Tibiao Fish Spa: A Tickling Feet Experience

Lots of giggles and laughs at first; soothed and refreshed feet at the end - these and more were our experiences when we visited and tried our first fish spa experience at Tibiao Fish Spa at SM City, Iloilo.

It was just a day prior to our planned trip to Boracay when my good friend, Divi, finally discovered what we will do on our few hours stay at Iloilo City. There are of course a number of tourist spot but due to time constraint, a fish spa experience was the perfect activity for us. After all, this would be a great treat to our tired feet after the long walks we had at Boracay and the short visit we had at the Mangrove sanctuary at Aklan City.

The Fishy Treat
Yes, we woke up early and budgeted our time so well just to had this unique experience. After a more or less 6hrs of bus travel, refreshing and tickling feet treat sounds amazing.

We directly proceed to Tibiao Fish Spa when we arrived at SM Iloilo. The friendly staffs welcomed us and showed us the spa’s provisions as it’s our first time. People with open wounds, acute diabetes and severe skin diseases are not allowed to use the spa for sanitary and health reasons.
There are three spa therapy options to choose from:

1. Classic Fish Spa - 30mins (Php120)
2. VIP Fish Spa – 45mins (Php250) - With comfortable fish spa seats. Warm water foot bath is also included.
3. Full-body Fish Spa – 1hr (Php1,300) - Package is good for 1-3 persons and includes shower. This requires advance booking. 

Our Tickling Experience
We had opted for the Classic Fish Spa service. The staff then guided us to leave our slippers/shoes near the counter and wash our feet. There are two tanks to choose from, the standard or the beginner's tank and the extreme tank. The standard tank contains the smaller fish and the extreme, obviously contains the bigger ones.

Beginner's Tank

Extreme Tank

As we want to make the most of our first fish spa experience, we immediately tried the extreme tank. And true enough, we just made a lot of giggles and laughs for the first few minutes or so. It was really fun. I just couldn’t help it. I had tried lifting my feet off the water several times. See evidence below :p

But after a while, we got used to the tickling feeling as the fishes nibbles our dead skins and calloused feet. In fact, I was already enjoying the sensation and find it relaxing. It was also an amazing scene to look at those fishes as they nibble my dry skin/callouses.

Other Services
Tibiao Fish Spa also offers reflexology and massage:

• Foot Reflexology – 20mins of natural healing therapy (Php100)
• Half Body Massage – 40mins of traditional massage/Swedish or Shiatsu (Php250)
• Full Body Massage – 1hr of reflexology and traditional massage (Php350)

The Verdict
It was indeed a fun, enjoyable and relaxing feet experience. I was so delighted how my feet felt so smoothed and refreshed after the fish spa experience. It’s a good alternative I guess from the usual foot massage. Aside from the relaxing and soothing feet feeling, having a good laugh was a big plus. I just hope they will expand their business in Cebu soon so that we can have our fish-tickling experience again!

Posted in: IloIlo