When it comes to caring for and relaxing your sore feet, nothing beats a long, warm soak in a foot spa. In fact, the best foot spas out there are more or less all-in-one solutions for all your pedicure needs, surpassing (dare I say it) treatments from even the most expensive of health and beauty spas in this regard.
Think about it; foot spas are able to give you a very relaxing spa-like treatment, without making you pay the horrendously expensive fees the professional enterprises charge, and you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your home! So without further ado, let’s see the list of the best foot spas.
The Top Ten Best Foot Spas in 2019
Our Top Picks
Here are our top five picks for the best foot spas on the market right now, with a quick comparison table listing all their key features
Still not sure about what to purchase? Read our full reviews on the ten best foot spas on the market right now:
1. ACEVIVI Foot Spa Bath Massager – Best Overall
No matter what the category, a premium product is one that not only has all the features a user would need from it, but does each of them extremely well too. And while it does face some severe competition from the rest of the entries on this list, we believe the ACEVIVI foot spa more than deserves its top spot on our list, beating out even very well-known companies like Kendal, Conair, and HoMedics in this regard.
This product has everything you could want from a foot spa, from the extremely basic features like adjustable heating and massaging rollers to the more sophisticated ones like a rotating pumice stone for pedicuring your feet and infrared light for sterilization.
Even the massage rollers on this foot spa are quite sophisticated, offering two different kinds of massaging motions (Tai Chi wheels on the four corners, and Corncob rollers in the middle) to give you a better foot massage, based on foot acupuncture techniques.
olor=”#333333″] The ACEVIVI even has a few extra features for convenience, the most notable of which are the detachable wheels on the underside of the foot spa for easy transport, and the gravity flow valve port for easy drainage. Add a folding bucket handle to the top, and you’ve got a foot spa that’s pretty easy to carry around. [/su_note]
For a product as good as this, it’s quite hard to find something it doesn’t do right. Which is why we were only able to come up with two legitimate concerns:
One, the ACEVIVI is pretty large (size 17), and women with small feet can’t seem to make full use of it, and two, the ACEVIVI doesn’t have a remote, so you’re going to have to bend down every time to change the settings. Otherwise, this is truly one great product.
2. Ivation Foot Spa Massager – Our Runner Up
While the ACEVIVI is undoubtedly our top pick for a foot spa to use at home, we believe the Ivation foot spa massager gives the ACEVIVI a solid run for its money, what with having almost all the features the latter provides AND being available for a substantially lower price.
Like the ACEVIVI, the Ivation foot spa covers all the basic features you’d require from a foot spa, with stellar heating features and oxygen bubbles for a smooth and relaxing experience.
The design of the rollers and massagers, on the other hand, are a lot different as compared to the ACEVIVI, with their only being a pair of corncob rollers under each foot in the middle, meaning you’ll have to move your feet around if you want to massage all of them with the rollers.
And while the model does come with a pumice stone included, it’s just a shame that it doesn’t come in the form of an attachment, meaning you’d have to scrub your feet with the stone in your hands instead.
While the lack of a proper pumice stone attachment is disappointing, the Ivation foot spa does make up for its shortcoming by providing a very solid foot spa.
You can even throw in bath salts and essential oils into this foot spa and rest easy knowing they won’t mess up the foot spa in any way. In fact, had it not been for the lower quality massage and pedicure experience the Ivation foot spa provides, choosing the ACEVIVI foot spa as the best might have been very difficult indeed.
3. Kendal FB09 All-in-one Foot Spa – Best Value for Money
If you’ve already browsed the home shopping aisle in your supermarket or online on your web browser, you’ve probably come across the brand Kendal at least once or twice.
And why wouldn’t you, given that it’s one of the top brands in home products in the world! So, when we found the Kendal FB09 on the market, we were automatically very interested in what it had to bring to the table. And frankly, we weren’t too disappointed.
Much like the ACEVIVI foot spa, the Kendal FB09 features two sets of massagers, one set of circular vibrating massagers and another set of corncob massagers in the middle, though it doesn’t have as many rollers as the former.
The Kendal FB09 is also a pretty big foot spa, catering to the larger foot sizes with relative ease, and even letting you submerge your feet substantially higher than your ankles.
Managing large foot spas can be a pain though, since the more water they can hold, the heavier they end up getting, and the more difficult it is to move around them.
