![Garra Rufa and visitors enjoying the fish cleaning water treatment. [Photos: CFP]](U347P886T1D747F14DT20110715110923.jpg "Garra Rufa and visitors enjoying the fish cleaning water treatment. [Photos: CFP]")
Men only
In downtown Xuhui district the Global Times has found another place - the Da Lang Tao Sha Bath Center - where fish cleaning services are also provided. However, this venue is only available to men. The service started as early as 2006, and features a pond of about 40 square meters. Staff manager Zhu Jinqiu told the Global Times that they purchase the fish from Sanya four or five times every year, at a price varying from 0.1 to 1 yuan per fish. The length of each fish is normally between 2.5 to 3 centimeters.
The fish cleaning service is included in the overall admission price to the center which offers a range of bathing options.
Add: 588 Guilin Road (near Qinzhou Road North) 桂林路588号(近钦州北路)
Opening hours: 24 hours
Admission: 79 yuan
Curative effects?
Although commonly nicknamed "doctor fish," whether these creatures can actually cure any ailments is hotly disputed. According to a report in a Chinese newspaper, Legal Evening News in 2009, some 21 states in the US either ban or refuse to recommend fish cleaning as a treatment for skin conditions. Some experts believe the fish can cause infections where people already have wounds.
"To my knowledge, the fish-cleaning water treatment is more about beauty and health care," said Professor Wu Jianhua, chief physician at the dermatology department of Shanghai Changhai Hospital. "There are many hot spring resorts boasting that it can heal certain skin diseases, but I have deep reservations about its medical effectiveness. Biological therapies have not been tested enough to validate if they can cure skin ailments."
The professor recommends that people with conditions such as dermatitis, eczema or who have exposed wounds should not undertake the fish cleaning water treatment.
