When we heat up our feet, like in a foot spa, the veins dilate. This increases blood flow to deliver more oxygen, nutrients, and growth factors (vitamins or hormones that stimulate growth in living cells).. In turn, that soothes achy muscles and tendons. To enhance the short-term experience, you can even add bath salts—also called Epsom salts—to reduce swelling and alleviate stress. Long-term benefits of foot spas A panel of four coworkers all loved this foot bath, with three of them giving it raves. One cited this bath as the most comfortable, saying the massage rollers actually scrubbed the bottom of her feet for a smoother feel.

Dr. Miguel Cunha, a podiatrist and the founder of Gotham Footcare in New York City, suggests keeping the bath between 92 and 100 degrees, especially if you have any ailments that make you sensitive to heat. “Anything above 100 degrees is considered unsafe for people with certain conditions, such as poor circulation, diabetes, and pregnancy,” he says. Short-term benefits of foot spas At the least, a good spa will be relatively compact, or easy enough to move around the home. If you're after a bit more than a warm foot bath, there's more advanced models out there that will allow you to control the temperature, incorporate bubbles or even opt for a soothing massage. Foot spas circulate warm water with vibration or jets to massage the feet, softening hardened dead skin in preparation for removal. Some have additional features like rolling massagers, vibrating massagers, or heaters to keep the water warmer for longer. The size of the unit itself is an important, but often overlooked, feature - particularly if you have larger feet. For the best experience, look for a foot spa with enough room to fit both of your feet inside while allowing the water to reach your ankles. Additional Features

Be careful not to overfill this bath (or any of them), as a bit of water leaps out of it when the jets churn. If you have larger feet, the water will rise quite a bit even if you fill below the maximum line. Depending on which foot spa you buy, it may come with a host of additional features such as bubble jets, vibration, timers and massage rollers. This bath is easy to carry with or without water, as the cleverly-designed splash guard transforms into a handle. It was also one of the easiest to clean. The textured bottom has enough space in between the bumps to maneuver a paper towel across it. Other baths didn’t have this spacing, so the towel got shredded as it glided over the texture.

Foot spas are widely available so the good news is, whatever your budget you'll be able to find something suitable for your needs. Those trips to the nail salon taught me that feeling clean and polished (pun intended) is how I feel my best, and that pampering yourself is a good thing. In more recent years, I received a foot spa (the Conair) to use at home. Every pair of feet (and their owners) has different needs and preferences. The best foot spa overall needs to have enough options that it can suit the greatest range of preferences, and the Ivation Foot Spa Massager does just that.

Noise As well as giving each one a subjective assessment to see if spoils relaxation, we also use a decibel metre to measure how noisy each foot spa is. For longer soaks, look for a foot spa that includes a built-in heating unit so you won't have to worry about topping up the water mid-way through. So, what exactly should you be looking for in a foot spa? There are some key features to bear in mind: Heating Use mild cleaning liquids to clean it. We used Milton sterilising tablets. Avoid using solvents, abrasive cleaners and harsh detergents.