A fish pedicure is similar to a traditional pedicure except calluses and dead skin are removed with a pumice stone or metal foot file, small toothless carp fish from Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq called garra rufa fish (or doctor fish) nibble the dead skin away. The process is painless and has even been said to cure certain ailments like psoriasis and eczema.
The first salon to offer fish pedicures in the US was Yvonne Hair and Nails in Alexandria, Virginia. They began offering the service in 2008. Several states have since banned spas and salons from offering garra rufa fish pedicures due to the risk of infections and CDC complaints that they are unsanitary, but no illnesses or diseases have ever been reported from the fishy beauty trend.
