A good foot massage is heaven on earth. Whether it’s simply a way to unwind after a tough day or a means of therapeutic recovery, treating your feet is one of life’s purest pleasures. And a great way to appreciate all that we depend on them to do for us.

　　Our experts have been writing about footwear, fitness tech, massage devices, and other gadgets for over a quarter century. During that time, personal massage products have gone from being nice-to-have luxuries to must-have gear for use before, during, and after our adventures.

　　Specifically for this buyer’s guide, we conducted online research and identified nine leading foot massagers ranging in price from $23 to $349. After careful consideration, we narrowed down the candidates and tested them in real-world conditions.

　　Below are the best foot massagers based on our testing. To help you more easily find the best massager for your feet, we’ve included a comparison chart, a buyer’s guide, and a frequently asked questions section.

　　The Best Foot Massagers of 2024 Best Overall Foot Massager: Humantouch Reflex SOL Foot and Calf Massager Best Budget Foot Massager: Tiger Ball 2.6 Massage-on-a-Rope Best Foot Spa: Renpho Foot Spa Bath Core Best Plantar Fascia Foot Massager: Roll Recovery R3 Orthopedic Foot Roller Best Overall Foot Massager Humantouch Reflex SOL Foot and Calf Massager Specs Weight 25 lbs. Vibration Yes Heat Yes Massage Style Kneading, rolling Dimensions 18 in. x 18 in. x 17.5 .in

　　Pros Nice foot and calf coverage Several modes and intensities Blends kneading and rolling with pulsing vibration Adjustable tilt Removable, washable sleeves Cons Expensive Bulky and heavy Awkward hot air mode Scott Tharler We went into testing the Humantouch Reflex SOL Foot and Calf Massager ($349) with high hopes. After all, Humantouch’s five-figure top-tier chairs integrate foot and calf therapy into their ridiculously thorough repertoires. Suffice it to say, our high hopes were justified.

　　Before we attempt to describe how good a massage this thing delivers, a quick word about the setup. In addition to a power button on top with the rest of the controls, it has a power switch in the back (presumably to save electricity when not being used), which took a beat to find, but no worries after that. Also, to counter the product’s natural tilt, we engaged the handy adjustable tilt bar underneath, allowing us to relax and sink back into our chair of choice.

　　Ready to go, we cycled through a few of the programs. The two modes marked “manual” just continuously repeat the same motions — which feel good, with nice rolling underfoot, soothing pneumatic compression on both sides of the feet, and rolling behind the mid-calves. The three “automatic” modes incorporate staccato pulsations in the compression and abrupt starts and stops in the movements, which took a little getting used to, but we did.

　　Turning on the vibrations in an automatic mode is where things really got interesting. It’s not just a constant mindless hum, but rather a vibration that changes in strength and duration along with the compression and rolling. To us, it made the whole program feel syncopated.

　　The biggest thing we didn’t like about this massager was its “warm air” mode. Living in a warm-weather climate, we didn’t have much need for it, but we pursued it anyway for the sake of being thorough. And we’re sorry we did, because it’s loud and cannot be disengaged without hitting the home button and starting over. (As opposed to the vibration that can be turned on/off at any point.)

　　Like the kind of massage therapist you’d eagerly return to on a regular basis, the Humantouch Reflex SOL Foot and Calf Massager provides a nice, thoughtful touch. It takes a soft yet firm approach and offers plenty of options.

　　$317 at Amazon Best Budget Foot Massager Tiger Ball 2.6 Massage-on-a-Rope Specs Weight 8 oz. Vibration No Heat No Massage Style Rolling Dimensions Ball diameter: 2.6 in., Rope length: 50 in.

　　Pros Simple Lightweight Versatile Inexpensive Pocktable Cons Only hits a limited area at a time No kneading, vibration or other mechanical massager features Scott Tharler It doesn’t get much simpler than the Tiger Ball 2.6 Massage-on-a-Rope ($29). It’s essentially a (hard) lacrosse ball with a hole and a rope that goesrope that goes through it.

