Stop tickling! Ontario spa launches Garra Rufa (fish) pedicure

Originally published on Examiner.com

Not for the faint of heart or the ultra-ticklish, Vintage Hotels’ new fish pedicure offers the latest in alternative spa trends. The 20-minute session, termed the Garra Rufa Experience, will be offered to spa guests beginning December 10th at Pillar and Post Inn & Spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Garra Rufa fish at work while you rest

Spa-goers submerge their feet in specialized tanks where masses of minnow-like garra rufa gather on the feet to nibble away dead skin. The curious little fish are attracted only to dead skin and leave healthy skin untouched, resulting in softer skin with a more glowing appearance. The session is best paired with a complete spa pedicure for maximum results. The feeling is ticklish, but pleasant once sensitive feet become accustomed to it. Roaring laughter is not uncommon.

Garra rufa fish naturally occur in the fresh water river basins of the Northern and Central Middle East, mainly in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. The fishes’ unique dietary habits were first discovered in the waters of a hot spring near Kangal in Turkey’s SivasProvince. Locals found that the fish would nibble away at bathers’ dead skin, easing symptoms of those suffering from skin conditions, leaving their skin softer and healthier. The hot spring’s water contains high levels of selenium, which helps heal wounds by protecting cells against free radicals.

Also known as nibble fish, doctor fish or kangal fish, the garra rufa grow to 19mm in length. Their bodies are adorned in gold scales and they use their toothless, crescent-shaped mouths to remove dead skin softened by the 38?C water.

Vintage Hotels is the first hotel chain in Ontario to offer the Garra Rufa Experience. Committed to ensuring the optimal health of the fish as well as spa clientele, Vintage Hotels created a state-of-the-art treatment room at Pillar and Post where it will offer the fish pedicure. The 45-gallon clear tanks which house the fish are carefully regulated for temperature, pH and bacteria. The room also contains sanitary foot baths where feet must be cleaned before and after each session…

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Pillar and Post Inn & Spa, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario