The first changes put into place put a stop to the communal tanks for sanitation reasons. Each customer needed to have their own tank to soak in. Since multiple customers are not allowed to use the same spa chair for a pedicure without cleaning between uses the same rule applied to the fish. This allowed the water to be changed between customers and the tanks to be cleaned.

As time has gone on the various state agencies have had a chance to take a better look at fish being used in spas and salons. What many are now determining is the fish are being used as a tool to replace items such as pumice stones, foot files, callus files and credo blades. Because they are a tool they must sanitized like all tools. Since any method of sanitizing the fish would kill them many states are banning them entirely.

Some of the states that have banned fish pedicures include Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Washington. If you ever planned on trying a fish pedicure out now would be the time to do it. It appears that many other states will be banning them in the near future.