　　Mind you, it works just fine without the rope. In fact, when used solely on the feet, it’s better on its own. From a sitting or standing position, just put some weight on it and roll it around the underside of your foot.

　　If you like more pressure, you’ll want to stand up, so you can lean into it more. And you’ll probably want to use it on a harder floor, since carpet lessens its impact. But it’s a little easier to hit more precise spots on the front and sides of your feet while sitting down.

　　The rope is more handy if you intend to use it on other parts of your body, such as with your back up against a wall. But because it’s aglet-clad, the rope is easy enough to thread through the ball and remove when you don’t need it.

　　Easily the most useful and pocketable foot massager we tested, the Tiger Ball 2.6 Massage-on-a-Rope is an easy call for best bargain, due to its low price and great versatility.

　　$29 at REI$29 at Amazon Best Foot Spa Renpho Foot Spa Bath Core Specs Weight 4 lbs., 1.6 oz. Vibration Yes Heat Yes Massage Style Water, bubbles, rolling Dimensions 15.7 in. x 13.4 in. x 6.7 in.

　　Pros Water gets plenty hot Selectable bubbles and/or vibration Automatic timer Electrically safe Comes with pedicure tools Cons Takes a while to heat the water Bubble mode is loud Requires regular cleaning Scott Tharler Rather than kneading your feet with pneumatic compression, the Renpho Foot Spa Bath Core ($200) lavishes them with warm water and bubbles. In that way, it’s a welcome departure from all the other foot massagers on this list.

　　The big thing to get used to is the time it takes to heat up the water. Starting with water at 78 degrees Fahrenheit filled just over the minimum level, it took about 22 1/2 minutes to heat it up by 30 degrees to a delightful 108 degrees Fahrenheit, our temperature of choice. (We heated it another 14 minutes to hit its max of 118 — despite the website’s claims of 125 degrees — but that was scalding hot, so we let it cool back down to 108.)

　　Hitting the spa button cycles through bubbles, bubbles with vibration, just vibration, and nothing (but soothing hot water). The rollers on the bottom offer some texture, but don’t provide a real satisfying rolling massage. It’s more about the spa experience.

　　Speaking of which, the pumice stone is positioned in a way that only your heels can benefit from it. But in case you’re itching to flay away unwelcome dead skin from the rest of your foot, Renpho provides a plastic case with a few pedicure tools for manual exfoliation.

　　The overall experience is very nice. It’s safe, thanks to a dedicated GFCI terminal on the power cord. The buttons are toe-tappable, as advertised. It has a selectable timer for auto-shutoff of durations up to an hour — which seems like an awfully long soak. And it beeps to tell you when it’s reached the desired temperature.

　　We wish the bubble mode wasn’t so loud that it could easily be heard in the next room. Only in that way, a mere bucket with salt and hot water might be better. But given all the functionality you can dial into the Renpho Foot Spa Bath Core and the fact that we’ve seen it recently on sale for as ridiculously low as $60, it seems like a great way to treat your feet.

　　Check price at Walmart Best Plantar Fascia Foot Massager Roll Recovery R3 Orthopedic Foot Roller Specs Weight 1 lb. Vibration No Heat No Massage Style Rolling Dimensions 5.5 in. x 2.5 in. x 2.5 in.

　　Pros Compact and lightweight Asymmetrical design hits varied plantar fascia Can also be used as a small back roller FDA-registered medical device Affordable Cons Only treats one foot at a time Scott Tharler The Roll Recovery R3 Orthopedic Foot Roller ($35) looks like what would happen if a foot roller tried to swallow a lacrosse ball, only for it to get stuck partway. However, that asymmetrical nature is actually what makes the R3 special.

　　Not to be confused with the R1 (a percussive massager, also from Roll Recovery), the R3 combines the inherent curvature of a ball with the steadiness of a roller. The way one side of its iconic off-center bulge dips lower than the other means that after rolling out one foot, you can flip the device 180 degrees, roll that same foot again, and hit different spots.

