i read from the star newspaper about this "fish spa" that eat dead fish.. and coincidentally last time I watch Ugly Betty, the evil lady Valmar (or duno what she's call again actually is actress Vanessa williams) bought some Garra Rufas so that she wil have silky soft legs to seduce the big boss. That was interesting.. n suddenly this year i am readin about this in msia..


http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?...;sec=lifeliving



http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?...;sec=lifeliving

i google for some fish spas, i only found so far 2 spas doing this. 1 at Pavillion 1 at PJ call sampuoton spa. I read last month or this month from somewhere Bangsar also got one fish spa rm38 for 30mins (cheap to me.. i wan to try but i have no idea which shop it was now...).

Anybody try this b4? how does it feel, leg really soft or not? how bout ppl with bad skin leg problem.. (not psoriasis.. but more like.. athelete's foot? u think can cure/lessen the problem? NOT me.. my bf.. i want to bring him go if it can cure)


About Garra Ruffa FIsh:



Garra rufa or doctor fish is a species of freshwater fish which breeds in the river basins of the Northern and Central Middle East, mainly in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. It is also called the doctor fish, because of the role it plays in healing persons affected with psoriasis.

Garra rufa is often called the nibble fish, kangal fish, and doctorfishen. In non-medical terms the fish is also called reddish log sucker.

Majority of Turkish spas breed the doctor fish in an outdoor pool, where they feed on an unusual diet- the skin of psoriasis affected patients. Just like the combfish, the doctor fish devours the affected and dead areas of the skin, while leaving the healthy skin to grow.

Though, the spas are not meant to be a treatment center, patients come here regularly for temporary cure of the symptoms. Inspite of the unpredictable nature of the disease, some patients have experienced complete cure as a result of their repeated exposure to the doctor fish.

This post has been edited by Miu: May 30 2008, 08:21 PM

guyzzz,

I heard abt another fish spa @ midvalley..
here's de details:

Kenko Reflexology & Fish Spa
S 029 & 030, 2nd Floor,
Mid Valley Mega Mall,
Mid Valley City, KL
Tel: 03-2284 3707

I haven't been here, so dunno abt their services, prices, packages etc..
err, I dun think am gonna try this kinda fishy thing..so geli..

cheers!

Iono.. but i dont believe these fish spa thingy can do wonders............. :|

the other day my friend was saying "what if the customers are HIV+ ?" i was like "i suppose they change the fishes?" so they kill them all after servicing a customer?
that kept me pondering!!

I heard that fish spa is ticklish... But I think u guys should choose the right place to go... Sum places may be unhygienic!

Some of them use fake fishes. As in, they dont use the proper fishes that should be used.

yea i wonder how....ppl with disease.. or HIV go how...

got fake fish somore....

my colleague told me i can buy from fish shop do myself.. she watch from tv the review on fish spa..she says it looks like those cheap fish..at fish shop

i went to kenko fish spa in pavillion with my boyfren once. we both feel so ticklish and we kept giggling for 25 mins. the other 5 mins is to hesitate whether to put our legs into the water or not.. not only ticklish, i ve a 'ant bite' numb feeling too. it's quite true that fish spa can help us to release tension. yeah, yesterday i went to mid valley and saw newly open fish spa..(opened for few months d i guess.. ) .
opposite sunway pyramid, mentari park there got also. dono hygienic or not there..=p

http://clicknetwork.tv/watch.aspx?c=1&p=8&v=94

here's a video clip where xiaxue went to a fish spa..
looks interesting..but dun think will go..haha bcuz i'm so scared of tickling

I think it shouldn't be a big problem since the little fishy only bite the surface of the skin cells... btw is this really works? tempted to try it out also...

But I tot the fish they use in the spa is different with the normal fish wan?

Last time I saw some advertisement about the fish spa, its looks interesting but really dunno hygenie or not, hehe.. But if got chance I really want to have a try. I hear they say the fish spa can cure some skin problems, but dunno true or not lar. Haha..

yesterday i just went to pavillion one, i felt that isn't much differents, we only put our foot in for 30 min which i think it is not enough, just treat it as an experience will do, it is fun to give it a try though.
Those fishes don't really like to eat those old, thick, hard skin because my bf have thick skin, fishes dont seems to like him. Before this i thought that those fishes sure will hunt for my bf foot.
No matter how what size the fishes, they prefer to bite those toe part skin, maybe it is softer yet delicious.

