Garra Rufa Fish

Have you seen those shops that are spring up where you pay a small fee to have your feet nibbled by the Garra Rufa Fish? One popped up local to me and I had to go and explore.

Your feet are washed before you can put them in with the fish and they ask a load of medical related questions.

Then you lower your feet into the tank... and the fish all rush for your feet like a load of demented foot fetishists...

The feeling is a bit like putting your feet into a fizzy drink - it tickles ever so slightly but is pleasant rather than irritating.

I was scared about accidentally squishing a fish, but they seem to be more agile than I am and move out of the way pretty quickly.

So... once the novelty had worn off (about 10 minutes) and I got bored of telling curious passers by what it felt like, it was time to pull out The Telegraph for a bash at the crossword.

Half an hour was soon up and my feet were towelled dry. They didn't look much different (no fishy teeth marks) but they did feel a lot smoother and softer. The fish survived too, and were happy noshing someone else's feet later in the morning.

It's a nice experience and worth trying once just to say you've given it a try. It's less effort than a pumice stone or a JML "ped egg" and leaves you feeling pampered.