　　We’ve used and enjoyed other foot rollers, such as the Tiger Footsie, but they just dont address everything the R3 can. It’s a subtle but crucial design difference in targeting and stretching out the plantar fascia.

　　Truth be told, we don’t suffer from pain in that part of our foot. But it still feels good to roll our inner, middle, and outer feet from left to right, as we roll the R3 back and forth. And then, as we said, flipping it around is key.

　　Based on our experience, the Roll Recovery R3 Orthopedic Foot Roller does everything it claims to do. It’s compact, stable, and feels great on the soft tissues of our feet as we roll them in every direction.

　　$35 at Amazon Best of the Rest Tiger Tail Acupressure Energy Mat Specs Weight 1.6 oz. Vibration No Heat No Massage Style Acupressure Dimensions 16 in. x 15.5 in.

　　Pros Exhilarating Super easy to use Great for those at sitting and/or standing desks Extremely lightweight Cons One-trick pony A little awkward to transport Scott Tharler None of the other foot massagers we’ve tried feel anything like the Tiger Tail Acupressure Energy Mat ($30). In fact, it’s a bit hard to describe the sensation of stepping onto thousands of tiny, sharp, plastic points, other than to say it’s invigorating.

　　The roughly 16-inch square orange mat houses 132 small white circles. Each of those one-inch wide circles brandishes 27 tiny triangular points. That creates a field of over 3,500 points to step on. So what’s the point?

　　If you suffer from neuropathy, this could either be sensory overload or just the right amount of stimulation. For us, it felt like a weird mix of painful and ticklish — but in a good way, if that makes any sense.

　　Most often, we would use this first thing in the morning as a way to quickly wake up our feet. We’d step right on fully with both feet and then shift our weight around in a way reminiscent of making long, slow downhill skiing turns. But instead of just side to side, we’d very slowly lean forward and backward as well, shifting our weight around in a circle. After just a minute or so of doing that, we felt great.

　　The Tiger Tail Acupressure Energy Mat is a polarizing product. Folks are likely to describe it either as a torture device or the greatest thing ever. (We’re in the second camp.) So if you want to stimulate your feet — and, in the process, the rest of you—we double-dog dare you to give it a try. Combined with a roller, it’s a great tool to have in your foot massage arsenal.

　　$30 at Amazon Chirp Wheels Rolling Percussive Massager Specs Weight 4 lbs., 9.6 oz. Vibration No Heat No Massage Style Rolling, percussion Dimensions 20 in. x 4.25 in. x 4.25 in. (without stand)

　　Pros Wide rolling surface Adjustable, reversible speeds Versatile Includes stand Cons Must hold down button to operate A bit loud Takes practice to keep foot on Scott Tharler The Chirp Wheels Rolling Percussive Massager (RPM for short, $250) looks like a super cool foot massager. And in some ways, it is. But it takes a little patience and practice.

　　Chirp knows a thing or two about rolling recovery devices, having made a name for themselves with its uniquely wheel-shaped foam rollers. So it’s not surprising that they’d create a rolling foot massager. But in doing so, they made some interesting design choices.

　　First, it consists of eight independently spinning, 7-inch wide bars. When you turn on the rechargeable RPM and sit it snugly in its “hands-free” stand, that hides the power button on the bottom of the handle. To activate the device, you need to hold down the start trigger on top of the handle, presumably with your big toe. It took a little getting used to this slightly awkward safety measure, but we got it.

　　The knobby bars felt good, though a little ticklish in our subjective opinion. It’s nice to have five different speeds and be able to reverse the spinning direction. But it was tricky sometimes to find the happy point for placing our foot with the right amount of weight onto the device while it was loudly whirring around. Too far forward or back (depending on the direction it was spinning), and our foot slipped right off.

　　The Chirp Wheels Rolling Percussive Massager has some nice features. And perhaps its unmatched versatility and portability (when out of the stand) speak to you. But given a slightly bigger budget, we’d prefer to buy both the Roll Recovery R3 already discussed above and Humantouch Reflex PopUp just below, to achieve the combination of both portable and rock-steady mechanical underfoot rolling.

