Fish 'Doctors' in Malta

Feet eaters

Now here is something with a definite shelf life - a real pyramid scheme of a franchise.  How many fish therapy outlets is too many?  (I would suggest 'two', the first one being for novelty purposes only and to be situated somewhere in downtown Tokyo).  It is a ridiculous basis for a business really, the mildly ticklish sensation of small fish nibbling off flakes of dead skin from the foot as they scavenge for food.  The first person to introduce this to the high street was some kind of genius, but I fear the tipping point may have been reached.  Evidence for the prosecution is the three fish therapy outlets lined up on a small section of George Street in St Julian's, all enthusiastically touting for business.

Not awkward

The process itself is one I have tried, so I do have first-hand experience (or first-foot, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.....et cetera).  Personally I would describe this therapeutic treatment as 'Mildly Embarrassing'.  It involves sitting for a quarter of an hour with your feet in a fish tank trying to look as though this were a perfectly natural state of affairs, while passer-bys stare at you with a mixture of curiosity and disdain.  Then you try to extract yourself without squashing any of the fish and dry off, all the time mumbling platitudes to the eagerly hovering licensee.

In the interests of fairness, I should point out that I probably do not fall into the demographic to whom doctor fish appeals, so by all means try this out for yourself - you will not have to look hard to find a venue in Malta... for the moment at least.