Hungry Fish At Appy Feet

Last week I was fortunate enough to be invited down for a fish pedicure treatment at the new Appy Feet branch in the Metro Centre.

I'd always been intrigued by the whole concept and couldn't wait to try it. Appy Feet were the first company to bring the fish foot spa treatment to consumers in the UK. The treatment itself sounds unusual but it has millions of devotees across Turkey and the Far East. Ideal for those suffering from skin conditions such as dermatitis or Psoriasis, the small, toothless Garra Rufa fish gently nibble away the dry, dead skin from you hands or your feet, revealing fresh and glowing skin :)

The first thing I noticed about the Appy Feet salon was the bright colours, oranges, blues and whites, unlike some of the fish foot spa venues Appy Feet have made their salons / stores bright and airy, as well as super friendly staff - everyone was so pleasant and helpful.

The treatment starts by a foot wash - what struck me at this point was the care and consideration towards the hygiene and welfare not only for the customer but also for the fish. The foot wash at Appy Feet purely involves washing your feet in some very warm water. I know some other fish spas uses antibacterial wipes and washes so I asked the member of staff who was assigned to me why they just used water. The answer was simple it's better for the fish, be using just hot water they won't be ingesting any chemicals from any washes or wipes.

After my foot wash I was invited to put on a pair of Crocs - this will be the only time I will ever wear these lunch boxes on my feet but again they are used for hygiene purposes, often used in hospitals they are easy to clean and are ideal for getting you from the foot wash to your pod. This branch of Appy Feet contains 12 pods arranged in groups of 4 to make it more of a social experience. Each pod contains between 100-150 Garra Rufa fish again in warm water, there is a constant flow of water into the pod, and it's sterilised at last 5 times an hour making it as hygienic as possible.

I am led to believe it can take some people a few minutes to put their feet into the tank but I put mine straight in, almost as soon as your feet touch the water, you are pounced on by some hungry fish :)

I have to say it's the strangest feeling I don't have particularly tickly feet thankfully but it's a slightly tickly feeling which is actually quite pleasant, remember the fish don't have teeth so they aren't biting your feet more sucking them :). I have to say it feels super odd tho when they go between your toes lol. In fact my fishies even started to go up my calves bye bye peeling tan :)

What got my was the social interaction whilst you were having your treatment, there were 3 women in the same area as me and we all got talking about the treatment, it would be great if you had the treatment say with a group of friends :) Whilst I was having the treatment the staff kept coming to check that we were OK and ask what we thought of the treatment so far, which I thought was a nice touch all the staff were very knowledgeable and helpful. One of the founders of Appy Feet even came over to chat to us which was really useful, she told us more about the actual fish and their welfare. Imported from Singapore and costing at least £4 each it isn't surprising that they take good care of the fish after all they are their business, they also feed them on a Salmon based food to keep them healthy and happy after the salon has closed

When my 15 minutes was up you gently lift your feet from the pod, I was a bit apprehensive because the fish were still attached to my feet but when you take your feet out of the water the fish just fall back into the water. You are then given your own personal towel to dry off your feet and your given some foot cream to rub in. I have to say my feet felt so relaxed when I came out of the pod, tingly and alive, there was still a bit of dry skin on my feet but they were certainly a lot softer. I have to say this is something that I would highly recommend, my feet felt revived and because they work on a walk in, no appointment basis this would be an ideal treat after a few hours Christmas shopping. Another thing I liked is the affordability, a 15 minute treatment for the feet costs just £10, about the same as a large Starbucks and a Muffin or two x Here is a little video I made to show you my experience as well as the little haul I made too x


I really enjoyed the treatment and I will most definitely go back in fact I've even bought MummyLouLou a voucher for Christmas so we can go together for a really pampering, bonding treatment x

This quote from one of the lovely employees that I was lucky enough to speak to, Vanessa, pretty much sums the whole fish foot spa experience up :)

For more information including pricing, locations, and gift packages please check out the Appy Feet website x I'd like to think everyone at Appy Feet Metro Centre and MK Things Happen for the opportunity to try out the treatment. Any questions please ask.

(The 15 minute treatment retailing at £10 was provided for review purposes this hasn't affected my review in anyway)