pedicures: Carp rid human feet of scaly skin

[ snip ]

I just knew Herring would find a suitable retirement job.

I grew up in that area.

Do you think there is a connection between Alexandria, Virginia;
carp; feet, and your upbringing in that area?

Yeah, it has to do with an area that is wealthier than McLean and
Great Falls.

Whatever.

Don't believe me check it out yourself. From Alexandria south on the
parkway to Rt 1 is a very pricey area and has been for about 45 years..

Yes, I know. We have some friends that lived south of Alexandria in a
very tony area, What that has to do with a salon offering carp bowls
for removal of dead toe skin escapes my imagination.

Northern Virginia is just too damned congested these days for decent
quality of life. When I had my office on the edge of Alexandria, it
took me 15 minutes to drive over to a local coffee shop that was only
three miles away. I have a number of friends who live throughout
Northern Virginia. We meet in DC these days.

BTW, did you know the Springfield area of Fairfax County is pretty
much *run over with MS-13 gang members these days?

You won't catch me moving to No. Va. again. When I move it will be East
until Assawoman Bay or South, 200 or more miles.

When we go out to the Shenandoah, I try to get through the Northern
Virginia portion of I-66 as quickly and quietly as possible. We start to
breathe a little easier once we are west of Manassas. Once in a while my
wife likes to shop at some of the stores at Tysons...I hate going
there...but there are three stores at that mall with some appeal for
me...restoration hardware, ll bean, and apple. I usually can kill enough
time to match up with my wife's shopping. If it going to be a really
long day, I head over to Microcenter, but, nowadays, if I need computer
stuff, I hit the Microcenter store on Rockville Pike.

We still like Virginia Beach, but we head down there through southern
Maryland, and avoid the *Virginia I-95 and Richmond messes.

We're looking at some second home possibilities in the Hilton Head to
Savannah areas. The problem is, it is one hell of a long drive. Flying
is a possibility, but the airports in that area are dinky, and so are
the planes. We like St. Simons Island in Georgia, but it is awfully far
from just about everything and living there would probably drive me bonkers.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Bull****. Savannah's airport handles all types of heavy passenger
aircraft, and is quite busy because of military bases in the area.

wrote:


Bull****. Savannah's airport handles all types of heavy passenger
aircraft, and is quite busy because of military bases in the area.


When I want the opinion of an uneducated, semi-literate idiot, I'll let
you know. I flew into Savannah recently, and have done so about a half
dozen times. It's a dinky airport.

Savannah, though, is a very nice city.