Fabfrocks reviews: Anesis Spa, Clapham Common

Hi guys,
If you're looking for a hand and feet treat, then I would recommend a visit to the Anesis spa.

I popped down last night with Jenny from The Style PA to enjoy a fish pedicure. And unlike my last experience this was relaxing, in a lovely environment, and it actually worked!

There were hundreds of fish in each tank, and they went to town, nibbling at my feet and toes. For those of you that haven't had it done before:A fish pedicure is a pedicure with a difference. You dip your feet into a tank full of garra rufa (or doctor) fish, who suck away all your dead hard skin. For those of you worrying about losing more than you expected (a toe perhaps!) they only consume the affected and dead areas of the skin, leaving the healthy skin to grow.

Because I knew what to expect from my last fishy experience, it actually felt really relaxing: like a tickly massage. The atmosphere in the spa was nice too: chilled out music, mood lighting, and comfy snakeskin seats that you sank into. After 30 minutes of fish nibbling and a glass of champagne, my tootsies were dried, then shaped and polished. I opted for an OPI shade called Russian Navy which looks lovely, and makes a nice change from my usual black!

After we had sat gossiping, letting our toe nails dry, we were asked if we'd like false eyelashes applying too. Obviously we jumped at the chance! We chose dramatic (maybe a little too dramatic with hindsight) sets of strip lashes, but unlike having your striplashes applied at home, these are supposed to last for up to two weeks. I was sceptical, as two weeks seemed like a long time for strip lashed to last. But so far so good: I slept with mine on last night, and they're still in place this morning!

I think Anesis would be a great place to head before a special girly night out. The therapists are warm and friendly. The atmosphere is perfect for pre-night out prep (Think an Ibiza chill out zone). And the fish pedi booths are organised so that you can sit with friends whilst having it done: perfect for girly gossip! The spa also offers individual blink + go lashes, high definition eyebrow shaping (which looks amazing: definitely on my must-try list) and OPI and gel manicures. All you'd need to do is book an afternoon at Anesis, buy a new frock, and you'd be ready for a night on the town!

Love, Tor xx

For more info visit: http://www.anesis.uk.com/

Fabfrocks reviews: the fish pedicure

Thursday's deal from Wahanda was a half price fish pedicure (just £9) and having read so much about them via twitter, I decided I had to give it a go! A fish pedicure is a pedicure with a difference: you dip your feet into a tank full of garra rufa (or doctor) fish, who suck away all your dead hard skin. For those of you worrying about losing more than you expected (a toe perhaps!) they only consume the affected and dead areas of the skin, leaving the healthy skin to grow.

My experience was disappointing: I went to Wanda Fish in Camden, which was a very basic establishment, rather than the salon I was expecting. I was very cautious when I dipped my feet into the big tub of fish, but aside from about a minute of weirdness, it didn't feel uncomfortable at all: in fact it just felt like having your feet in a bubble spa. The sensation was really gentle and soothing. The water was tepid, which was great as I expected it to be cold, but apparently garra rufa are warm water fish.

The problem with fish is that unlike a therapist, you can't tell them to concentrate on your problem areas: the fish seemed to enjoy the tops of my feet, which didn't need any work, and left the soles of my feet alone. I also didn't think there were enough fish in each tank, and that may have affected the performance: other salons say they have between 150-200 fish per tank, but I would estimate that there were only around 50 in mine. So although this had no real affect on my feet, it could be that the experience is better in other locations. I think this kind of treatment would work best in conjunction with a therapist as well, which this salon didn't offer: after my half an hour with the fish I would've liked the rest of the hard skin removed from my feet and my nails painted, which you get with a normal pedi, but don't get with a fish one.

I'm glad I tried it, and it was definitely worth giving it a go, for the experience if nothing else. But sadly it hasn't made any real difference to my feet, and i'm still going to have to go for a proper pedicure to remove the hard skin on my heels, and for a shape and polish.

Love, Tor xx