The latest craze in alternative treatments has come to York, with the launch of Appy Feet fish spa, in Coppergate Walk. Reporter DAN BEAN rolled up his trousers and tried something new.

CLOSE your eyes and you could be paddling on a beach while local wildlife swims around your ankles, but open them and you realise you’re actually on a busy shopping street.

The Appy Feet fish spa in Coppergate Walk doesn’t use moisturisers and oils to refresh your feet, but a special toothless carp called Garra Rufa which gently suck and nibble away dry skin while you sit with your feet in the water.

Christina Wright is the owner of Appy Feet, the first company to introduce the fish foot spa to the UK. She said the fish saw visitors’ feet as a moveable feast.

“We have twelve 30-gallon tanks, which contain about four thousand fish,” said Christina. “This is naturally what they do as a habit. They would ordinarily eat dead vegetation from the riverbank.”

The fish, nicknamed doctor fish, don’t have teeth, but feed on dead and hard skin on visitors’ feet.

To keep the spa hygienic, visitors must wash their feet before they are placed in the tanks, and the water is filtered and sterilised at least five times an hour.

“Most people are quite giggly on their first visit, and some do find it tickly,” said Christina. “It’s very relaxing though, and popular enough that there are often queues for our store in Meadowhall. We’ve already had quite a few people through the door today as well.”

The treatment was voted fifth in the top ten alternative therapies by Time Magazine in December, and you may be pleased to know the process is painless, the water is warm, and the fish don’t tickle as much as you might imagine.

Samantha Anspach, of Wistow, first tried the treatment in London, and visited the York store within hours of it opening.

She said: “Now this has opened up in York I’ll be a regular user. This makes my feet look five or ten times better. It’s very relaxing, and feels like having a little pedicure.”

The treatments cost £10 for 15 minutes or £20 for 35 minutes for feet and £5 for five minutes and £10 for 15 minutes for hands.