My first encounter with the doctor fish came about by complete accident. It started with me and my significant other, laying in our room one morning – way later than we should have been. 

I was browsing the internet looking for somewhere interesting to go while my girlfriend took care of her social media accounts. Our days were becoming too routine. I had become tired of doing the same things every day. It was about time we spiced up our day – even if it was only for a few hours.

While scrolling through Google I spotted the name of a place sounded interesting. It was called Rainforest Park Cebu; the website made me feel as if we were going to some nature reserve yet it sat in the heart of suburban Cebu. We went, only because of the lack of any better options.

The Park was exactly where the map had shown. In the heart of Cebu, sitting right next to 7/11 sat Rainforest Park Cebu.

The park has a collection of several interesting activities which I will admit are a lot more fun than I thought; especially the rope course they’ve set up. The main attraction I want to talk about is the doctor fish (Garra rufa). The small fish you probably have seen which seem to enjoy biting dead skin off of peoples’ feet.

We paid for the doctor fish upon entry so after finishing up our activities we made our way to the fish spa. At this point, most of the assistants seemed oblivious to our presence.

Basically, we walked into the area housing the fish, a small boy wandered into the room behind us. He turned on a small tap, then directed us to wash our feet.

From that point on we saw nobody until we left the area. Based on the looks on their faces when we left, it seemed the employees were not even aware we were in the spa.

The experience though was actually a lot more pleasant than what I expected. At first, there’s a period in which I had to get over having these fish feasting on my feet.

Once I began to relax and got used to the feeling, it began to turn from the sensation of small fish biting your feet to a sensation similar to bubbles rising around your feet.

Overall it was a nice way to finish our day at the Rainforest Park. It wasn’t anything miraculous like posters displayed in the room were implying; it just felt like a nice way to relax.

Experience Cebus leaders in doctor fish therapy

Eventually, word got out about our doctor fish experience. We received a suggestion to visit JMall in Mandaue as there’s a good quality shop also housing doctor fish, called Goodwill Dr Fish Spa. We took a while to find the shop; it was at JMall but it was housed in the basement next to the car park.

We immediately noticed the difference in the two services:

• The fish at JMall are easily triple the size of the fish kept at the Rainforest Park.
• There were also a lot more fish housed at Goodwill Dr. Fish Spa, this was probably the most noticeable difference; our feet were completely covered with fish, were at the previous fish spa there had been nowhere near that many.
• The price was lower at Goodwill Dr. Fish Spa, although it’s a small price saving, I’m always happy not having to unnecessarily spend money

After the second fish spa, I again felt little effect besides feeling slightly more relaxed than what I was beforehand. There were a lot of claims made on some posters at the stores about health benefit stemming from using doctor fish, but it really seemed like they were stretching the truth. After using them I really think they are useful purely for people looking for a more interesting method of receiving a pedicure, or people who just want to relax for a while in a serene environment.

Am I going to be okay? Hygiene concerns surrounding Dr Fish treatment

It is important to note that investigations have lead to fish spas being banned in the USA. Unlike traditional instruments which are cleaned after performing a pedicure, the fish maybe used to treat several clients each day.

Concerns of fish coming into contact with multiple clients coupled with concerns regarding the fish secretion in the water have lead to suspicions of fungal and bacterial infections being transmitted to clients using the service. Especially clients who may have cuts or abrasions on their feet.

These issues were addressed by some salons, who attempted to keep the process as sanitary as possible. Many allocate personal foot baths to each client, they then limit how often they use each fish in a pedicure.

Many salons have begun using UV filtered tanks to store fish, also putting more effective filtration systems in the water tanks. This is to make sure any harmful bacteria which may enter the water is removed as soon as possible.

Despite the health concerns being minor, some salons go as far as inspecting the feet of clients. They want to ensure the feet are free from any open wounds before the clients fish spa.

No matter how far salons go, there will always remain a sanitation related risk, albeit minor. Therefore, it is up to the customer to decide whether they are happy to take part in the doctor fish experience or not after weighing up the risk.

So, what is a doctor fish?

The doctor fish or Garra Rufa originate in the Middle East. They are found in the rivers and hot springs of Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Turkey, and Syria.

That’s right, hot springs:

The fish are often found in waters averaging 28°C but they are also found in thermal springs which sits at temperatures around 37°C.

The fish are a kind of toothless carp which would eat algae, plankton, and other microscopic organisms found in the rivers. It also seems the fish enjoy the taste of our dead skin cells which they remove by scrapping their mouth along the skin of the foot.