Fish pedicures at a salon near you — if Nevada assemblyman gets his way
Ever wanted to stick your feet in a bucket of tiny fish and let them eat away the dead skin?
If the answer to that question is yes, Assemblyman Jim Marchant has a bill for you.
Assembly bill 158, introduced by Marchant, R-Las Vegas, on the Nevada Assembly floor on Monday, would require the state Board of Cosmetology to allow salons to use fish for pedicures.
A fish pedicure is just that. A person sticks their feet into a small tub of water full of tiny, toothless carp — typically the Garra rufa, or doctor fish — that feed on dead skin.
The fish is native to several Middle Eastern countries, and the treatment is a common practice around the globe, especially in Asia. But it has drawn significant criticism and concern in the U.S.
The Nevada cosmetology board banned the foot care treatment in 2008, saying it doesn’t meet the state’s sanitary requirements because the foot tubs of water — or the fish — cannot be properly cleaned and sanitized between customers.
A letter from the state cosmetology board titled “Nail Salon Safety Guide,” also cites worries about the fish potentially spreading bacteria and other pathogens.
Nine other states and several Canadian provinces have banned the treatment.
Marchant said Monday that the move could provide an economic boost to the state by letting salons provide a service that is offered in only a handful of locations in the U.S.
Asked if he would partake in the pedicure if the bill were to pass, Marchant said “actually, I probably would.”
“Most guys have crusty, nasty feet. And I think I’d fall into that category.”
Contact reporter Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.
