Fish Spa.....The Ultimate Body Experience !

Exactly one week ago, my significant other half asked me...."so what would you like to do on your b-day? Without a single minute of hesitation, I replied...."FISH SPA! FISH SPA!"

And then S replied..."what ? go feed the fishes and still have to pay for it? "

Now I have been fantasizing about my ultimate fish spa experience for quite some time now, but have not gotten round to actually going yet.....partly due to 'fear' of the little fishy attacking me...plus the 'fear of the unknown'. I didn't want my ultimate experience to become the ultimate embarrasment! Who knows I may just make a fool out of myself, screaming and giggling with everyone looking at me , and thinking to themselves...'where the heck does this one come from?' ;-)

But being a sucker for new experiences(plus it was his treat ), the both of us finally found our way to the entrance of the outlet located at Merchant Sq. Carrying an eager sense of anticipation, I opened the door of the outlet and boldly asked....'So, what do you have to offer?'

I was greeted with a broad smiling faces and a lady brought over the 'menu'. Do I sound like I am going for a meal? Or was I going to be made a 'meal' of ?

Nevertheless, she proceeded to explain what they offered ...

...Lucky enough, they were having a 30% discount promotion for all a'la carte items. (there, the meal innuendo, again). You could have just a fish spa experience, either half or one full hour ,and / or various kinds of massages as well. She proceeded to explain that this was a fish therapy concept spa and their fishes was the 'Garra Rufa' type imported from Turkey. Not only do the fishes remove your dead skin, it also injects a special kind of enzyme into your skin to promote the growth of new good skin cells. It is even safe for your body and face ! Eeek , right?

Skimming through the menu for about 5 minutes, we both decided on the fish spa and massage experince. We were then showed to the changing room. Each person is allocated a locker, 2 towels and swimwear. There were actually 2 fish pools, a bigger one outside the common area which was unisex and a smaller one in the ladies. Since we had chosen to go during dinner time, the outlet was relatively empty and we would virtually have the whole pool to ourselves.

Changing quickly into the swimwear,you had to take a 'soapless' shower to clean yourself before entering the pool. The anticipation was mounting and I couldn't wait for the experience.....

We were advised to dip our legs into the pool first , to familiarize with the 'sucking' sensation before going for the full body experience. I sat on the edge of the large pool, looking very cautiously at the reasonable large fishes inside. And as if by instinct, the fishes would swim over towards you, welcoming you into their domain. I slowly put one foot in, followed by the other..........and eeeeeeeek! , I couldn't spot giggling. Immediately the fishes swarmed around your legs and began feverishly sucking you. The sensation is like having thousands of mini electrodes sending shockwaves into your body. At this point, by instinct you would want to pull your legs out of the water, but NO, you are told to keep them inside until you get over the initial shock.

EEEEEEK.......I still wanted to take my legs out, despite what they said....therapeutic or not!

I closed my eyes, and began to imagine it's not little fishes swarming all over my legs. Its just a machine like when you have a facial and they are massaging your face with electrodes.

10 minutes into the spa, and its still ticklish.....But by then I had decided to immerse myself completely inside the pool , and slowly , cautiously moved inside. Hey, it wasn't so bad......in fact it was almost beginning to feel kinda therapeutic..... S on the other hand was enjoying himself immensely, and kept saying to me "Wa, Shiok La!"

So,the trick to enjoying fish spa is .....

1)Relax....let your thoughts flow....

2)Close your eyes, feel the sensation of the fishes nibbling at your skin

3)Allow the tiny shocks to flow throughout your body, do not resist it.

4)Finally , lie back and think happy thoughts while resisting the urge to get out of the water!

I especially enjoyed the sensation when you position your body low enough in the water to allow the fishes to nibbling your chin. Its a whole new sensation, different from the feeling in your legs or on your body.

After our hour was up, we were served lemongrass tea before proceeding to our massage room. The massage was good and upon completion , dinner was served(yes, dinner was included in the package) with their special tea.

All in all, I would have to say that this was a "Feel Good Experience" . I would go back and do it all over again. But I cannot guarantee I won't giggle like the first time.......

The staff were informative and helpful, service was good, price was ok for services rendered. The whole ambiance of the spa was also very conducive and relaxing. I must say the massage therapists were also very professional , constantly making sure that the pressure applied was sufficient and not overpowering.

We spent a good 3 hours there and came out feeling totally rejuvenated ! This was money well spent ! Thanks dear for sharing my ultimate fish spa experience !