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

Skip the coffee, buy a manicure!!

I get excited every morning when my Wahanda newsletter arrives in my inbox (yes, I am that sad!) But, you know, what's not to get excited about? This website has revolutionised my (previously barely existant) salon life: You can get your hair cut for less than half the price, spa days for less than the cost of a lunch date, and I am seriously holding out for a teeth whitening one in time for the wedding...

....But today I had to snap the deal up before they realised they'd made a mistake! Any £20 beauty treatment for just £2!? That means a beauty treatment for less than a latte, a sandwich, or the standard tube fair home! I got the London deal, but it is also available in Birmingham, Manchester, or Leeds. In London, £2 will get you one of the following: a manicure, a pedicure,
eyebrow/eyelash tint, and a whole load of waxing!

And if you want a treatment that's a little more expensive? Well then you can have it, and pay the difference! I'm going for the 30 minute city pedicure: a nice treat for my seriously neglected tootsies. You can only buy the deal today though, so time is of the essence. Give up that extra coffee from Starbucks (you really don't need it anyway!) and get pampered instead!

Love, Tor xxx