I previously wrote about my visit to Kenko Fish Spa and how impressed I was at their little fish that nibbled away at the dead skin on my feet. However, when I paid a visit to the Bangsar Garra Rufa Fish Spa, I noticed their fish looked rather different from the ones in Kenko. Where the ones in Kenko were large and wide and resembled little tilapia fish, the ones in the Garra Rufa Fish spa were slim, small and slender.

Another article I read last Saturday made me even more curious as a new fish spa in town, the Sampuoton Spa which offers full body treatments by these Doctor Fish claimed that there were some people trying to pass off fake Garra Rufa fish (Chin Chin fish) for real things! Apparently, they even have a little aquarium at the entrance of their spa which shows both the Chin Chin fish against the Garra Rufa for comparison purposes.

The Garra Rufa is actually a slender little fish with a mouth like a bottom feeder fish. These fish actually come from Turkey and are said to be able to live in warm water of up to 35 degrees. Apparently these little fish actually nibbles on the dead skin and has some compounds in its saliva which actually help skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis.

The fake Garra Rufa or Chin Chin Yu, on the other hand is wide and is said to belong to the tilapia or carp family. These fish are apparently starved so when you put your foot into the water, it’s food to them and so naturally they start nibbling on whatever dead and flakey skin you have. This then gives the illusion of smooth skin once you’re done with the treatment but it doesn’t have any real benefits. In fact, from what I read, it seems like you might be no better off compared to using a pumice stone!

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Another thing I realised when I was at the Kenko spa was the aggressiveness of the fish, especially the bigger ones. They actually could be quite painful as they nibble away at your feet and their mouths actually feel quite sharp. I was surprised to read about blogger Precious Pea’s experience where her husband ended up with a bleeding wound caused by the aggressiveness of the bigger fish!

I do have some doubts about Kenko Fish Spa now and I doubt I’ll be paying it another visit again, especially after the research I have done. If they are indeed using “fake” Garra Rufas, we could actually be at risks as these fish may actually carry diseases as they move from one person to another!