A four-year-old boy in China lost a finger after his father took him to a foot massage parlor for a nail infection. According to the South China Morning Post, the incident occurred in July when the boy’s father sought treatment for an infection in his left index fingernail at the Luozhendong Foot Massage Parlor in Chongqing Municipality. The establishment claimed to have a “nail removing cream” that could effectively treat the problem.
At the parlor, staff applied the cream to the infected nail and wrapped it in an elastic bandage. The father paid 600 yuan (approximately $86 or over ₹7,000) for the treatment. However, two days later, he noticed that his son’s finger had turned black and appeared to be atrophying. Alarmed, the father took his son to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with gangrene, a severe condition resulting from a loss of blood supply that causes tissue death. To prevent further complications, they amputated the boy’s fingertip, resulting in a classified handicap.
The father has since demanded over 200,000 yuan ($29,000 or ₹23 lakh) in compensation from the parlor, which dismissed the claim as excessive. He also reported the incident to the local district consumer council in February.
Following an investigation, the council determined that the “nail removing cream” lacked proper licensing and only possessed sterilization properties without any curative effects. Additionally, it was revealed that the business name used by the shop did not match that on their license. The consumer council deemed the parlor responsible for the boy’s condition and recommended they suspend operations and pay the family 160,000 yuan ($23,000 or ₹19 lakh).
In light of the incident, local authorities urged consumers to seek professional medical care for health issues. On social media, many criticized the boy’s father, labeling him as irresponsible for choosing a foot massage parlor over a hospital for his son’s treatment. “What an irresponsible father, taking his son to a foot massage shop instead of a hospital to treat his disease,” one commenter noted.