　　$200 at Amazon Humantouch Reflex PopUp Specs Weight 11 lbs. Vibration No Heat Yes Massage Style Kneading, rolling Dimensions 16 in. x 13 in. x 7 in. (folded)

　　Pros Compact, easy to store Three automatic massage modes Excellent rollers Fully encompassing Comes with a small remote Cons Intensities not intuitive A little pricey Could use a handle Scott Tharler Don’t judge the Humantouch Reflex PopUp ($249) for being less than half the size of its bigger brother, the Reflex SOL. It does a surprisingly great job, given how compact it is.

　　Slide the unit out from underneath the bed or couch under which you store it, press down the lever to pop the top, slide in your feet, close the lid, and this 7-inch high foot massager is ready to take you to town. With the tap of a button on the unit itself or its included credit card-sized remote, you can adjust the massage program, rollers, and/or intensity. You can even add heat, if you like.

　　Honestly, despite liking the Reflex SOL enough to crown it our champ for this roundup, we weren’t expecting to like this Reflex PopUp as much as we did. It provides nice compression and top-notch underfoot rollers, with just the right impact and intensity. But it does so in a way that fully surrounds the feet as no other selection from this list does.

　　Arguments could be made for the foot spa doing something similar with its aquatic immersiveness, but that’s sort of like the difference between sitting in a hot tub and lying under a weighted blanket. Both feel nice, but the blanket just imbues safety and comfort in a more fulfilling, encompassing way. Honestly, once we figured out what each of the colored lights means for the various modes and intensities, we didn’t have any major quibbles with this device.

　　If massaging your calves isn’t a must-have option, the Humantouch Reflex PopUp is a great foot massager — especially given that lately we’ve spotted it online discounted by almost 50 percent. But even when it’s not on sale, we highly recommend it.

　　$149 at Amazon Foot Massagers Comparison Chart

　　Though it’s not too far to reach the buttons on the Humantouch Reflex PopUp, it’s nice having a remote; (photo/Scott Tharler) How We Tested Foot Massagers The GearJunkie staff demands a lot from our feet. In fact, from hiking to cycling to bouldering and other cross-training, we pretty much punish them on a daily basis. So it was absolutely no problem feeling motivated to find sweet relief for our precious, hard-working tootsies.

　　During several weeks of glorious real-world testing, we kicked back with nine foot massagers. (Hey, somebody has to.) For the analog (non-electronic) devices, we tried them on both carpeting and hard floors. And for all the devices (except the foot spa), we used them with and without socks.

　　None of the products flat-out failed. But we did narrow down the list to make it as concise and non-repetitive as possible, leaving seven highly functional foot massagers that speak to a wide array of solutions.

　　We rated the remaining entries based on such factors as design, ease of use, versatility, price, and special features. We’ll continue to cull and assess additional foot massagers for future iterations of this guide.

　　The mechanical massagers we tested from Renpho, LifePro, Humantouch, and Chirp; (photo/Scott Tharler) Why You Can Trust Us Here at GearJunkie, our motto is: play hard and recover harder. So whether we’re squeezing into tight climbing shoes to tackle a vertical route or walking dozens of miles to rigorously test flip-flops or sandals, we rely heavily on — and aren’t always the nicest to — our feet; but we try to make it up to them.

　　Our lead tester, Scott Tharler, has been writing about fitness gadgets and every other manner of consumer electronics for over 25 years. Throughout that time, Tharler has attended CES more than two dozen times — which is relevant in two ways.

　　First, he’s logged enough 14,000-step days to truly appreciate the massage-related respites sprinkled throughout the show floor. And second, those many sojourns have given him the opportunity to audition a wide range of massage devices, from cheap vibrating standing pads to top-of-the-line $15,000 luxury chairs.

　　Over that same span, we’ve tried out countless other relaxation and recovery products, including percussive massagers, pointy wooden rollers, wireless compression boots, little spiky massage balls, and heated foam rollers. So, we know a thing or two about personal massage devices.

