Doctor Fish

I know a few people who'll appreciate this one.

Recently I've been seeing ads pop up on my Facebook sidebar for deal-sharing services like LivingSocial, WagJag and the like. Multiple times on these ads I've spotted one particular "deal" I knew well:

Doctor Fish!

For a brief moment I thought "Wait, can it be!? We have Doctor Fish in Canada!?" No - it was not to be. That's so tragic. But I really can't imagine the service being affordable here like it was in Japan, either.

Fishy times at
Oedo Onsen Monogatari

"Doctor Fish" is a spa service that's offered at onsen and Super Sento-type places. You pay between 1,000 and 2,000 yen for about fifteen minutes, depending on the spa. Sitting on the side of the tank, you lower your feet into it and allow the tiny fish (of the Garra Rufa species) to eat the dead skin on your feet. It is maddeningly ticklish but the effect afterwards is very noticeably soft!

When I used to see these places - the locations at Tenzan-no-Yu, Oedo Onsen Monogatari and Spa World I encountered multiple times - I usually resolved that I would try one "eventually." I was very glad that I did, as it was an awesome experience. Oedo was quite expensive compared to Tenzan, but as you might have guessed from the photo above, you're paying for the atmosphere!

Would you give Doctor Fish a try, or does the idea give you the willies?