<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" If the thought of freely allowing a school of small fish to eat the dead skin off your dry feet strikes you as a little disturbing, rest assured: you&amp;#039;re not alone. Yet, over the past few years, a toothless fish, native to the northern Middle East and called the garra rufa (or &amp;quot;doctor fish&amp;quot; for those less inclined towards Latin), has become a way to add a touch of the bizarre to an otherwise normal pedicure experience. Also, a way to mess with the food chain. Turns out the little guys have a natural inclination to nibble at your feet while they instinctually hunt for algae. (Yes, that was discovered.) Anyway, you stick your foot inside a small tank filled with about 20 garra rufa, and 25 minutes later, you&amp;#039;ve got soft, smooth feet that won&amp;#039;t scare your woman. Weird, but not bad. At least, according to most. Fish pedicures have actually been banned in at least 10 US states in the past few years \u2014 something about them possibly being unsanitary (despite the CDC saying it&amp;#039;s fine) and also, animal rights (a prickly subject, we admit). But I am guilty of trying it out. Only once \u2014 because I was at a resort in Cancun and it was Day of the Dead and why not? It was hardly as relaxing or soothing as a pair of strong hands and some cream, and it was certainly unsettling to watch a group of fish torpedo my lower extremities, but it did leave me with smooth, sandal-friendly feet. Thing is, it also left me with an unforgettable feeling \u2014 something like hundreds of kittens rubbing their noses on my feet \u2014 that, distressingly, I kinda want to feel again. Next year in Mexico, perhaps. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/style/a16726/fish-pedicure-garra-rufa-111412/?click=news>