　　The simplicity, versatility, and affordability of the Tiger Ball make it a great value; (photo/Scott Tharler) Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Perfect Foot Massager The world is filled with many shapes and sizes of feet, literally being put through their paces on a daily basis. Just imagine, for all those feet and all those use cases, there are devices out there to help them feel better.

　　All that to say, selecting a foot massager can be a daunting task. Some are small and affordable — epitomized by a simple lacrosse ball — and others are complicated electronic machines running into the hundreds. Thus, making an informed decision about finding the right foot massager requires dedicated thought and research.

　　Fortunately, this guide packs all the essential info you’ll need to choose the best foot massaging solution for you. You’ll learn why you should and shouldn’t consider particular types of foot massagers and which features matter most. Practically speaking, it’s everything you need to know about purchasing a foot massager that’ll do your dogs right.

　　This article focuses exclusively on foot massagers. For more recovery gear, check out our roundups of the best massage guns and the best foam rollers.

　　Massage Actions Ultimately, all foot massagers aim to aid relief by increasing blood flow using various methods. Here are a few of the more common ones.

　　Kneading This is the kind of squeezing and stretching you might associate with a manual foot massage. Machines achieve this through pneumatic compression. Essentially, combinations of air pockets expand and contract around your feet, putting varying amounts of comfortable, soothing pressure on them.

　　Rolling Usually, with this method, your foot moves over a rounded device, such as the Roll Recovery R3 Orthopedic Foot Roller, Tiger Tail Footsie, or a ball. But in some cases, such as with the Chirp Wheels Rolling Percussive Massager, your foot stays still, and the device moves around. In either case, one of the benefits of these devices is that you can incrementally adjust the pressure to fit your needs based on how much or how little body weight you put on the device while using it.

　　Vibration Though not all foot massagers utilize this method, it’s one of the most effective ways to stimulate blood flow. So it’s a nice feature to be able to turn on (or off) in massagers that feature it.

　　Heat When dealing with inflammation, you don’t want to add heat. But for many other types of aches and pains, it’s blissfully soothing — especially when combined with other actions on the list, such as vibration and/or water, which is one of the reasons we love the Renpho Foot Spa Bath Core.

　　With Renpho’s foot spa set to a glorious 108 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s time to kick back and relax; (photo/Scott Tharler) Water After a long day of pounding the dusty trail, just the mere thought of dunking your feet in water could be enough to evoke an ecstatic sigh. Aside from softening and temporarily moisturizing your feet, water submersion is a great way to fully surround and coddle them in a uniquely tactile way.

　　Acupressure Stimulating specific reflexology points has both direct implications for the feet themselves and indirect implications for other parts of the body. Taken to the max, the Tiger Tail Acupressure Energy Mat is composed of thousands of sharp, tiny, plastic points that invigoratingly dig into your soles as you put weight on them.

　　Don’t be alarmed to see hundreds of tiny dimples in your foot after using the Tiger Tail Acupressure Energy Mat; (photo/Scott Tharler) Although mechanical foot massagers sometimes offer “shiatsu,” a highly specialized modality based on activating pressure points, that term can also be generically applied to just about anything that massages your feet. In other words, don’t expect the same targeted results as from a professional shiatsu practitioner.

　　Analog or Machine When it comes to gadgets and gear, sometimes simpler is better. Whatever gets the job done, right? So you may decide to go with a foot massager that doesn’t need to be plugged in or recharged. We have a few on this list — and we’re big fans. They tend to be easy to use, highly portable, versatile, and less expensive.

　　Just because it doesn’t use electricity doesn’t mean a foot massager isn’t effective; (photo/Scott Tharler) Then again, mechanical massagers offer a more passive experience. Instead of having to work the foot massager, it works youin a good way. So it’s nice to be able to throw a little roller into a gym bag. But we wouldn’t necessarily trade it for the drool-worthy experience of slipping our feet into a multi-mode machine that can melt away our problems with the push of a button.