Thankfully, the Kendal FB09 has a set of wheels at the bottom of the device, so rolling it around from the bathroom isn’t a chore, nor is too much of a hassle to empty out the tub, thanks to a drainage pipe located towards the back.
4. ArtNaturals Foot Spa Massager – Best for Athletes and Athlete’s Foot
Think a normal day of constantly walking around work and standing in the train/bus leaves your feet sore? Imagine how sore an athlete’s feet must get after a hard day out on the ground or field or wherever.
Or how about when you’ve been neglecting your feet for quite a while, stuffing them into sweaty tight-fitting shoes for hours on end, resulting in the much-dreaded fungal infection Athlete’s foot.
For extreme cases like these, you need something that is equipped to take care of them thoroughly, and the ArtNaturals foot spa is just right for the job.
Stretching your tight and stressed feet in the warm, bubbling bath provided by the ArtNaturals is just pure ecstasy, and no matter how sore your feet are, it’s nothing a short session in the ArtNaturals foot spa can’t fix.
With adjustable heat controls to finely tune the temperature exactly how you like it and switching bubbles on or off with the push of a simple button, you have the freedom of setting your foot bath exactly how you like it. And that’s pretty great, especially when you’re trying to relax the day’s pain and stress away.
However, when it comes to something as serious as Athlete’s foot, a simple foot massage session isn’t going to cut it, and this is where the ArtNaturals truly shines.
With the option to add essential oils and bath salts geared towards curing athlete’s feet, a soak in the ArtNaturals foot spa isn’t just relaxing. It’s also medicating.
5. Kendal Wave FBD2535 Deep Foot Spa – Best Deep Foot Spa
Sometimes a foot soak that only extends to your ankles just doesn’t cut it, and you find yourself in search of a much deeper experience. Well, in that case, something like Kendal Wave FBD2535 is your best bet for a foot spa experience that extends far beyond just your ankles.
In fact, the Wave is so deep, it can easily submerge your legs up to the top of your shins, which is saying a lot. And for those who stretch their calves almost as much as their feet, being able to relax them in a warm bubbling bath can mean the difference between relaxed, rejuvenated legs and extremely sore shins, possibly leading to injury if not destressed.
But the Wave’s large tub isn’t all it has going for it; it’s got some pretty sweet features too. For example, the Wave features a set of motorized rollers under each foot, which means you can just put your feet inside the spa and enjoy the massage, without actually having to move on your own.
The temperature regulation on this model is pretty sweet, and with bubbles coming out from right under your feet, you’re bound to have a great time using it.
And though most large foot spas do feature a set of wheels on the bottom of the device to make it easier to move them, the Kendal Wave goes one step further and adds a trolley handle to the mix, which makes moving it around even easier than it previously was.
And, of course, it’s a Kendal product, so you can be sure the build quality and durability on this thing are going to be pretty impressive. Oh, and did I mention the remote control for selecting the best mode without even needing to bend down?
6. Dr. Scholl’s Pedicure Foot Spa – Best Basic
Having a great bunch of features on your foot spa may seem like a great idea, but to a certain section of the user base, all these extra features come across more as gimmicks than something actually worthwhile.
This is why if you want a foot spa that doesn’t have too much going on over the surface, Dr. Scholl’s pedicure foot spa might spa just be the right product for you. Because this product is literally the limit of how basic you can get without sacrificing the most important features a foot spa has to offer.
One look at Dr. Scholl’s foot spa is enough to be able to differentiate it from the rest of the foot spas on this list, particularly because this foot spa only features a singular roller massager, located in the middle of the device, unlike the rest that features these rollers under each foot instead.
The model even offers a removable pumice stone and 4 other pedicure attachments, making it pretty easy to work on those calluses on your feet while you relax and soak them in hot, salted water.
That’s right the Dr. Scholl’s foot spa is completely safe to use with bath salts and essential oils, meaning you’re free to enhance your foot spa experience as you like.
It’s just a real bummer that the model can’t heat up water on its own, relying instead on you to pour warm water instead. It is, however, able to keep the water poured inside it hot for long periods of time, so at least that’s a relief.
7. MaxKare Foot Spa Massager – Best Waterfall Massager
Contrasting to the grinding noise massagers make when they run, waterfall sprouts on foot spas make a very tranquil flowing sound, one that’s akin to music when you’re trying to relax with a nice hot foot soak.