This post has been edited by suYUki: May 19 2008, 12:08 AM

i am really curious about this treatment and though it would do my bf's feet good..

but after what suyuki say.. i have second thoughts..

just really want nice smooth feet T_T i am tempted...

my brother went to try at pavilion with his colleagues (girls) and he said it's ticklish and the fish is very hungry @_@!!!

if go in morning its swarming like piranhas... omg

haha miu... yeah make sense.. most of us usually eat more in the morning.. i think fish have the same stomach too..too hungry because whole nite nvr eat.

I have a feeling this is just a fad that feeds on people's curiosity for miracle cures. If the fish could feed on your dead skin cells, then there is nothing a good scrub would not do.

Hi All...
I wanna try it someday... would appreciate if anyone could provide the location + price.
Thanks in advance.

I'm a fish spa enthusiast. Been there a few times. Not sure if it is any good for my feet, but it sure is relaxing after going round the shopping centre. Anyway, the fish suck, not bite. Very ticklish for the first ten minutes or so (for first timers), then it's ok. I always go to Foot Master in subang parade. They also have branches in a few other shopping centres. They're quite clean plus u wash ur feet first before u dip. Contracting HIV is utter nonsense . If u still think that u can contract HIV through this, then do mankind a favour : read up on HIV and AIDS. Anyway, after the dip, I can feel that the hard skin on my heels have lessen. Feet feel cleaner too. U can wash ur feet again after u r done. At Foot Master, it is RM38 for a half-hour dip. I'd say - Try this! U should try everything at least once in your life

I wonder if they got feed the fish?

Ha Ha Ha.... I think the NGO will chase after them if they don't feed the poor fishes.
Actually I can't really accept the idea. It don't seems to be hygiene.

if you think kenko is way expensive perhaps you might want to try another outlet called Morino Kaze. Besides the fish spa, they also have other services like foot reflexology, ear candling, massage etc. 30min fish spa only cost RM28. I haven't try out myself yet. Will definitely try it out one of these days.

wahahah xiaxue's guide to life...: fish spa..

hilarious.. n woah.. i really really want to try this experience.. @_@!!!

any place having promo??!!!

i just finish reading a blogger's article about her research on Kenko Fish Spa and Bangsar's Garra Rufa Fish Treatment Shop. She even took pics of the fishes from both shops and.. yes they don't look the same!

Apparently Kenko Fish Spa look like..talapia fish.. and varies in different sizes from big to small:





Real Garra Rufa Fish looks like this:



You might be interested to read about her blogs n researchhere:

Garra Rufa Or Not?
http://reviews.pinkelle.com/2008/05/09/garra-rufa-or-not/

Bangsar's Garra Fish Therapy
http://reviews.pinkelle.com/2008/04/07/113/

Another blogger's trip to Kenko resulting in her husband leg bleeding from fish bites
http://preciouspea.blogspot.com/2008/04/testing-testing.html

This post has been edited by Miu: May 30 2008, 10:54 AM

there is one... at sunway damansara... near starbucks... is on the 1st floor...
i havent try b4... but my bf says is nice... feet feels super smooth and soft.. and u can see tiny tiny holes... eheheh....

Hey.. I don't think its that good... I went to the one at pavillion and all the fish swarmed towards me. In the end, it was soft only because my feet were in the water for so long and there wasn't any noticeable difference. But its worth it for the experience. Spend that money on a pedicure instead.

if you babes are interested, there's a fish spa 'booth' in Ikano where they intro the fish spa and you can try. don't know how much and how long is the promotion tho.

the one in pavillion and midvalley is kenko fish spa right. The blogger Pink Elle went there n did some research about Garra Ruffa Fish.

i copy n paste from her blog for babes to read:
---------------------------------------------------------------

I previously wrote about my visit to Kenko Fish Spa and how impressed I was at their little fish that nibbled away at the dead skin on my feet. However, when I paid a visit to the Bangsar Garra Rufa Fish Spa, I noticed their fish looked rather different from the ones in Kenko. Where the ones in Kenko were large and wide and resembled little tilapia fish, the ones in the Garra Rufa Fish spa were slim, small and slender.

Another article I read last Saturday made me even more curious as a new fish spa in town, the Sampuoton Spa which offers full body treatments by these Doctor Fish claimed that there were some people trying to pass off fake Garra Rufa fish (Chin Chin fish) for real things! Apparently, they even have a little aquarium at the entrance of their spa which shows both the Chin Chin fish against the Garra Rufa for comparison purposes.