　　Portability Although many analog devices tend to be more portable and mechanical devices tend to be less so, that’s not always the case. For example, percussive massagers — including Chirp Wheel’s RPM — are small enough to toss into a gym or weekend bag. The RPM’s stand adds just enough bulk to make you want to leave that part of home, and even then, it’s too heavy to bring hiking.

　　Humantouch’s Reflex PopUp is way more compact than its big brother, but it also does a great job; (photo/Scott Tharler) But it makes a huge difference to be able to have the foot massager that you want, where you want — even if that’s around the house. One of the big detractors of Humantouch Reflex SOL Foot and Calf Massager is how heavy and bulky it is to move around. Once we found a chair with a complementary height, we left it within skooching range of that chair.

　　Foot and Leg Coverage One of the main criteria to consider — especially for a mechanical foot massager — is where on your feet and legs it will and won’t cover. For instance, both the Humantouch Reflex SOL and LifePro RelaxaTilt X Foot Massager address both the feet and calves, but leave the tops of your feet open. We really like how the Humantouch Reflex PopUp cradles all around our feet, and for that, we are willing to sacrifice attending to our calves.

　　Close the lid of the Humantouch Reflex PopUp to fully surround your feet in rolling and compression; (photo/Scott Tharler) Ease of Use This is where physical testing and attention to detail come into play. Most foot massagers are fairly straightforward, at least to power on right out of the box. However, how easy it is to operate all of its functionality can be a different story.

　　Physical Design This can mean — as with the Humantouch Reflex SOL — building in subtle yet effective handles to make it easier to hoist. Or how well various buttons, levers, and other key functions are labeled. For instance, we’ve noticed across different brands and models that vague colors are used to indicate certain modes and options. Through trial and error, we can figure out that blue is more intense than green, and red is more intense than blue. But it seems arbitrary and confusing, especially for the color blind.

　　Another potential source of confusion is around the tactile experience. For instance, with the Tiger Tail Tiger Footsie, you might assume that the little bumps on this roller are there for pressure point activation. Though they do feel a little nice, they’re really there more to enhance the traction between your foot and the device. All that to say, physical design plays heavily into how easy foot massagers are to use.

　　Even with socks, Roll Recovery’s R3 hits all the right spots; (photo/Scott Tharler) Active Involvement How much focus and attention you need to give the process/device greatly affects the experience. For instance, simply stepping onto the Tiger Tail Acupressure Energy Mat and shifting our weight around is easy, while using a ball or roller involves a little more concentration.

　　Conversely, mechanical foot massagers just require sitting back and letting them do their thing. Neither of these solutions is right/wrong or better/worse, but you should consider how you want to (dis)engage with a foot massager.

　　Adjustability It’s nice to be able to make adjustments both before and during your foot massage, whether that means simply shifting your weight or dialing the intensity up or down with a button. Then again, the more options a foot massager offers, the more complex it becomes. So, it’s all about finding the right balance for you.

　　Something that’s easy to use and adjustable enough, without crossing into a subjectively confusing territory. So when you’re shopping around, pay attention to whether you feel relieved or stressed just by how adjustable the prospective massager seems.

　　Effectiveness Try as you might, you simply can’t assess how a foot massager feels just from seeing a picture or reading a description. Many make claims — that might even be backed by user reviews — about how amazing they are. But until you put your actual feet in them, you can’t truly know if it’s relaxing, painful, or just meh. After all, how you like your feet handled is idiosyncratic. What might be light pressure to you might be seat-squirmingly intense for the next person and vice versa.

　　The hole running through the Tiger Ball allows the included 50-inch rope to be threaded through it; (photo/Scott Tharler) Given this subjectivity, it’s important to consider your particular use case. For instance, if you run or stand on your feet a lot, a simple soak in a spa might sound stellar. Whereas if you sit at a desk all day and don’t get out as much as you’d like, some kneading and vibration might send you soaring. Summing up, you’re more likely to get an effective foot massager, the more thought you put into how you’ll use it.

