The 12 Best Foot Massagers of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Nov 10, 2024

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The best foot massagers give you several ways to pamper sore feet at home with a spa-like feel.

Rich Scherr is an updates strategist and fact checker for Dotdash Meredith brands, including Health and Verywell. He is a seasoned financial and technology journalist who served as editor-in-chief of the Potomac Tech Wire for nearly two decades, and is a regular contributor to the sports pages of The Baltimore Sun. He has also been a news editor for America Online and has contributed to the Associated Press and The Washington Post.

In This Article

Health / Leticia Almeida

Foot massagers may seem like a luxury, but they can be a valuable therapeutic tool for relieving sore arches and muscle tension and promoting better foot health over time. Physician Gary Feldman, DPM, explains that the best foot massagers can improve blood flow, relax tight muscles, relieve chronic pain, and even reduce stress and anxiety.

Many massager models are designed to address issues like foot fatigue, neuropathy, and arthritis, providing a simple yet effective way to alleviate discomfort and care for your feet at home. When shopping for the best foot massager, consider the type—like foot spas, air compression, rolling, or kneading—and decide which areas to target: your feet, legs, or just the soles. Also, look for models with adjustable intensity to customize your experience.

We spent over 150 hours testing foot massagers from popular brands like Homedics and Renpho to find the best foot massagers for various foot needs. We evaluated each based on effectiveness in relieving pain and tension, comfort during use, ease of operation, and overall value. A podiatrist on our Medical Expert Board also reviewed this article for medical and scientific accuracy regarding what to look for in a foot massager and how to use it safely.

I'm an Editor at Health and love a good foot massage, so I was excited to try Gaiam’s Restore Ultimate Foot Massager in our latest test. This little but mighty massager proved to be remarkably effective at easing knots and reducing foot fatigue—perfect for those long days spent on my feet. Plus, the price is unbeatable for the quality offered. Whether you need targeted pressure relief or an option perfect for travel, this massager provides exceptional value without stretching your budget.

— Lauren Paige Richeson, Commerce Editor

Renpho's Foot Massager Premium really lived up to the hype for us, using air pressure, kneading, and heat for a highly relaxing massage. The three functions work in tandem to create an overall pleasant and relaxing tool to wind down at the end of the day, just before bed. It massages the entire foot right up to the ankle, but somehow still delivered fully body relaxation and it never made us sore. The air pressure felt more like cupping, which was unique and satisfying, and we also really enjoyed the heating element.

This intuitive pick is easy to set up, simply demanding that we plug it into an outlet. It has clearly marked and angled buttons that can be controlled with our toes. Meanwhile, LEDs let us know the current setting for the three intensity options that it affords. There's another button that allowed us to set it for either 15 or 30 minute massages. Finally, it's compact and super easy to store under our desk when not in use.

We put Nekteck's Shiatsu Foot Massager Machine to the test during the final few weeks of a pregnancy and loved that it offered a very pleasant massage that left our feet feeling less tired at the end of the session. Relying on deep kneading from massage balls that work in tandem with air compression, this pick works well to massage the entire foot equally. We felt that each of these elements in this combo was fully required for the tension alleviation that we experienced. And, the best part was that the relief lasted for a few hours or even up to to a day, if our pregnant tester didn't stand on their feet much after.

In our experience, this provided us with the perfect amount of pressure, causing us no pain and working well with the contours of our feet. It features three massage modes and heat and it also has removable and washable foot covers.

This is a great pick to bring with you to the gym for warming up or cooling down after a workout, and one of the best features is how small, lightweight, and compact it is, making it ideal for travel or keeping in your gym bag.

Our tester that used this model was experiencing foot pain after standing for long hours. Unlike other picks, this one proved to be good for helping to stretch the feet in addition to massaging them. The ribbed material is firm, but we liked that it didn't feel painful or harsh. It's versatile, and leaves the user in control of how much pressure they wanted to apply, and we could use it on our feet, our calves, our thighs, and even our glutes.

We tested Alleviate's Arch Massager on a foot with plantar fasciitis and tight ligaments underneath one of the pinky toes. The two peaks on this model don't move, leaving pressure control and angling up to the user. We loved the design, which allowed us to roll our plantar exactly how we wanted and needed to for maximum comfort and recovery. Overall, we found it to work well for quickly lowering tension and improving pain.

This device is certainly more of a physical therapy tool than it is a relaxing object, with hard and unforgiving material, but that's what allowed us to really target and manipulate the tissues that we wanted to. The material doesn't conform, so we can push back against it for maximum pressure. The two bump design also enabled us to target odd angles and specific points. From a convenience standpoint, we also love that it has foldable feet for ease of bringing it on the go.

This customizable option from Comfier worked exceptionally well to soothe tired feet. It has three different features for heat, kneading, and pressure. But the feature that we loved the most was the air pressure, which wrapped our feet and provided deep pressure, working well to break up tension. Importantly from a customizability standpoint, each setting has three different levels to play with, so you can really lock it into what your feet need in that moment.