And while there have been a couple of foot spas on this list that do feature waterfall jets, no other product does as good a job at this feature than the MaxKare foot spa massager.
But a good product doesn’t have just one good feature, but a series of other great features to complement its best one, and this is definitely the case with the MaxKare foot spa.
The foot spa provides users with an easy to use control panel, letting you adjust the temperature, vibration massagers, and bubbles with the push of a few buttons.
This foot spa even comes with a small removable case you can use to hold bath salts and other spa materials to enhance your foot bath, so there’s absolutely no need to worry if salts are safe to use with this foot spa or not.
8. Conair Foot/Pedicure Spa – Most Convenient to Use
No matter how simple a control panel on a foot spa may be, the need to bend down and push a bunch of buttons every time you want to adjust the temperature and variables automatically makes them hard to use.
Because let’s be honest, would you really want to have to constantly move around while you’re trying to relax? This is exactly what was going through the minds of the people over at Conair when they were designing their foot spa, and the solution they came up for this is pretty innovative.
Instead of regular buttons, the Conair foot spa features toe-touch controls for adjusting everything on this product. With the push of a single button, you can easily reach with your toes (without even needing to so much as crane your neck to find it), you can cycle between different states of the foot spa, easily letting you adjust your foot bath to your liking.
And while the rest of the Conair foot spa’s features are pretty generic, for the price at which you can get it, I’d say it offers pretty good value for money anyway.
9. HoMedics Collapsible Foot Spa – Best Collapsible
When designing a foot spa, most companies don’t cater to the problem of storage, opting instead to focus their energies on more significant features of the product.
And while storage isn’t a huge concern when buying a foot spa, for those who really don’t have space around the house, storing a foot spa when it’s not in use can be a huge pain.
Besides the stellar space-saving features, the HoMedics provides a couple of other great features too. Forsaking the traditional massage rollers and disks, this foot spa opts for using an AcuNodes surface; the entire floor of the tub is dotted with raised nodes that you can rub your feet over to massage them, while the entire surface vibrates at high frequencies.
Complementing this massage is stellar heat management and the ability to use bath salts in your foot spa. Truly a wonderful combo.
10. HoMedics FB-55 toe-touch foot spa – Best Entry Level
While the ACEVIVI foot spa is by far the best foot spa on this list, it is also one of the most expensive foot spas on the market right now, which isn’t surprising considering the features it packs in a single package.
And as an inexperienced customer, you might be skeptical about the benefits a foot spa provides and whether or not you might actually enjoy using one. That’s why it’s better to start off with a simpler and less expensive model, much like the HoMedics FB55 foot spa.
The FB55 even features a toe-touch control system, making it very easy to switch between modes without having to use your hands. All these things make the FB55 perfect for getting a taste of what foot spas have to offer.
One Question Remains
Now that we are done with our glorified top ten picks let’s go into the details, but buying a foot spa is still a hefty investment, and chances are you’re still not convinced you to need one.
So, before I go ahead and show you all the features you need to look for in the foot spa, how about I first go about actually clearing those doubts in your mind about whether or not a foot spa is really a good investment. Spoiler alert: It most definitely is.
Why Should You Use a Foot Spa in the First Place?
Massaging and soaking your feet in hot water is honestly one of the best ways to relax yourself. Be it because of the increased blood circulation, the excitement of nerves at the end of your toes, or just relieving muscle soreness, a foot massage is one of the most therapeutic experiences you can ever have.
But for all the wonderful feelings associated with a foot massage or a warm foot bath, there is a fundamental problem we all face: we need someone to massage our feet.
Well, that’s where a foot spa comes in; with the convenience of getting a foot massage whenever you want one, it’s hard to write a foot spa off as just another unnecessary healthcare product.
But massaging your feet isn’t all foot spas are good for. They not only rejuvenate and revitalize your feet, but they also have the option of letting you clean your feet at the same time, something which a huge subset of the population has been dying to know a quick and easy way to do. Because after all, no one likes scaly, sooty under soles, especially women who want to wear heels in public (which is basically almost every woman in the world).
Not to mention the fact that massaging and soaking your feet in hot water is good for your feet too, and boy do they deserve some love for the tough job they perform every day.
Want to avoid painful, sore feet as you grow older? I suggest you get into the habit of relaxing your feet more often, and what better way to do that than with a good, long soak + massage in a foot spa.
