John Ho stood in front of me, pushing my legs into the water at a pedicure station as I wiggled and giggled uncontrollably while a school of fish nipped at my feet.

"I know it tickles like hell. Leave (your feet) still," Ho, co-owner of the salon, said.

What may sound to some as some kind of new method of torture is actually a novel type of exfoliation offered at Yvonne's Hair & Nail in Alexandria, Va.

The garra rufa species of fish, also known as doctor fish, nibble off and ingest dead skin, an alternative to razors or scrubs in removing excess skin from one's feet.

"They just go for the dead skin on your feet. They don't have teeth, so they just suck it off," Casey Ide, an employee at the salon, explained.

Figuring out how to characterize the unusual sensations is a hot topic of discussion among customers sitting in the doctor fish pedicure chairs.

"It tickles. It feels like small vibrations. (It's) good in a weird way," Brittany Patterson, 24, of Alexandria, explained.

Diana Luna, of Miami, heard about the pedicure on CNN and decided to take a detour from a road trip along the East Coast with her family to try the treatment.

"(It is) awesome. It feels like ... when your feet fall asleep," Luna said.

Yvonne Le, Ho's wife and business co-owner, heard of the doctor fish therapy from a client who'd had the treatment in Turkey.

"She thought (it) was crazy," Ho said of his wife's initial reaction to the doctor fish treatment.

When Le and Ho asked their customers if they would be interested in having fish nibble on their feet, most adamantly refused. Only a few were brave enough to undergo the treatment.

"I know that if I have a good product, I can convert them," Ho said of his skeptical customers.

He said now that the treatment has been introduced, 90 percent of his clients have tried it.

Ho said he typically gets around 50 customers a day who get the doctor fish pedicure, and even up to 80 or more a day on weekends.

Since the salon began offering the pedicure about four months ago, Ho said, about 7,500 people have tried it.

At $35 for a 15-minute session, $50 for 20 minutes and $60 for 30 minutes -- plus the option of a regular pedicure for an extra $10 -- the doctor fish service translates into a prosperous venture for the owners.

Ho said business has tripled since the salon first offered the service.

"We got a lot of attention," he added.

Ho and his wife own a second location in Woodbridge, Va., which also offers the fish pedicure.

Now, for the most important question. How effective is the treatment on the tough, callused skin of one's feet? The jury is still out on that one.

My feet, softer after the soak in lukewarm water and a post-fish nibble scrub and lotion application, didn't look too much different than they would have if I'd had a regular pedicure.

Ho said that wasn't unusual. He said that, typically, people need multiple treatments over more time than my 15-minute session to get optimal results.

However, the procedure has piqued the curiosity of many, if nothing else.

"I think its the coolest thing," Ho said, a sentiment with which I'm inclined to agree.

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