Nomadic Narrative

Even when you’re on the road, it’s nice to take a quick break for a little pampering. Who says that adventure travel and spa pedicures can’t go hand in hand?

Spa days for me are a way of delving into the local culture and discovering that moment when I’m forced to reevaluate what I once considered the “right” or “normal” way of soaking, massaging and clipping. I expanded my spa-day definition a few times last year in Costa Rica when I survived a couple of shocking spa experiences.

Recently in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, I experienced my first “reclining pedicure.” Before your mind wanders, I was asked to lean back on a massage table and place my feet, one at a time, into a stainless steel mixing bowl. The pedicurist guided my toes into the bowl filled with warm water, which was barely big enough for a size-five foot.

Even though I had to carefully balance my size-eight foot so that my toes entered the bowl without tipping it over, I actually prefer this low-tech method to the deluxe spa chairs because you don’t have to worry about the last time the filters were cleaned. Just when I was feeling pleased that the local foot soak method doesn’t potentially spread bacteria, I witnessed my friends Tony and Thomas at ContemporaryNomad.com later in the evening take a seat at one of the many small pools around Siem Reap, Cambodia and dip their tired and calloused feet into fish-infested waters.
Fish nibbled on their feet producing what they described as “electric shocks” while they nonchalantly sipped a Coca-Cola. Usually up for new experiences, I drew the line at the fish pedicure. If they had served Cosmos, I might have been swayed. The truth is I largely got cold feet because a few weeks earlier I had seen a news report about how several states throughout the United States were banning this alternative pedicure practice due to the high risk of spreading bacteria. Curious? Read more about Tony and Thomas’ take on Dr. Fish here.