Fish Spa Therapy

Fish Spa Therapy is the newest pedicure treatment that eliminates the use of razors and scrub brushes for removing dead skin and calluses from the feet, and it has been reported to be beneficial for skin diseases such as psoriasis and eczema. The treatment involves the use of the non-toothy Garra Rufa fish, often called doctor fish, nibble fish and reddish log sucker which are kept in groups in spa pools subjected to sanitary and controlled conditions. The treatment is especially good for foot skin health, it feels like foot massage, and it is fun.

The treatment was originated in Turkey hundreds of years ago and involves the setting of the feet into a pool full of non-toothy Garra Rufa fish which remove the loose, dead skin by nibbling and sucking gently on the feet. The treatment has been used in many Asian countries including Japan, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines, and it has made its way into spa resorts in Bucharest Romania, Madrid, Barcelona and France, as well as other places. In the UK the treatment is under scrutiny and in some places in the USA it has been band due to concerns about the spread of skin disease, although such cases have not been reported. The Garra Rufa fish is found in river basins in Central and Northern Middle East, mainly in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran where is protected from commercial exploitation and overharvesting. Due to the recent popularity of the treatment, further research has been done on the effectiveness of the use of the Garra Rufa which found that the fish actually secretes an enzyme that is beneficial to human skin. Other fish such as the Chin chin and a species of Tilapia is also used, but they are believed to be inferior to Garra Rufa.

The treatment lasts for about 30 minutes. As a first step, the feet are washed with soap and cleaned with antiseptic liquid lotion, and they are checked for infectious wounds and the presence of blood so as to eliminate the transmission of infectious skin disease to other clients. Also, in order to eliminate the transmission of bacteria and virus, spa pools are always kept clean and the water is changed and filtered daily. After the Garra Rufa remove the dead skin, the feet are dried with a towel and to keep the skin soft, some lotion is applied to the feet. In addition to feet treatment, Fish Spa is also popular with people who suffer from psoriasis and other eczema type of disease. In these cases, the affected body part, or even the whole body is immersed in the water and the Garra Rufa, which ignore the unaffected areas, will exfoliate the skin in the affected area.

Many Fish Spa funs believe that the treatment improves and promotes blood circulation, it helps to generate new skin cells, it stimulates the nervous system and it relieves tiredness and promotes relaxation.

Here at Symmetrical Personal Training we have set up 4 state-of-the art personalized fish tanks and filled them up with at least 250 Garra Rufa fish each. This is the HIGHEST NUMBER of Garra Rufa fish you will find anywhere in Cyprus and only this number can give you the expected results. As you will see when you visit us, we take our job very seriously.