Fish Spa... or... Feeding Frenzy?

Today my sister and I decided to take the public transport to Ikea in Damansara. A really long way from where we stay, but we had fun.. and this is the second time I board the monorail. Not a fan coz it kinda terrifies me a bit... hahaha..

When we got back to our hotel we are awfully tired and decided to try out the fish spa, we went to Morino Kaze Aromatheraphy Fish Spa that was located on the 2nd floor in Piccolo Galleria, Jalan Bukit Bintang. When we entered most of the staff speaks English with thick foreign accent, it's pretty hard to understand what they are trying to say. Some of them didn't even know how to speak English. I assumed that they are not locals. When we enters the building, it was decorated with Asian decor. We had to wash our feet first... ourselves! Well if you've been to Bali you'll get accustomed having people doing everything for you at the spa and that includes washing your feet in a bowl of warm milk and petals of flowers... ah the luxury.. so when the staff told us that we have to wash our own feet using the hand held shower thingy, I thought it was a little absurd... hahaha!

There are two areas in the fish spa, the inner area for beginner, which is filled with smaller fish, and outer area filled with bigger ones. The staff in charge told us to soak our feet inside a pool that has small fishes. As soon as we plunged our feet inside the water tank, a big shoal of fishes swarm over and start their feeding frenzy! It feels ticklish at first as the fishes started to nibble on my feet, I couldn't stop laughing and squirm in my seat for a good 15 minutes. After we get comfortable with the nibbling, we were asked to change into the outer area where bigger fish are ready to nibble the scaly and dead skin away. These fishes are actually toothless so it is a safe even for children, but please do not put your finger into the water. Although the fishes are toothless, the skins in your finger area are not as thick as the skin on the feet so if shoal of fishy nibble at your finger chances is the skin might break. Don't want the unnecessary injuries do we?

When we are done we took a back and foot massage, it takes place in another section of the spa area. There were two rows of beds with curtains to give the customer a complete privacy. The female masseurs that give massages to my sister don't speak a word of English, but they managed to get along just fine. Other than the language barrier, they are really good and skilled masseurs, I actually fell asleep during the foot massage. Before we went home, they served us warm tea, a few slices of fresh watermelon, and fresh flowers that complement the color of our shirt.. awww...

If you are wondering, the breed of fishes are called Garra Ruffa and originated from a hot spring in Turkey, which they are actually known as the "Fish Doctor" for their effectiveness in assisting eczema and psoriasis patients in their healing process. So don't worry these fishes won't end up in your plate in a restaurant. Other than fish spa, back and foot massage, Morino Kaze Aromatherapy also offers services such as Balinese Massage, Ear Candling, Traditional Massage, Wellness and Slimming & Detox. It opens from 1pm - 1 am (for Bukit Bintang branch) and if you come during Jan - March, they are having a promotional price. Oh and it's free for children aged 12 year old and below. Hope you have fun and enjoy the feeding frenzy! =)