The Garra Rufa is actually a slender little fish with a mouth like a bottom feeder fish. These fish actually come from Turkey and are said to be able to live in warm water of up to 35 degrees. Apparently these little fish actually nibbles on the dead skin and has some compounds in its saliva which actually help skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis.

The fake Garra Rufa or Chin Chin Yu, on the other hand is wide and is said to belong to the tilapia or carp family. These fish are apparently starved so when you put your foot into the water, it’s food to them and so naturally they start nibbling on whatever dead and flakey skin you have. This then gives the illusion of smooth skin once you’re done with the treatment but it doesn’t have any real benefits. In fact, from what I read, it seems like you might be no better off compared to using a pumice stone!

source: http://reviews.pinkelle.com/2008/05/09/gar...ot/#comment-233

This post has been edited by Miu: May 30 2008, 11:02 AM

hi girls, i am back from my "garra ruffa" experience! I went to Garra Ruffa Fish Therapy at Jln Telawi, Bangsar today with my girlfriends. I manage to convince one to go with me while the other thought it was facial *lol*. Nevertheless, she scream and squirl when I told her what we're going to do and was a brave sport! I thought i was brave enough to experience this "fish therapy" until I actually was... like one step below the water..with all the fishes... swimming around. My friend did not even think twice about it and started sitting down n dipping her legs in. OMG ALL THE FISH SWARM TO HER LIKE BEES TO HONEY! She was cool, and it gave me some courage to continue what I came there for. I'd like to say it's an experience that I'll never forget and yeah no pain at all. It felt like small electric currents (Somewhat when u go to slimming center and they put this pads on u..that pumps ur muscle?) it's ticklish.. but you'll get over it and start to actually look at the fish... (i didn't dare look until after a while). Once I got over the initial fright stage, I settle down with my girlfriends and snap some photos to show u girls SO HERE ARE THE PICS!


The "Garra Ruffa Fish Therapy" at Bangar.


You are required to brush, scrub and wash at this washing area. They provide brush there for you and towels.


The "spot" my friends and I choose to sacrifice our gorgeous legs. Beautiful spot actually.. just all to ourselves.


I took a picture of where we're sitting. As you can see there's a big mirror infront.


My friends leg being attacked! (haha..)


My friend, testing the waters and also to see if it works on fingers as well (yea the fishes came..)


My friend's feet being swarmed with fishes. They love her more than us.


My leg sob sob. Look at all the fishies!! it's ticklish...


A close up of what the fishes are doing.. n how they look like (like longkang fish)


LOOK AT THE BIG ONE ON MY FRIEND'S LEG (and she's not freak out!!!!!) there's like big and small fishes.. and I notice the big fishes are rather aggresive towards the smaller ones. They'll chase off other fishes from their area (the spot they're hogging on our feet) by doing jumps and turns. Try watching them long enough you'll notice!

OK that's all girls. I had an exciting experience here and yeah the end result was we all felt our feet were smoother and softer. Not sure if it was the water... but my friend was amazed at how much dead skin was being eaten from her soles.. and she says this "hey they haven't finish eating this part.. i can see the dead skin being munch 1/2 way.." Yea my soles had the dead skin like.. 1/2 way being scrub too (kinda like dead skins sticking out.. they come off easily if u brush them at the washin area.

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Promotions that I found out:

-----------------------------


Garra Rufa Fish Therapy
No. 4 Jalan Telawi
Bangsar Baru
59 100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 2287 5518
Web: www.garrarufafishtherapy.com
Email: info at garrarufafishtherapy.com

1. happy hour 10am-3pm for RM30 - 30mins
2. buy 2 free 1 promo (30mins RM38 each person, 3rd person free. If all share is RM25++ each)

Normal Price:
RM38 for 30 minutes
RM72 for 60 minutes

Open Daily from 10am - 10pm


Sampuoton Spa
I called on tues to check the prices:

1 hour full body fish therapy costs rm150 (now promo RM105)
30mins feet fish therapy rm60

must call to make booking
swimsuits provided
they provide other services like massage and facial too

This post has been edited by Miu: May 30 2008, 11:00 AM

wow...i wana give a try but abit scared la...feell so geli...

yea it is very geli..

i couldn't bring myself to put in my leg for a few minutes

try not to look into the water when u put in your leg, will get freak out.. (i got freak out lol)

Is the one at midvalley reliable?? Ppl wif sensitive skin can go right??