Get a pedicure from a fish!

At his spa in Alexandria, Va., owner John Ho has spent over a year setting up a new type of pedicure, and it involves fish. According to Ho, who runs Yvonne Hair and Nails salon with his wife, the procedure involves using hundreds of tiny garra rufa, or doctor fish, to eat away the dead skin on people's feet. The treatment is a replacement for the traditional method of scraping feet with a razor, which was causing concern among health officials who felt it was an unsanitary practice.

Spas and salons have faced other issues with regards to health and cleanliness. One major concern was the risk of customers getting fungus from foot spas that were not properly cleaned. To counter any sanitary hiccups, Ho has switched from using one large tank for as many as 8 customers simultaneously to having individual tanks for each customer. The tank water is changed after each pedicure.

The tiny fish nibble away at dead skin, causing a tingling sensation. "It's a little ticklish, actually," said one enthusiastic customer. Ho says as many as 5,000 customers have enjoyed the treatment in the 4 months that the salon has offered it, and doesn't think that any other spa provides this feature. 15 minutes in a tank costs $35 at the spa, and 30 minutes costs $50. If the treatment continues to be a success, Ho hopes to establish a full-body treatment program that addresses skin conditions such as soriasis and others. For now, however, only the pedicure program is in place.