A version of this article originally appeared on PETA.org.

If you haven’t heard yet, people are doing something really freakin’ disgusting.?They’re paying to force fish to eat the dead skin off their feet! And get this: Fish pedicures are actually banned in many parts of the U.S., Canada, and Europe because of the health risks and cruelty to animals inherent in these services.

Here are eight great reasons why fish and feet don’t mix:

1. Would you want to be forced to eat the dead skin on strangers’ feet? Nah, me neither. And Garra rufa fish—the species most commonly used in fish pedicures—don’t want to eat your dead skin, either. They do it because they’re so severely starved that they’ll try to eat human skin for sustenance.?

Pedikerke iz prirode – Garra rufa ribice Egzotične ribe Garra rufa potječu s Istoka, tačnije iz Turske, Sirije, Iraka i Irana, gdje žive u rijekama i toplim izvorima. Riblja pedikura je odličan piling, stimulira cirkulaciju i protok krvi te umanjuje neugodan miris stopala i pomaže kod atletskog stopala. Osim što omekšava stopala, koristi se i kod kožnih tegoba poput psorijaze i ekcema. Osoba uranja noge u veliki akvarij s toplom vodom puštajući da deseci ribica grickaju tvrdu i suhu kožu stopala, sve dok je ne omekšaju. Kako te ribice zapravo nemaju zube, one sisaju i ustima nježno grickaju odumrlu kožu. Za to im je dovoljno od 15 do 30 minuta. Tretman nije bolan, nego je ugodan te ga mnogi uspoređuju s blagim škakljanjem. ________________________ Zakažite termin već danas i posjetite nas na adresi Veliki Ćurčiluk, 28 Baščaršija. #fishspasarajevo #fishpedicure

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2. In nature, these fish live mainly in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. The Turkish government was forced to introduce legal protections for the country’s Garra rufain in an attempt to combat overfishing and exploitation.

3. Anyone with a credit card can buy the fish from importers, and the animals are FREAKIN’ MAILED to the recipients inside water-filled plastic bags.?Not surprisingly, some don’t survive the journey.

4. When pedicure tubs are full of fish, they can’t be sufficiently disinfected between customers (gross!), and there’s no way to sanitize the animals themselves. People who suffer from contagious conditions, such as nail fungus and athlete’s foot, often seek out fish pedicures.

One more time for the people in the back:?WHEN?TUBS?ARE?FULL?OF?FISH,?THEY?CAN’T?BE?SUFFICIENTLY?DISINFECTED?BETWEEN?CUSTOMERS.?

5. Fish are animals—which means that they produce waste. And that waste collects in the pedicure tubs. And then, people put their feet in that poopy water!?

6. If you want a nice, smooth, even exfoliation, get yo’self a pumice stone. Fish aren’t nail technicians—they have no way of knowing what areas you want them to focus on. People who’ve purchased these pedicures have reported bumpy, uneven skin and areas that were bitten deep enough to draw blood. Because you know what’s relaxing? Getting a pedicure that makes you BLEED! ?

#fishpedicure #teenyfishes #nibbleoffdeadskin #rejuvenated #enjoyedandrelaxed ?

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7. Fish pedicure tubs make a fertile breeding ground for bacteria, and even tiny cuts or sores can become infected when immersed in them. Should we mention again that people are submerging their feet in ? freakin’ poopy fish water ? that other peoples’ feet might have been in?!

8. The Garra rufa fish themselves have been found to carry strains of several infection-causing bacteria, including Streptococcus agalactiae—which can also cause pneumonia—and others that are resistant to antibiotics.

? Fish are conscious animals, not inefficient loofahs. Get a safe, healthy, cruelty-free pedicure from a willing human technician. And check out this link for more facts that you might not know about common tourist traps.