Not tasty, but productive sushi

It's not often you would want to post your feet on a blog, however, when they are being devoured by hundreds of fish an exception must be made. Two weeks ago Jess and I and several friends visited a fish doctor spa in Gangnam.

A neighborhood located just south of the Han river, Gangnam is the modern business district of Seoul. New and semi-ritzy, it is an area known for its flashy restaurants and celebrity sightings (Oooo, was that Rain I just saw!). It also contains the Fish Doctor Spa.

I'm pretty sure that is not the establishment's name, I foolishly forgot to look for the name as we ascended the second story of the building that housed the spa. Inside is a cafe that serves coffee, tea, cakes and gelatto (no beer or soju unfortunately) and three aquariums built into the floor. A one drink minimum plus 2000 won (around 2$) gets your feet 20 minutes in one of the aquariums.

Each one of these aquariums house hundreds of Garra rufa fish. This freshwater fish, also called the nibble fish or doctor fish, is naturally found throughout rivers in Turkey and is a part of the carp family.

They range in size from 5 to 8cm and do not have any real teeth, but what they lack in dental work they more than make up for in appetite. They chow down on dead skin and what better place to feast than on our callused feet.

A novelty spa....yes, but does it still feel good....a resounding yes! It feels a bit like having one's feet massaged and gently tickled by hundreds of fingers. Combine that with the weird laughter factor in waching one's submerged calves and feet get worked over by hundreds of starving minnows and you have a wonderful way of finishing off an evening out in Seoul. Now if they'd only serve beer....

Supposedly there are total body spas (bathing suits required) where the fish get to go to town on all of you from the neck down. As of yet, alas, we have not found that Neptunic eden. Anyway, when you come over for a visit make sure not to wash those feet for several weeks beforehand, we have a bunch of hungry fish ready to dine.