But why should I buy a foot spa when I can just scrub my feet myself instead?
The only sphere in which it makes any logical sense to not buy a foot spa and opt for scrubbing your feet by hand instead is one where you are desperately trying to save money without losing the benefits of good foot scrub.
But if I may be so bold as to assume you were not in such a desperate need for cash, I can only laugh at the thought of a foot scrub being compared to the experience delivered by using a foot spa. It’s just that irrational.
Secondly, scrubbing your own feet by hand is a very grueling task (well, at least if you aim to achieve anything that is), and you’re going to be left with more blisters and callouses on your hands than the ones that you were trying to get rid of from your feet.
Contrast this with the ease of use a foot spa provides you, which literally just boils down to you simply inserting your feet inside the foot spa and letting the spa handle the rest, and there’s a very clear winner.
And if that wasn’t enough, try as you might, you just can’t clean your feet the way you could have with the best foot spa by your side, or in this case, at your feet.
So, do yourself a favor and steer clear of trying to scrub your feet by hand. You’ll be way better off, trust me.
The Features You ABSOLUTELY have to Consider Before Buying a Foot Spa
But as you saw from reading each individual review, no two products are the same, and one functionality developed well in one product may not be as catered to as well as in the next. And when it comes to experience as subjective in nature as a massage, everything has the ability to influence the quality of your experience.
Here are five of the most important features of a foot spa that can make or break your experience, and that you absolutely must consider before buying a foot spa.
Heating
While you certainly don’t need something that can bring water up to boil (nasty burns, hello?!), you still want your foot spa to get comfortably hot, and stay that way for the entirety of the spa session.
Dipping your feet in hot water is relaxing for a number of reasons, and improved blood circulation and relaxed muscles are chief among these, which is why the best foot spas for arthritis make sure to get the heating part down pat.
And though I’m not saying men have barely any use for foot spas, women can highly benefit from using one, what with their feet being immensely sore after wearing fashionable yet frightfully uncomfortable shoes.
So, how do I go about selecting a foot spa with decent heating? Simple really, all you have to do is look for something that has the correct heat setting and the capacity to heat your foot bath to the right temperatures.
Now, how hot you want your foot spa to be is up to you and the way you like to soak your feet, but anything over 120 Fahrenheit and you’re going to find yourself in some pretty hot waters (pun intended). Luckily for you, most foot spas on the market today are able to reach this temperature and maintain it for the entirety of your foot bath quite easily.
Safe
Size
This one goes without saying: if your foot spa is too small for your feet, you’re going to have a jolly hard time trying to clean and soak your feet inside it. Not to mention how uncomfortable squeezing your feet in a small tank is going to be.
Thankfully, most foot spas come with a tank that caters to most adult foot sizes (up to 17”), so you only have to look for something bigger if your feet are on the larger side. Although opting for a larger foot spa is a good idea, since you’d be giving your feet more room to relax in.
But what about depth? Well, here it’s down to personal preference once again since not everyone prefers to soak their feet beyond their ankles. And you don’t even find too many great products on the market that actually let you dip your feet higher than your ankles, so the deeper you want your foot soak to be, the harder it’ll be to find a decent product that does the job.
Massaging Rollers and Jets
Second to only heating, this is the most important feature you have to look for in a foot spa. After all, what good is a foot spa if it can’t give you the relaxing foot massage it promised you on the box.
So, when buying a foot spa, always look for something that offers both of them, rather than going for something that only features one of these.
There are also a couple of variations when it comes to how these massagers are fitted inside the foot spas, though the majority of designs on the market feature a set of rollers on the base of the tank, where the feet are supposed to be placed, with a few more positioned on the sides.
More rollers and jets aren’t necessarily better though, since they do end up taking quite a bit of space on the inside of the tank, which means there’s less space to relax your feet in. So, look out for massaging rollers, but don’t be overjoyed when you see a foot spa packed to the brim with one.
Noise
Although they’re absolutely essential to the foot spa experience, hardly anyone is a fan of the grating noise massaging rollers make as they work, and the noise is more than distracting if you want to just close your eyes and relax.
Wearing a pair of headphones or earplugs is somewhat of a necessity when using a foot spa, and it does help filter out a great deal of noise, but what if you just wanted to enjoy your favorite show on Netflix, and the distant grinding noise was just too much to bear? Or even if you weren’t all too bothered by the noise, God bless the poor soul who has to share the same room as you when you’re using the foot spa.
