The Arizona Court of Appeals heard an interesting argument this week that is newsworthy for two reasons. First, there is a legal dispute over whether spa can use live fish to nibble dead skin off the feet of customers. Second, a spa wants to use live fish to nibble dead skin off the feet of customers. The state insists that there is no way to sterilize the Garra Rufa fish, a tiny carp.
Cindy Vong’s spa offered the “fish-therapy treatment” as a pedicure service but the Arizona Board of Cosmetology threatened to pull Vong’s license in early 2009 if she didn’t stop offering the pedicure service because the fish were unsafe due to a lack of sterilization.
Vong brought the action but it was dismissed by the lower court. Here is the brief decision: Ruling
Here is the complaint: Complaint
In their brief (DOC101810), the Goldwater Institute notes that these fish have no teeth and challenges the agency’s effort to “regulate fish.” The issue however is whether this constitutes an untimely appeal of an agency decision.
Whatever happens, the court should order (in light of today’s story on derogatory language regarding pets) that “pedicure” should be called “companionanimalcure.”
Source: AZ Central
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“Doctor Fishes” are common, widespread and popular in South Asia. I never heard of associated health issues, but I’m sure the Board will have no trouble finding relevant statistics.
mikky d’s gotta get that filet-o-fish from somewhere
hahaha! Henman…. too funny! ouch!
Wouldn’t the bigger problem be the water they live in? Kind like us…and look what we dump in the water….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkai4Jchdtk
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkai4Jchdtk&w=425&h=349%5D
so the “great Pacific Garbage Patch’ is about the size of Texas….and that is just what we can SEE in the Sea…sorry to carp….;)
I tried out a new spa here that removes dead skin from your feet using tiny sharks. The stitches on my remaining toes will be removed next Thursday.
AY,
“Now tell me who would not enjoy eating 16 to 24 almonds if you had a headache”
Me eating almonds are one thing – fish nipping at my feet? Not so much …
Why not….. Homeopathic Remedies were the norm until…well modern medicine….Now tell me who would not enjoy eating 16 to 24 almonds if you had a headache….
Whats the issue here? Can they spread disease or infections? If not (and I would tend to think not because they perform this function in the wild & would be short lived if they killed their meal tickets, but then again those are animals not people) then I don’t see why there would be a need to outlaw them..
About two years ago, I walked by a local spa that had a fish tank in the window and found that they weren’t there for decoration. As cute as they were, I wouldn’t know where their little mouths had been … It kinda grossed me out ..
“In their brief (DOC101810), the Goldwater Institute notes that these fish have no teeth and the agency’s effort to “regulate fish.” ”
The sentence appears to contain a fragment which obscures its meaning. And the agency’s effort to regulate fish.. what? Finish the sentence, please.
BTW, my fishkeeper store has these fish. They are wonderful little fish. Very affectionate.
I’d be interested in getting this type of pedicure, so I hope the spa gets a ruling in its favor.
The situation is a bit beyond ludicrous, however.