Feeding Frenzy on My Feet

It wasn't the headhunters or the longhouses but the Fish Spa Therapy at the Pavillon Mall in Kuala Lumpur that just made this is the strangest trip I've ever been on.

Today, I entered the Kenko Reflexology and Fish Spa per suggestion from our tour guide Sara. She hinted at the experience as we ended our tour of the city and my interest was piqued. I had 1 hour to kill before the next assignment so I hurried to the Pavilon Mall next to the Millenium Hotel (the place I'm staying) in the ritzy Golden Triangle quarters of Kuala Lumpur.



Through the glass aquarium I saw legs being nipped at by schools of small minnows and black guppy fish. I payed the $13 and washed off my feet in a stone tub. Then I was given a red towel and computerized tag to wear around my neck that activated my 30 minute limit when I entered the pool area. I sat down on the wooden planks and plunged my legs knee deep into the cool water.

Suddenly, a burst of fish rushed to my side . Like mini-paranás, hundreds of voracious little toothless Turkish fish frantically swarmed my legs. They latched onto my flesh like little suction cups. I screamed out in panic then burst into laughter. They felt like little pins and needles tickling me like crazy. I squirmed like a school girl on her first thrill ride. A Chinese businessman next to me did the same.

The commune pool holds thousands of 'healing fish' that exfoliates the skin by eating dry, diseased or crusty epidermis. This is a popular form of message for Asians that originated from the hot water springs of Kangal, Turkey. For decades, people seeking alternative methods to psoriasis and eczema have used this ticklish technique. The 'micro-message' had the whole room a buzz with laughter.



This working breed of fish is called Garra Rufa but the Kenko chain offers a variety of sizes, species and colors. One of the helpers of the Spa showed me a private room where full body immersion is a favorite among Muslim woman. As disturbing as the thought is of dipping naked into a pool of hungry suckle fish is to me, when this treatment makes it to the U.S. I'll be the first in line!