Weddingbee Blog

At the tail end of 2008, I de-virginized my feet. For my girlfriend’s birthday, we spoiled ourselves and made a trip to Yvonne’s salon in Alexandria for an afternoon pedicure. I had never heard of these minnow-sized, flesh eating fish that nibble away at dead skin cells. The concept was so bizarre that I had to partake in the fun. Apparently, health concerns banned the usage of razor blades in pedicures and the owners of this salon discovered the ‘garra rufa’ fish as an alternative to the blade approach. I find the foot germ pool just as concerning despite the cleaning/bleaching of the individual tubs in between each client session. Anyhow, the owners have appeared on ‘The View’ and the ‘Today’ show as the innovators of this concept, and have their appearances memorialized in frames on their wall.

First off, they examine your feet for any cuts/gashes. Afterward, they seat you on a bench with a tub filled with water and hundreds of fishies.

The minute your big toe touches the surface, the fish begin to eat away anywhere from in between the toes to your ankles at the surface of the water. It’s hard to NOT squeal and flex your butt cheeks for the first 5-7 minutes of the session. In fact, I was never at the point where I thought to myself that it felt good. It’s a ticklish sensation throughout the 15 minutes as the ant-crawling/mini-suction cup mouths nibble away at the skin. The result? My feet were smoother and a bit softer, but nothing dramatic happened. It’s not something I’d add to my beauty regimen, but it was a fun and different experience with the girls. I thought it might be a fun bridal party bonding experience.

Does this pique your interest enough to give it a try?