That’s just an obligatory fee you have to pay for well-massaged feet. And if you can’t eliminate noise completely, then at least you do have the comfort of reduced noise to tide you over.
Bubbles
The verdict on bubbles is a shaky one. Some people hate them in their foot bath, others absolutely love the ticklish feeling they give as they surround your feet, and there are even those who don’t even notice them next to the stronger sensations from the jets and rollers.
Everyone is bound to have their own opinion on this matter, and there’s really no right choice here. Which would be fine, except for the fact that you probably don’t even know whether or not bubbles are something you’d like in your foot spa, and not having the luxury to test out the product over the internet doesn’t exactly help matters.
So, how do you get about this problem? I’d say it’s better not to risk it if you can’t afford to since you might end up liking bubbles, but you might end up hating them too, and you don’t have an exit in the latter scenario.
Just buy a regular non-bubble-dispersing foot spa; the regular foot spa treatment is pretty sweet even without bubbles. Or you could buy a foot spa that has the option of turning bubbles on or off, letting you try out the feature and shutting it off if you do end up hating it. Either way, it’s entirely your call.
Some Extra Features You May Want to Know About
Now that we’ve got some of the important features out of the way, it’s time to discuss some extra features you can get with your foot spa, and how they can contribute towards making your foot spa experience even better.
These features Built-in across all models on the market, and you’d actually be hard-pressed to find a product that does all of these justice at the same time, but having even one in your foot spa automatically increases the value of the experience you get.
The most prominent of these extra features are as follows:
Remote control
You might think a remote control as somewhat of an overkill feature for something as simple as a foot spa, but when it comes to products built entirely for relaxation, the more convenience you can afford your customers, the better their user experience is going to be.9
Remote control on a foot spa basically lets you change heat, vibration, and massage settings without having to reach down and do them yourself. Which doesn’t sound like a lot, but consider this: would you really want to bend double in the middle of a foot massage session to fiddle around with some controls, or would you rather not having to move from your extremely relaxed position and just make whatever adjustments you need with the push of a few buttons with a remote on your hand? A remote isn’t looking so pointless now, is it?
Built-in programs
Although I’m usually all for companies giving their customers full control over their products and letting them set parameters whichever way they like, in the case of foot spas, I’d have to disagree.
Because while being able to set the massage speeds and temperatures exactly how you want them is pretty nice, it’s not as fun the first time around since there’s a lot of trial and error involved before you’re able to hit that one sweet spot that fits you perfectly. And which is why many people are never fully satisfied with the settings they end up picking.
Contrast this with a foot spa that offers built-in programs, and you’ve got a pretty convenient foot spa experience. Because who would know better about what settings you’re bound to get great results in than the people who actually built the product?
Built-in programs let you automatically set the temperature and massage levels according to the kind of treatment you’re looking for with just the push of a single button. And if that’s not convenient, I don’t know what is.
Attachments
Ah yes, attachments, small gadgets, and machinery that you can attach to products to further enhance the features you can get from it. And in the case of foot spas, a pedicure attachment can mean the difference between good-looking feet and absolutely gorgeous feet.
Pedicure attachments usually come in the form of pumice stones and brushes, and while one is not necessarily better than the other, pumice stone attachments are the more popular of the two.
Are Bath Salts Overrated?
Absolutely not. I’ve yet to meet one person who’s complained about a bad experience when using bath salts for their regular bath, and I doubt you’d find anyone who contested the therapeutic feeling they give in foot spas either. And unless you’re someone with a fairly serious heart or diabetic condition, bath salts are far from a dangerous substance to use, and they even have some medicinal benefits too.
The trouble is, not every foot spa is built for use with bath salts, and some can actually get ruined when introduced to a particular kind of bath slat too. While you should be ok for the most part, it is still best to check with your manufacturer before attempting to use a particular kind of salt in your bath. Better safe than sorry, after all.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You should soak your feet in a foot spa for 30 to 60 minutes at least twice a week.
It depends on you, but anything over 120 Fahrenheit is dangerous for your feet.
A) Wet the stone and gently rub it over your calloused areas on your foot after you’ve soaked them in hot water for a while. Rinse and repeat.
Conclusion
All set to buy a foot spa of your choice then? Why not take a look at other product reviews before you leave? You might find something you like.
Last update on 2019-10-14 at 13:06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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