Would you pay to have your limbs “eaten alive” by an army of little hungry fish? If you’re crazy enough to answer positively to a question like that, you might want to try a Doctor Fish spa.

Doctor Fish spas and skin treatment facilities are becoming more and more popular in countries like Japan, China, Turkey and across Europe. They use an amazing species of fish known as Garra rufa as a cosmetic beautifying treatment and as a cure for a variety of skin diseases. Garra rufa can be found in river basins around the Northern and Central Middle East, in countries like Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran, but it is now artificially bred in outdoor pools specifically for the spas.

The so-called Doctor Fish spas first appeared in Turkey, where people suffering from a terrible skin disease called psoriasis, from all around the world started coming for treatment. Psoriasis sufferers develop raised red patches on their body covered by grey, scaly skin, which is sore or very itchy. Fortunately the Garra rufa love to nibble on dead and diseased skin and as soon as the patients insert their limbs in the water, an army of these little guys start eating away the skin that’s been softened by the warm water. Doctor Fish can survive in waters as hot as 43 degrees Celsius, but nutrients can’t and their not fed either, so when somebody dips their feet in their pool, it’s a real treat.

Specialists say Doctor Fish are not a cure for psoriasis, as the disease is influenced by many endogenous factors, but there have been cases when patients have been completely cured after several treatment sessions. But, in recent years, Doctor Fish spas have opened in Japan, China, Malaysia, South Korea or Singapore as local attraction and cosmetic facilities and less as skin disease facilities. If you enjoy taking care of your skin, you know that exfoliation is a pretty strong treatment that can only be performed once a year and only by a specialist. That’s because powerful chemicals are used, but with the help of the ravenous Doctor Fish you can say goodbye to your old skin and hello to a new healthy layer, smooth as a baby’s.

If you’re worried about the fish biting you, don’t. Those who have tried it say the gummy mouths of the Doctor Fish on your limbs feel ticklish at most. There’s also little risk of infection as the spa rules state everyone must bring their own slippers and towels and keep a distance from each-other while in the pool.

Most guys out there probably aren’t into skin-care, but a trip to one of these exclusive Doctor Fish spas is worth it just to see how these little guys operate if not to get a natural exfoliating treatment.