Welcome to our article – Best Foot Massagers. According to Harvard, more than three out of four Americans will suffer some sort of foot ailment in their life.
Especially if you work on your feet all day, you want to make sure to take good care of your feet.
One way to do that – without breaking the bank – is to get a foot massager at home. You might be wondering what constitutes a ‘good’ foot massager.
If so, you came to the right place. We’ll give you my list of the best foot massagers on the market.
Considered the following factors in a foot massager:
- Looks
- Ease of operation
- Comfort
- Pain Relief
- Customer Service
- Brand
| Product | Heat | Design | Feet Comfort | Pain Relief |
|---|---|---|---|---|
MedMassager MMf06 Foot Massager  | No | Industrial | Okay - No foot chamber; surface is flat. Fits up to US men's size 17. | Excellent. Medical grade. Relieves diabetic neuropathy. Intense vibration. |
Brookstone F4 Shiatsu Foot Massager  | Yes | Modern; Turtle shell shaped. | Great - Foot chambers, Air bag compression, Shiatsu rollers. | Good - squeezes and caresses. Very Strong. |
Miko Foot Massager  | Yes | Modern; slightly bulky; Charcoal Grey exterior. | Great - Mash material, Shiatsu rollers, air bag compression; Fits up to men's size 12 (US). | Great for your toes and mid foot, heel and ankle not so much. |
Homedics Triple Action Shiatsu Foot Massager  | Yes but lukewarm. | Open platform; Single button. Red circulating Shiatsu Balls. | Good - Mesh surface, Shiatsu rollers, adjustable height. Not for feet with high arches. | Feels great from toe to heels. Not painful. Does not massage arches. |
Table of Contents
MedMassager MMF06 Foot Massager
MedMassager is one of the best foot massagers and exactly what it sounds like. Medical-grade massagers are built and designed for use by doctors and chiropractors.
They are certified with the FDA as a Class 1 “therapeutic massager for physical medicine.”
Their bread and butter feature that they boast of on this product is its sheer power toping at 3700 Revolutions Per Minute (It vibrates in a circular motion).
MassageLyfe reached out to MedMassager and they were extremely receptive. We threw a small curve ball at them, asking them what angle the foot massager rests on.
Erin, the social media representative for MedMassager replied, informing us that the ideal angle of 10-30 degrees was most optimal for a footrest.
A plus one in the books for customer service and public outreach.
Pros:
- Great for Raynaud’s (circulation disorder)
- Very strong, 11 speeds (1000-3700 rpm)
- Fixed numbness, tingling, and frozen-to-the-bone feeling
- Helps (diabetic) peripheral neuropathy
- Clinical and therapeutical
- Great customer service
Cons:
- No heat
- Industrial look
- Can’t control it without bending over
- Shaky and noisy
Design
The first thing you notice about the MedMassager is its square plate design with the Arch-Bar on the end.
This is interesting since it doesn’t have the popular Shiatsu rollers that knead your feet. There is a little knob where at the top-right corner to adjust the speed in 11 possible ways with a light to indicate that it’s on.
This design addresses two problems its competitor products don’t:
- Accommodates larger feet
- Can tilt to target Achilles heal and calves
However, note that the design of the product is not pleasing to the eye. Some might even say it’s ugly.
So, if your priority is to decorate your home with this massager, you probably want to look elsewhere.
The comfort level is so-so but not top-tier. If you’re looking for a foot spa, this isn’t the product. The foot has arches to it and flat surfaces aren’t the best fit even with its Arch-Bar.
How does it feel and operate?
The MedMassager is easy to use. Just turn the dial to one of the 11-speed settings, the light will turn red and it will start oscillating (vibrating the plate in a circular motion).
The MedMassager is built for patients with diabetes and neuropathy – weakness, numbness, and pain from nerve damage typically in the hands and feet. Likewise, the power is tailored to those types of customers in mind. It’s very powerful.
To give you an idea of how powerful it is, if you use the MedMassager on the second floor of the house people beneath you on the first floor will be able to hear/feel the floor rumble.
Make sure to have some sort of padding beneath the MedMassager to keep it in place and dampen the vibration to the floor.
This is great news for those with neuropathy.
When the circulation in your feet is impaired, the best way to get oxygenated blood in them is for the feet to move.
Since the MedMassager vibrates with such intensity your feet are left with warmth and feeling after a short 15 minutes.
Brookstone F4 Foot Massager
Brookstone is an internationally recognized brand. The F4 provides the Shiatsu-style massage that you’re looking for after a hard day at work.
This portable massager is great for relaxing your feet and it’s also compact, making it an obstruction-free houseware.
