Review: Fish Pedicure at Aqua Sheko, Kensington

When I read that the fish pedicure treatment so popular and common in Asia had made it over to London, I had to try it out.  I find pedicures hard work, as I truly hate my feet, so the thought of having my dry bits sorted out without a slightly disgusted looking human being involved was definitely appealing!

Aqua Sheko is situated in a quiet road near to the hustle and bustle of High Street Kensington.  Nine small tanks, teeming with the little Garra Rufa fish, are set along the wall of the spa - add one leather bench on the opposite wall, and a small foot washing area, and that's pretty much it - it's a small area, but perfectly well equipped to handle all your fishy toe nibbling needs.

Upon arrival, my friend Zara and I were directed to remove our shoes and tights and have our feet washed before immersion.  When I first read about the foot washing, I'd imagined something a little bit more of a ritual than what I found in reality - my feet were simply washed down with a shower head, and patted dry.  After that, I was promptly directed to a tank - which had just been vacated by another woman.

I had been wondering how Aqua Sheko would handle possible cross contamination, as I didn't really relish the idea of sitting with my feet in a tank that had had many other people's feet in it.  Obviously, it's hard to refresh the water between clients, but still.. it did make me shudder a little.

Anyway, once I'd lowered my feet into the water, the fish immediately swam over towards them and started nibbling at the dry skin.  I've found it hard to describe the sensation - at first, it was intensely tickly, like pins and needles, but after a while I got used to it, and the sensation became more of a light background tickling.  Well, until the fish wiggled between my toes, which made me scream with laughter!

After half an hour, my feet were dried off and I was left to put my tights and shoes back on.  My feet did indeed feel noticeably softer, with the hardest skin feeling significantly less rough.  They were also a much healthier colour than they were prior to the treatment - I guess the fish got my circulation going too.

Overall, I really enjoyed my fish pedicure - it was a complete novelty, and was pretty effective too.  I had purchased a voucher from Wahanda to have the fish pedicure for just £12 - the regular price is £30 for a half an hour treatment.  Honestly, I think £30 is too expensive given that all the staff do is shower your feet down, and pat them dry twice; the fish do all of the work.  Had the treatment involved a massage, or a further exfoliation, I might consider it better value, but given that £30 will buy you a decent pedicure including polish application, I just feel that the fish pedicure experience costs too much compared to what you get out of it.  As a novelty treatment, it's great fun - but it's not something I'll be repeating.

If you want to have fish delicately nibble away your dead skin, a fish pedicure at Aqua Sheko costs £30 for half an hour, with optional massages available if you want a little more from your appointment.  Details are available on Aqua Sheko's page on Wahanda.