Holy carp! State officials are putting the brakes on "fish pedicures,' -- the use of tiny, live carp to clean feet.
At its January meeting, the Florida Board of Cosmetology, housed within the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, determined that fish pedicures are not permitted in cosmetology salons in Florida.
The board says using the tiny nibbling fish to slough off dead skin violates two rules, one that prohibits animals or pets -- excluding animals trained to assist the hearing impaired, visually impaired, or the physically disabled -- in salons and another that sets the standards for pedicure sanitation requirements.
Salons that don't throw the fish out of work may be subject to citations and fines.
I guess I'm better off not knowing some things.
I have never heard of a fish pedicure before, but I have had them little bream nibble at my toes when sitting on the dock. Will these fish be part of the un-employmnet numbers next month?
Posted by: Ima Fedup | February 20, 2009 at 03:43 PM
oooooooooh yukkky so fish may bite your feet with someone elses flesh still stuck in their teeth and give you mad cow disease... can you get pregnant that way? Why not use perahna. its quicker.
what about the water.... bloody feet in, out, and then you stick your feet in....
Posted by: jewly toms | February 20, 2009 at 05:11 PM
Disgusting !!!
Posted by: karma4u | February 20, 2009 at 07:07 PM
This is commonplace in Tokyo and Europe... I guess ignorance is a hell of a thing!
Posted by: Robert S | February 20, 2009 at 07:36 PM
Isn't the Pedi-Egg good for this? How much dead skin can these fish eat, and how long would it take to do anything significant? I think it's all hogwash.
Posted by: Father of eight | February 20, 2009 at 09:39 PM
Im a guy, and a straight one at that, but i think that this is just foolish! whether it works or not, it doesn't harm anyone without a super sensative allergy to fish! this is just another sad case of government bueacracy flexing its power unnessiscaraly.
Posted by: gabe | February 20, 2009 at 11:23 PM
Fish pedicure? I didn't know fish had toenails!
Next thing ya know manatees will be getting liposuction.
Posted by: joe | February 21, 2009 at 04:00 AM
very funny joe! I love you man!
Posted by: brenda | March 19, 2011 at 02:48 PM
They don't bite they just suck the dead skin off it's not unsanitary or painful at all they use it as. Treatment for
People with psoriasis. Some people are so ignorant I don't understand why this was banned!
Posted by: Cbueno | May 22, 2011 at 01:09 PM
Are there any studies into whether it's harmful to the fish? Or, for that matter standards governing how the fish are kept?
Posted by: Rob | August 01, 2011 at 07:26 AM