Unlike other options that left us underwhelmed by the warming elements, we found this option to really be able to provide impressive heat. Finally, it has a timer with three setting options of 10, 30, and 60 minute intervals.

After long days of walking and standing, this option from Comfier was a pleasantly gentle massager that was perfect for unwinding and relaxing. It offers a nice, even massage that isn't overly forceful or too weak. At the same time, a heating element adds to the relaxation factor while the soft cushioning on this model felt good against bony feet.

This massager is simple, requiring only that we plug it in and get going. It can be used in low, high, and shiatsu settings, with three intensity settings to go through as well. As a final added benefit, this small and compact model can be used on the back as well.

The buttons aren't clearly labeled, relying on symbols instead of words, so it can be a bit confusing at the onset.

In addition to providing a foot massage, this massager from Homedics boasts compression that works up from the feet to the calves, which was really our favorite part. We felt that the compression definitely improved circulation for us. The circulation promotion helped us to diminish swelling that we were experiencing.

The cord on this pick was long enough to enable us to reach a comfortable sitting position on our couch during use. We also appreciate that it includes heat, though it took a decent amount of time for it to warm up and had to be set to the highest setting to achieve our desired feel. And unlike other picks, this option was able to accommodate men's feet that are as large as a size 15.

This option from Homedics worked excellently to reduce arch strains and heel pain. It also worked to relax us instantly for the days that we weren't in pain. It features nodes that cover much of the foot, making it particularly useful for larger feet. The nodes are also evenly spaced so it doesn't feel like any part of the foot is being neglected. It was a comfortable option to use, though it's upon the user to add their own pressure to create true tissue change. Fortunately, having to apply pressure didn't cause any discomfort. It also offers air pressure that creates more of an acupressure feeling, and which also makes the shiatsu feel more intense by creating a snug fit.

This model is simple to use; just plug it in, and it's good to go. A central button area has everything: power, heat, and air pressure and the cord is long enough to reach wherever we needed it to.

Human Touch's Reflex SOL Plus Massager was our favorite pick with heating, because actually gets pleasantly warm without becoming overly hot. This pick also worked great for plantar fasciitis, helping us to be able to walk better if we were in too much pain to walk. It gave us with immediate relief, and the larger footprint for the feet means that this will work well for most peoples' feet sizes.

It takes less than a minute to set this model up, and all of the buttons to adjust it are on the top so they are easy to access. It also has a tilt bar underneath that allows you to unfold it and angle it for a more overall comfortable experience.

Hyperice's Normatec Elite Air Compression Massager is perfect for anyone who needs more than just foot relief. They are boots that go up the leg, providing compression the whole way. Due to their design, which is unlike typical foot massagers, we can keep our feet elevated in these which is a highly pleasant experience. In testing, they worked exceptionally well to simultaneously increase circulation and reduce muscle aches and pains.

Because of their design, these are perfect to wear while watching television or scrolling your phone, and they are well suited toward relaxation and unwinding, relieving us both during and after usage. Despite the compression, these didn't cause any discomfort or irritation.

These need to be charged and do have a compatible app, though they function without the app. They have three settings: one to control compression (with seven levels), one to set the time, a start and stop button, and an additional zoneboost option to target more compression in one specific area. And importantly, the boots are cordless and easy to travel with.

Sharper Image's Shiatsu Dome Foot Massager offers the unique feeling of a pleasant rolling and kneading massage that also features pulsating compression. This model has a few different modes: one that focuses on the toes, one that focuses on the heels, and one that only experiences compression. For us, the best and most relaxing feeling was the first one, which we still felt massaged our whole foot.

Interestingly, even with extra space for larger feet, our feet still fit really well in this pick. There was no discomfort or pinching, either.

The round shape of this pick makes Gaiam's Restore Ultimate Foot Massager excellent for breaking down knots, allowing us to really target specific areas and to apply whatever pressure was necessary to fully release the knots. The rubber ball also had a bit of give with this model, so it wasn't overly hard and unpleasant on our feet. It's simple to use, with no setup, chargers, or even instructions necessary. And the compact size means that when it's not in use, it can easily be stored in a drawer or brought on the go with us.

It's a super affordable, no frills pick that leaves the control up to the user, and it can also be used on other parts of the body, which is a nice bonus.

We tested 15 of the best foot massagers to identify the top options for regular therapeutic use at home. We focused on massagers that help relieve tired feet using different methods like rolling, oscillation, air compression, and shiatsu. And options that let you customize the intensity, speed, and heat settings. For a month, we used each foot massager in 15 to 20 minutes sessions and evaluated them on the following criteria:

We spoke to experts in podiatry and orthopedics about best practices for using massage devices and what to look for when testing foot massagers.

We also tested these foot massagers but ultimately decided not to include them in our list of recommendations. They fell short in our test when it came to convenience, effectiveness, and setting options:

Sarah Bradley has been a freelance writer since 2017, tackling health commerce articles, product reviews, and shopping guides on everything from dry skin moisturizers and wart removers to menstrual cups and toothbrushes for braces.

This article was updated by Jack Byram, a freelance writer who has been covering all things exercise-related for Health since 2023.