Happy Feet - Nibble, Nibble, Giggle, Giggle…

At dinner last week a friend was raving about a fish pedicure and how her feet had never felt so soft etc, etc.  To my amazement my fiancée immediately jumped into the conversation with "I want to give it a go", must have been all my nagging about his not so soft feet!  Not sure if he was serious, but thinking it would be fun,  I booked us a Sunday foot nibbling session.

Fish therapy dates back to the 1800’s originating from Turkey, where they were discovered in naturally occurring hot springs and spa pools. Belonging to the carp family these fish have no teeth and are renowned for their ability to find and feed on dead or damaged areas of the skin. Fish nibbling treatments claim to naturally exfoliate the skin leaving it softer and smoother, improve circulation and alleviate eczema and psoriasis.

The Experience:

Plunging our feet into a tub full of hungry fish didn’t seem quite right to begin with, as soon as your feet hit the water they start nibbling! I have never been ticklish, but on this instance the giggles overcame me,  my fiancée on the other hand took it all very seriously and was surprisingly calm and relaxed. After about 5 minutes you get used to the sensation, it actually feels like a soothing foot massage, which I  would describe as small but powerful water jets being aimed at your feet rapidly.  The fish seemed to favour one foot over the other, so I took one out now and then to entice them to the other. Once my 25 minutes were over I actually didn’t want to leave this lovely warm water pool full of fish massaging my feet.

Tips:

To target the heals more intensely I would recommend dipping your heals in rather than the whole foot for a good 5 minutes, this is something I didn't do enough, but will definitely be trying next time. I also noticed that it helps to move your feet around now and then, as they can get a bit lazy and drift off, so this encourages them back to the area.

Results:

The bottom of my feet didn’t feel as smooth as expected, a thorough file and exfoliation tends to work better on me, however it worked really well around my nail beds and cuticles, where dry skin was looser and more accessible, my feet did however feel extremely invigorated and refreshed. I had a Fab Fish Pedi Treatment costing £48 for 55mins that included a leg/foot massage, file and polish, so on leaving the lovely Fab Fish salon with gorgeous Essie Lollipop adorning my toes, my feet felt and looked damn good!  This treatment is the perfect prep for post flip flop feet, sending them pampered and preened into winter boot hibernation.

Available at: http://www.fabfishandbeauty.com who offer 10% off  treatments from Tues-Thurs