HAVING your feet eaten by fish might not sound like the most relaxing of experiences, but the method is actually a massage treatment – and now it is available in Basingstoke.

Originating from Turkey, and practised all across the Far East, the skin treatment is a natural pedicure which uses live fish that nibble away at dead skin.

I was invited to try out the new treatment at Appy Feet in Festival Place, which uses a breed of Garra Rufa fish for the foot spa.

The fish massage the skin and remove dead cells from the feet, which might sound rather unusual, but it has been used for hundreds of years in other countries.

It was introduced in the UK last year and is now spreading across the country – the spa in Basingstoke is the 17th to open.

As well as leaving skin feeling rejuvenated and smooth, the fish are also meant to stimulate acupuncture points to help regulate the nervous system, relax the body and release fatigue.

I was asked to wash my feet before putting on rubber shoes to reach the tanks of water with the fish.

Before my toes even touched the water, the fish swarmed to the surface in anticipation, clearly excited by the prospect of nibbling on my feet.

Trying not to think too much about what I was about to do, I plunged my feet into the water, filled with hungry tiddlers.

The tickling sensation made me gasp, and the feeling was rather odd to begin with as the fish covered my entire feet, desperate for a nibble between my toes.

But after a while I relaxed and adjusted to the feeling, which was rather like pins and needles, although not painful or unpleasant.

Every now and then, I had to shake the fish off my feet if one started tickling too much, but this did not put them off returning seconds later.

Gemma Else, assistant manager, told me that since opening on January 17, the fishy foot treatment has been hugely popular with Basingstoke shoppers.

She added: “The fish love it. They are eating your feet but it doesn’t hurt because the fish don’t have teeth. The fish keep the water clean and we also have a water sterilisation system to keep the water hygienic.”

Sara Eydatoula, 25, from the Berg Estate, Basingstoke was also trying the treatment for the first time.

She said: “I loved it. I was going to go to London later in the year to try it because I had heard good things about it, but now I don’t need to. It does make you jump at first, but you are either going to love it or hate it.”

Appy Feet was the first spa to bring the concept to England, after founder Christina Wright experienced the treatment while in the Far East.

Treatments cost £10 for 15 minutes or £20 for 35 minutes. For more information visit appyfeet.co.uk.