Should fish pedicures be allowed in the United States?

Yes

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by R.A. Scott

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Fish pedicures are an interesting subject. Essentially a fish pedicure consists of fish nibbling the dead skin off the feet of paying customers. In North America these pedicures are usually done in beauty salons. Patrons drop their little, delicate feet into a tank filled with carnivorous carp. These carp then nibble off all the dead and dying skin that builds up on your feet. So, women can get their hair and nails done in the more traditional way while carp nibble their wee toes.

In the east fish pedicures have been all the rage so the idea has been imported to North America. These are specialist carp called Garra rufa. What makes these fish so special and so perfect for this job is their tiny size, the fact that they have no teeth and they thrive in warm water which is used by glamour shops for their patrons.

Native to Iran Turkey, Syria and Iraq the carp has become a specialist item in some beauty shops. These pedicures are not for everyone; there is a certain ick factor associated with fish sucking on your feet. Once you get over that it seems the fish do a good job.

Since becoming a popular treatment for folks with too much money, too much time and a sense of curiosity some areas have began banning the treatments. The concern exists that the fish could be the cause of disease transmission between humans. None of this has been seen anywhere but certain jurisdictions are playing it safe.

They seem to be concerned about tiny sores on people's feet. The fish is ingesting the skin from a client human and they think that moving from person to person could facilitate the transmission of various disease. The question is can this method of pedicure transmit disease form human to human using the fish as an intermediary?

There is a huge problem in answering that question. There have been no scientific studies on the situation. With no science we are left with anecdotal evidence. Science has never been fond of anecdotal evidence and makes every attempt to avoid it.

Banning this kind of endeavor seems a bit harsh. Entrepreneurs should be able to make money in whatever fashion is legal. Keep the fish pedicures legal but perhaps there should be some regulation of the industry. Instead of states banning these things they could spend time coming up with rules and regulations to make the industry and the practice of fish pedicures safe.

Working in conjunction with local health groups governments are sure to be able to come up regulations that can keep people safe and allow others to make money from these hungry fish. It could easily be a win - win situation. And the fish might be happy too.

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