Holidays and hot days in the city means stepping up the grooming routine, so Chérie City has been hunting down the best beauty treatments in London to get you in top shape and beach ready.
Never one to shy away from a beauty challenge, the lovely Journalist/Blogger/Model, Rebecca Brett put her feet at the mercy of skin-eating Garra Rufa fish at the incredibly chic Aqua Sheko, London’s first fish spa…
I’ve always been a water baby, there’s nothing more I like than being in the sea when I’m on holiday, even better if there’s a shoal of fish swimming by that I can watch and attempt to follow. Snorkelling in Barbados this year was the highlight of the holiday, making the fish come and swim next to me with offerings of bread was just magical.
I don’t quite how I would have felt if the fish started nibbling at me though, probably a little terrified if I’m honest. So why I signed up to have my feet nibbled at in the name of beauty I don’t know. Actually I do, my good friend Chérie is a fish-phobe or Ichthyophobic if you will, so being said water baby I thought I’d give it a go.
Aqua Sheko is a brand new beauty haunt just off High Street Kensington, gone are the hour long massages, gone are the mani-pedis, gone are the beauticians waiting for the next person to come in the door. Taking the pride of place are Garra Rufa fish, the pedicurists of the sea world.
The fish, which are believed to be natural healers, are ready and waiting for me as I step into the trendy looking spa. There are three other women already having the fish therapy done when I walk in, I was feeling a little apprehensive watching hundreds of mini fishes nibbling away at the ladies tired tootsies but after a quick wash of my feet, I was ready to take the plunge.
Boy those fish were hungry! As soon as I put my feet in to the water the excitable little things were all over them like a rash. Nibbling away like nobody’s business to rid my ankles, heels, soles, toes (and at some points my legs) of dry skin. My earlier apprehension was somewhat silly, there was nothing to be afraid of, the fish don’t even have teeth. They suck at the skin to remove the bad parts which is not only relaxing but also feels like a mini massage too.
With a cup of flowering tea that unfurls before your eyes in one hand, it wasn’t long before I wondered what to do with my other hand. The tank next to me was free, I couldn’t help myself, I put my hand in… It seems that the fish don’t mind what part of the body it is, they are always hungry! I’d love to go to the place in Turkey where the Garra Rufa fish originate from to have a full body cleansing.
I didn’t really want to leave the tank of swimmers but the offer of a massage was too tempting to miss out on, after 30 minutes in the tank I had my feet washed again before unwinding with a 15 minute massage to complete the treatment. The massage was really nice but it seems that the people behind Aqua Sheko haven’t quite figured out the logistics of where the massages take place as I had mine on the bench that I waited on until it was my turn.
I asked the therapist (of the human kind) what the next step was at the spa and it seems like it’s more than just a few steps to being complete. There’s talk of mini tanks for the hands so you can have both done at the same time, although I was quite happy to lean over in to the next tank to soak my hands it wasn’t comfortable and I don’t think it went down too well with the other people in there. There’s also going to be lids that cover the tanks so that after the treatment you can retreat to the comfy chairs for the massage.
With the lavender oil massage complete, my feet felt uber soft and as a whole I felt calm and peaceful. After a busy morning rushing around the Big Smoke it was just what I needed to take my mind off things. Aqua Sheko was a world away from the hustle and bustle of High Street Kensington, I think after a busy day shopping on the popular road, it would be the perfect place to retreat to take the weight of your feet.
All those fish need to do now is learn how to polish the nails and then the treatment would be perfect.