Just when I thought I’d heard it all, I came across this article about the latest fish food. I’m not talking about the kind you sprinkle in your fish tank. I’m talking about your feet in a pool of warm water surrounded by hundreds of hungry minnow-sized feeders! It’s the fish pedicure!

This newest key ingredient in spa and skin treatment in Japan is a little fish, called “doctor fish.” These little suckers literally eat away dead skin cells from your hands and feet. Sounds like something straight out of a horror movie, right? But before you become totally disgusted, let me elaborate!

These “doctor fish” are imported from Turkey and are used in some Middle Eastern countries as a natural way to treat skin disease and rheumatism. They occur naturally in the waters of a hot spring near Kangal in Turkey’s Sivas Province, where their unique dietary habits were first discovered.

Also known as lickers, nibble fish, Kangal fish, the doctor fish grow to 19 cm. Their bodies are covered in gold scales and they use their toothless, crescent shaped mouths to nibble away dead skin softened by the Kangal springs 37-38 degree water.

For decades, people seeking alternative methods of healing have trekked all the way to Kangal. But now, the doctor fish fad has started in Japan and has spread to spas in Osaka, Fukushima, and Hakone. One super spa and resort in Hakone currently boasts as many as 2,000 customers a day.

Apparently, the final result is that you get really smooth hands and feet. So if you’ve had a couple of sake, and want to try something totally trendy and somewhat bizzare, “get your feet wet” with this beauty treatment! However, I would pass on the sashimi afterwards….