I had every intention of keeping my feet as soft as possible this winter...I even gave them a going over with the Soap and Glory foot buffer I especially requested as a Christmas present a few times but I have to admit, I've been a bit lax with it of late.
It really is a very good buffer though and I would definitely recommend using it a few times before you give your feet their first outing of the year in flip flops or sandals. It has a sandpaper-like feel to it with one rough side (as pictured above) that you use for heavy duty hard skin removal and a smoother side that you use straight after to buff your newly filed skin. I also got the Soap and Glory Heel Genius foot cream for Christmas which I use post buff. I like it because it's more of a gel than a cream and, as I usually attempt my DIY pedicures before bedtime, it dries reasonably quickly so I don't have to get under the covers with slimy feet....always a bonus.
Anyway, before I could even think about purchasing aforementioned new wedges, I decided that my feet needed an extra bit of TLC..
When I was out shopping in a local mall a few weekends ago, I noticed a new shop with a queue of around 20 people waiting outside. On closer inspection I discovered that a Dr Spafish walk-in Spa had opened in the mall and, by the looks of things, had already become very popular! I'm sure by now everyone has heard of Fish Pedicures, where your feet are dipped into a small pool filled with tiny fish that nibble away at the dead skin around your heels and toes...well Dr Spafish is a Franchise with 8 existing Spas that offer fish pedicures at a very reasonable price (£10 for 15 minutes) on a walk-in basis. The fish are Garra Rufa fish and are found in abundance in the Turkish town of "Kangal". If you want any further information about the fish or the Dr Spafish experience in general, the website address is http://www.drspafish.com/.
To avoid the queue, my sister and I returned to Dr Spafish during the week and requested a 15 minute fish pedicure. A little word of advice to anyone thinking of giving one a go... make sure you aren't wearing any fake tan on your feet...otherwise you have to sit and scrub it off in a bucket of warm water in front of everyone before you're allowed a dunk. Unfortunately feet with verrucas, warts or athletes foot are unable to receive a pedicure as it could harm the poor fish....perfectly reasonable IMO, as there's no way I'd like to nibble on an infected foot...to be honest I'd rather not nibble any feet but a job's a job and who am I to judge a fish just trying to make a living...
When I first dipped my feet into the pool, all the fish seemed to swim up at once and start nibbling the underneath. I have very ticklish feet, which I stupidly didn't even take into account when I decided to try the Dr Spafish experience...If you don't think you can bare lots of pairs of tiny teeth tickling you for 15 minutes solidly, then this is probably not the pedicure for you. It's a very bizarre sensation, you can actually feel the fish biting you gently! Strangely enough, they didn't go for the areas of my feet that I thought they would...the heels, the skin around my big toe...all the areas you would expect to find dead skin. Instead, they seemed to set up camp around the bottom of my leg and the top of my foot.
15 minutes flew by and afterwards, whilst I was drying my feet with a towel and having them sanitised by the fish therapist, I did notice that my feet were quite a bit smoother and softer than they were before the pedicure. The fish therapist told me that there were also spas where you could have your whole body dunked into a pool and nibbled by the fish! I think I will stick to just the pedicure for now.... and, as I deemed my first one such a success, I reckon I'll be paying Dr Spafish another visit very soon. x
I would love to try this - my feet need dire attention! The only thing is that I have very ticklish feet so I'm unsure if it's a wise idea or not...xxx
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