Pros:
- Not loud like others
- Inside cover removable and washable
- 3 styles, multiple settings
- Shiatsu style, not just vibrations
- Cord is long and easy to store
- Great for peripheral neuropathy
Cons:
- Powerful in a painful way
- Heat is weak
- Problems returning on Amazon
Design
The Brookstone F4 Foot Massager has a turtle-shell outward design.
It’s got a handle and built-in cord wrap for easy storage and mobility.
Two feet slots for compression massage.
The inside has a zip-out lining so you can easily take them out and wash them.
There is a nice set of easy-to-press blue back-lit set of buttons as the main control panel.
Inside the foot slots, there are two systems at work.
- Some rollers move in a circular fashion (Shiatsu) that will work to massage the base of your feet.
- There are airbags in each foot that will compress your feet from the sides and above.
The control panel has the following options:
- Power On/Off
- High/Low intensity
- Heat
- Pulse, Soothe, Energize
How does it feel and operate?
Just plug the cord into an outlet, press the power button, and you should hear the foot massager turn on immediately.
The high/low intensity controls the amount of compression in the airbags.
Even at low intensity, it is strong, especially in the toes area.
If you’re not familiar with the strength that comes with a deep massage, this might feel like a crushing sensation.
The heat is barely noticeable. This may be the biggest gripe about this product.
With the MedMassager, the high-frequency vibrations increased blood flow and you felt warmth in your feet.
However, with the Brookstone F4 Foot Massager, it’s a different ball game since it doesn’t use vibrations.
The heat capacity of this massager is best described as lukewarm.
Miko Foot Massager
Miko prides itself on research and development. They have a renowned customer service team.
A plus for me since if there’s anything wrong with the purchase, I’ll be heard instead of being placed with a ticket number and waiting a while to get an issue resolved.
On their website:
Pros:
- Great for toes and soles
- Deep massage strength
- Remote
Cons:
- Does not address heel and ankle
- Not for big feet – Up to US Men Size 12
Design
This foot massager is aesthetically pleasing.
It’s got a futuristic design showcasing a Charcoal Grey exterior.
Like others in the market, two-foot chambers are made of mesh material and have zippers so that you can take them out and wash them.
It’s one of the few massagers on the market with a remote control on top of the control panel on the unit itself.
The remote control itself is very sleek and thin.
It can remember the previous settings so you don’t need to readjust the pressure to a certain level every time you turn it on.
There are five controls:
- On/Off
- Kneading On/Off
- Increase pressure
- Decrease pressure
- Heat
How does it feel and operate?
The air compression bags press the top of your feet down into the kneading rollers beneath your feet that work on the bottom of your soles.
It’s strong. If you like deep massages, you’re going to enjoy the sheer strength of this foot massager.
Many customers asked how to lower the pressure beyond the lowest setting. To do this, you’ll have to poke a needle in the airbags to deflate it a bit until you’re comfortable with the pressure.
However, it lacks pressure from the side of your feet since the pressure is mostly on top of the feet.
Keep in mind that the seller indicated that it will work on US Men’s size 14; however, the product description says up to size 12.
So if you have big feet, you naturally create more pressure since there’s less room in the foot chamber.
Homedics Triple Action Shiatsu Foot Massager
Homedics is a popular personal wellness product brand.
This foot massager offers Shiatsu or rolling massages along with a heating mechanism to stimulate the blood flow in your feet.
It’s important to note that, unlike MedMassager, it does not encourage diabetic customers to use this product.
Pros:
- Low Noise
- Good for plantar fascitis
- Deep-kneading shiatsu
- Larger feet
Cons:
- No Slot
- Weak heat
- feet may need adjustments to align with balls
Design
This massager is on a flat open platform with feet outline to indicate where to put your feet.
There are 3 sets of three massage nodes on each foot which are visibly protruding through the mesh.
You can raise the foot massager from the floor by twisting the legs. There is also a built-in cord wrap on the bottom of the unit.
Since the massager is on an open platform instead of an enclosed feet chamber like its competitors, the hardness of the massage relies on how hard you press your foot against the massager.
This is not necessarily a bad thing because, with the closed unit massagers, it’s hard to loosen the pressure put on by airbags.
How does it feel and operate?
It only has one button. To turn it on you press it once and to turn the heat on (which makes the rollers red) you press it again.
The massagers feel not too strong and not too weak, somewhere in the middle.
One issue is the heat. It doesn’t get that hot, almost lukewarm.
It also takes time for it to heat up so expect to wait more than a couple of minutes to feel the heat.
So which is the best foot massager? After reading our reviews you may have a leaning towards one or another, depending on your individual preferences.
You may also be interested in our article on the Best TENS Unit.
Perhaps you would like to add a massage cushion to your order. Have a look at our review.
