Feet-nibbling Forfar fish are tasting the toes of locals in a feelgood first for the area.
Garra rufa fish have taken off as the new must-have beauty treatment, with men and women up and down the country proving keen to pop their feet into a tank full of the minnow-sized nibblers which feed on dead skin.
Also known as doctor fish and originating in countries including Turkey, their effectiveness in treating patients who suffer from skin disorders like psoriasis and eczema sparked an explosion of spa treatment facilities worldwide.
The exfoliating trend began in Europe and the Far East several years ago and is now spreading throughout the UK.
A gap in the Tayside market was spotted by Forfar beauty salon owner Shirley Upson and she had no hesitation in dipping her toe into the water with the novel treatment by bringing the fish to Elan in East High Street.
Shirley said, “We heard how popular it was elsewhere and didn’t know of anybody else in this area who had them, so we got the fish and a tank brought up from Manchester.
“They nibble all round your feet to get rid of the dead skin and those who have tried it say they can feel a real difference afterwards.
“In the beauty trade it’s like the new pedicure. The only thing they don’t do is paint your nails,” she added.
Photo used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user thomas pix.