Extreme skincare: The all-over fish treatment


This is one for all those readers constantly seeking new and outlandish beauty treatments. Come on, then. Do you have the cojones to sit in hot water while being eaten alive by shoals of tiny fish?

A southern Chinese newspaper/website reports how this is the latest trend to sweep through Guangdong province.

The fish, known as ‘nibble fish’ or ‘doctor fish’ live in hot springs and feast on dead human skin – in this case eating it straight off the humans in question. Learn more about Doctor Fish here.

The article even includes a picture of a bikini-clad young woman, apparently taking the whole thing surprisingly calmly. It comments as follows:

“As [the fish] can live and swim freely in at least 43-degree-hot waters, they are naturally used for the treatment of skin diseases in such spas.

“When placed in the spa, these fish can feed themselves on the dead cells of the human body, since they only consume such cells, leaving the healthy skin of the human body to grow. The whole process is reportedly free of pain. It won’t hurt and the bather might feel a pleasant tingling on his or her skin.”

[snip]

“In 2006, the first Asian Doctor Fish spa resort opened in Hakone, Japan. These fish are used to clean the feet of the bathers at the spa. Recently, such spas become fashionable in resorts in China and South Korea.”

Bring it on… Sadly we have yet to find any retailers offering nibble fish for sale over here. When we do, we will try to partner with them. We promise.

  • Read the full story here (first spotted courtesy of BoingBoing.net)
  • Had an even more bizarre treatment experience than this one? Come on then, share it with the rest of us via the comments…