　　Versatility Having said that, it can be nice to have options. One of the things we love about the Tiger Ball 2.6 Massage-on-a-Rope is that — on or off the rope — you can use it in various creative ways, on your feet and elsewhere. Likewise, the Chirp Wheel RPM feels good (if not a little ticklish) when applied to the feet, but its 7-inch wide treatment area makes it enjoyable to apply to the quads, glutes, or even shoulders.

　　Similarly, some foot rollers can be used on the back. So, if a foot massager can work its magic in multiple places/ways, it may be that much more valuable to you.

　　Special Treatments Figuring out your specific needs is another way to align your foot massager with your specific needs. Here are a few more common foot issues/needs you may face.

　　Plantar Fasciitis This common foot tissue inflammation can present as either just annoying or downright painful. With time, the pain may subside on its own. But in the meantime, rolling and stretching can help, along with icing and keeping your feet elevated. Also, the shoes you wear and how you walk can exacerbate this condition. So you may want to look into those.

　　Neuropathy A loss of feeling in your feet can affect your footwear choices and balance, among other things. It may be caused by cancer, diabetes, and other serious medical conditions. From this list, you may want to try the acupressure mat. But if you have a form of this condition and are considering a foot massager as a treatment, it’s a good idea to consult your doctor.

　　Foot Spa Foot baths can be super simple; literally just a bucket with some salt and hot water thrown in. Others offer all sorts of rollers, bubbles, heat, and vibration. As with the Renpho we tested, they may also come with pumice and other tools for trimming and exfoliating. Essentially, it’s the DIY version of a pedicure. So, if you want a spa-like experience without having to leave home, this kind of foot massager might be for you.

　　Renpho’s Foot Spa Bath Core includes several pedicure tools and a case to hold them; (photo/Scott Tharler) Cleaning We are, after all, by definition talking about products that touch your feet. And no judgment, but we don’t know where yours have been. So you should consider how easy it is to clean the product. For example, after just a couple of uses, the Renpho foot spa started to get a little grimy. That’s one you’d probably want to clean (almost) every time. It’d probably be fine to simply air out other foot massagers.

　　However, if you’re considering anything mechanical you’re putting your feet into (such as the ones from Humantouch), consider either wearing socks while using them or confirming whether their linings can be zipped out and safely thrown in the wash.

　　We chose to wear tall socks to help keep the Humantouch Reflex SOL cleaner longer; (photo/Scott Tharler) Price For what it’s worth, the average price of all the foot massagers we tested was $163. But interestingly, all the entries were either way under (around $30) or way over that figure ($200+). You’re liable to find wider price fluctuations in the mechanical foot massager category. Personally, if we found one under $150, we’d be skeptical. Just as we would be about a non-mechanical foot massager over $50.

　　But it’s not really fair to compare the two of them head-to-head. In other words, the price of foot massagers is totally relative, especially when it comes to portability, functionality, and versatility.

　　FAQ Are foot massagers good for you? Yes, on several levels. First, they reduce both physical and mental stress. Second, they promote better circulation throughout your body. Third, in addition to general relaxation, they’re good for proactively addressing post-workout soreness, aches, and pains. And fourth, they just plain feel good.

　　How long should you use a foot massager? It varies from massager to massager. For the acupressure mat we tested, just one minute was plenty of stimulation. But for some of the mechanical ones, their programs last 15 minutes. It wouldn’t necessarily be bad to use one for longer. But it’s probably a good idea to take breaks, get up, and walk around in between sessions.

　　What are the disadvantages of foot massagers? The main disadvantage is if you get the wrong one for you based on your use case. Or get the right one and then use it improperly. In particular, pay attention to the intensity of a foot massage. Stronger doesn’t always mean better. As with all things, listen to what your body wants.

　　Is a shiatsu foot massager worth it? They can be. As we mentioned above, the term “shiatsu” is sometimes used interchangeably with reflexology, acupressure, or anything that uses rollers on the underside of your feet. Either way, buying a foot massager device might be a better value than hiring a professional massage therapist who’s specifically trained in shiatsu. But don’t assume that the word on its own attests to the quality or capabilities of the foot massager, especially as compared to a human.

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