Walking through the central market in Kuala Lumpur, the sign for Cute Fish Spa caught my attention. Minutes later, I was giggling like a middle school girl, hundreds of fish were swarming around my feet.
It took a good 3 minutes of my allotted 10 to get use to the fish, slimily nibbling at my toes and eating away the dead skin. However, as soon as I had warmed up to them, the fish started to feel truly marvelous. Still it is one of the weirdedst feeling I have ever felt. After pulling my feet out of the pool, they were outrageously soft, like baby feet that had never been walked upon.
Get exclusive updates
Enter your email and I’ll send you the best travel food content.
The fish are toothless and called “Doctor Fish.” They micro-massage by nibbling at you, removing dead skin cells. They also supposedly improve blood circulation in the treated area. For more information on this, check out “A Fish Pedicure With Health Benefits,” by Vicki F. Chavis.
That night I dreamed about the fish spa, so the next day I ended up going again to rejuvenate the softness of my feet. What could be next?…possibly the full body fish massage. Tagal Sungai Moroli, in Kampung Luanti on Borneo Malaysia, appears to have a great doctor fish spa.
-Mark Wiens
Get exclusive updates
Enter your email and I'll send you the best travel food content.