Fish Therapy- (Ictiotherapy) in Sayuita, Mexico
Katie White RMT, HTP, CYT
I was walking around a sweet hippy/surfer village in Mexico with my Mom and my cousin. As we navigated the busy and colorful streets, we saw a sign advertising "Fish Therapy".
Seeing people of all ages taking advantage of this therapy we walked over to the Buddha Spa. Intrigued we had a look and started asking questions.
What we learned is this is a very popular treatment offered in spas around the world. Tiny little fish from Turkey called Garra Rufa nibble on the dead skin on your feet.
What does it do? Exfoliate, moisturize, improve circulation, relax and massage the feet.
What does it feel like? Like tiny little vibrations on your feet.
How long will it take? 10-30 minutes- depending on your budget and preference
Do the fish get full? Apparently never- we watched them for over an hour and they were enthusiastic on all the feet offered to them.
Does it hurt? Not one bit- almost tickled in fact!
First, your feet are washed off in a basin of water. Apparently the only thing that will hurt the fish is bug spray. However, it is important to wash of the sand and dirt to avoid clogging the tanks.
Immediately the fish latch on to your feet. It feels very strange at first. After awhile, it felt like my feet had fallen asleep.
The fish have no teeth but have a small cup as a mouth. They suck impurities out of the skin and remove dead skin. This acts as an exfoliation and detoxification all at once.
The fish massage the feet, helping to improve circulation and increase relaxation.
This is me, enjoying the fish therapy treatment. It was an nice break to come out of the hot Mexican sun and take a seat and experience something new.
To complete the fish therapy, I opted for the complete package and added a wonderful pedicure. My feet felt very happy after this really refreshing treatment.
