Something's "Fishy"

When I started writing this blog several months ago, I never expected to write a story about feet - especially not my own feet.   I'm sure many of you are questioning whether to continue to read this particular post or skip it and check back next week for something less....weird.  Trust me, it's actually a pretty interesting story.

Since watching the Anthony Bourdain show, "The Layover, Singapore", I've wanted to check out one of Singapore's Fish Spas to let these little Doctor Fish do their job and nibble away at my feet.  Yeah, I know that sounds odd and kind of creepy.  There are several of these spas located throughout the city, and though I thought it was an experience unique to Singapore (it's not something I had seen anywhere before) these spas apparently exist all over the world.  In fact, I have seen them in Bali, the Philippines and India since arriving in Asia, and recently found out there's one in Alexandria, Virginia (of all places) for those of you in the US who are interested. 

All the same, it was an experience I wanted to have in Singapore and I was thrilled when Sophia said she wanted to give it a try as well.  For those who know our daughter, you know that getting close to any animal is right up her alley.  But there was something about having tiny fish nibble at your feet that seemed like something she would be opposed to.  I don't know, I just assumed she would view the practice inhumane - or "infish" under the circumstances.  All the same, she was very interested in trying it out, so we did just that during a very enjoyable Father's Day weekend.

We decided to try one of the Kenko Foot Reflexology and Wellness Spas, which can be found in several locations in Singapore.  These are widely considered to offer the best fish spa experience - and quite honestly, reputation was important to me when planning to stick my feet in an aquarium full of hungry, flesh eating fish.  We chose the location at Orchard Central because it had good reviews and we wanted to check out some of the surrounding area for lunch and shopping.

Upon arriving at 12:00 noon, we had the Kenko fish spa and several hundred Garra Rufa (Doctor Fish) all to ourselves.  The room was relatively small, but contained two large fish aquariums, wooden benches, and a small jungle of potted plants to add to the ambiance.  After having our feet washed, Jennifer, Sophia and I slipped on sanitary flip flops and chose a spot on the benches above one of the aquariums - each of us deciding to start with the tank of little fish.  Cooper, far wiser and having no desire to stick his feet into a tank full of fish, sat back and watched. 



"Little Fish"

With little hesitation, Sophia stuck her feet in and we all laughed as the fish swarmed towards her tiny toes.  Jennifer and I followed her lead and soon all three of us were laughing at the tickling sensation as fish nibbled around our feet.  A few minutes later, the sensation changed from a tickle to a massage, and we were offered tea to fully relax and enjoy the experience.  (Jennifer's note:  not really sure I would say it stopped tickling ever!)  But Sophia had other ideas - she was ready to try the big fish, and hopped from the tank with small fish to the tank with larger fish.  

Now, when I say small fish, I'm referring to tiny fish - no bigger than maybe one inch long.  The larger fish on the other hand, ranged from 2 1/2 to 3 inches long and were significantly more active.  Sophia, only slightler more hesitant at this tank, stuck one foot into the water, and again the fish swarmed to her foot.  This time, her foot came right back out and she giggled loudly at the sensation of these larger fish going after her toes.

"Large Fish"

Soon, Jennifer and I tried the larger fish as well - though when I say "try", Jennifer really only had her foot in for about 10 seconds (wimp), while Sophia and I spent several minutes with our feet dangling in the "big fish" tank. (Jennifer's note:  This is accurate if 10 seconds to Jason is ONE second to me....one toe went in and immediately came out!) These larger fish really did up the ante.  Not only were they larger, giving a more noticeable sensation as they rubbed against your skin, but their mouths were significantly bigger and they were more aggressive in pursuing "food".   There were two or three who were obviously bigger than the others and both Sophia and I braced ourselves any time these mammoths swam toward our feet.  After a a few minutes, however, the big fish "treatment" was really nice and became a massage-like sensation. 

We spent the remainder of our treatments hopping back and forth between the two tanks - all the while, Cooper kept us company and even took a few pictures to capture the moment.  After completing the treatment, we washed off, dried off, and were on our way.  I had always considered these treatments to be a gimmicky tourist attraction, but I have to admit that I felt very relaxed and my feet felt much cleaner and refreshed as we walked around the city after Kenko - happy to have experienced one of our "must-do" activities in Singapore.

As we left, we also noticed that the spa offers free Wi-Fi - so don't anyone be surprised if the next time I'm attending a late night work conference call you hear an aquarium filter and the sounds of hundreds of feeding fish on the other end of the line.