5 Best Foot Massagers / Foot Spas
Updated Nov 2024The SkyLand Air Pressure is the BMW of dry, cloth-covered Shiatsu-style foot massagers. It offers all the premium features such as heat and vibration, as well as a three-speed, air-pressure massage. Insert your feet into the massager to get a complete treatment on your entire foot at once.
Designed to simulate a live, hand-delivered foot massage, the SkyLand Air Pressure treats the base of each foot from toe to heel with 8 different rollers, and adds an additional 4 rollers per leg to pamper your ankles and give you a bit of a leg massage.
Some users may find that the SkyLand Air Pressure is too small to accommodate larger feet. Also, this device delivers a strong, intense massage, so if you’re on the more delicate side, this massager may not be for you.
Offering the best accupressure experience at around half the price of other devices, the SkyLand 2175 treats each foot with two separate acupressure rollers at once! Additionally, the extra-deep basin lets you really get in deep and soak your ankles too!
With both hot and cold settings, high-frequency vibration and bubble-jet air therapy, the SkyLand 2175 Water Foot Spa is our pick for Best Value foot massager of 2018.
If you’re looking for pedicure functionality as part of your foot bath, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
The SkyLand 2158 offers classic Shiatsu-style foot massage in a sturdy and well-designed ABS shell with a choice of either anti-static velour or faux-leather massage-head covers. The high-quality motor delivers smooth, anti-jam performance with overload current protection. Also, you will be delighted to discover that you can control both the speed and direction of the massaging heads.
The SkyLand 2158 is a perfect choice for those with larger feet – or who want a more complete body massage- due to the open front/back and wide design. Those with smaller feet may feel the massager doesn’t provide enough “squeeze.”
While priced attractively, the SkyLand 2158 is missing some of the more premium features such as heat and vibration which come standard with other models.
Featuring acupressure, vibration, and air-jet massage therapies, the Emjoi UEFS-156 is comparable to other, more expensive massager, in its features and functionality. But it can be found for an up to 30% lower cost, making it the most affordable foot massager on our list.
The Emjoi UEFS-156 Foot Massager is set apart by its waterproof, toe-operated control panel. Additionally, the accu node enhanced basin gives you a therapeutic boost even when not using the intensive acupressure zone.
Not as deep or wide as others, the Emjoi UEFS-156 is best suited for smaller feet. Additionally, it features only one, central, intensive acupressure zone, instead of one for each foot as with other units.
The Beurer Bath FB20 is definitely the most versatile of the reflexology massage machines covered in this review. You can use it wet or dry, and it offers acupressure, vibration, bubble, heat and infrared therapies. This unit is also unique in that it offers pedicure treatments as well as massage.
This device comes with a number of user-friendly features such as a wall-hook for the three pedicure attachments, non-slip rubber feet, and a cord-winder. Also, the acupressure rollers are removable.
The acupressure attachments have shallower nodes than you’ll find on other models, so the massage is not as deep.
How We Decided
Foot Massagers - Our Experts Advise
- When choosing a foot massager or foot spa, there are many important features and design elements to consider, and you could take a great deal of time educating yourself and coming up to speed. Luckily, our experts have done this for you, and the following is our best advice to help you make a solid choice on the fly.
- For the most versatile foot massager…
- choose the Beurer FB20. It comes chock-full with options for both wet and dry use, switchable pedicure attachments such as foot brush and skin buffer for those stubborn foot corns and calluses. It even performs specialized foot treatments for toe and heel pain using heat, bubbles, vibration, and built-in infrared emitter.
- For the best full-foot massage…
- go for the SkyLand Air Pressure. It uses 8 different Shiatsu-style massaging rollers designed to cover all reflexology points from heel to toe, and even includes an additional 4 rollers to tackle the ankle region – especially useful for those with ankle pain. In addition, it features a three-speed air massage function. And it will automatically shut down 15-minutes after its lulled you into a happy, relaxed, foot-massage-induced slumber.
- For the most complete Acupressure massage…
- go with the Skyland 2175 Water Foot Spa. With four different acupressure rollers – two for each foot, as well as a vibration function designed to intensify the effect of each pressure point on its intended target, your foot and ankle pain will be gone in no time!
- For the strongest Shiatsu massage…
- we suggest the SkyLand 2158 Foot Massager. Two Shiatsu rollers focus on each foot in a complete 360-degree circle at the speed of your choice – a must for those with plantar fasciitis. And the bi-directional feature lets you change from clockwise to counter-clockwise and back again. You’ll feel like you’ve got a skilled Japanese masseur giving you the finest treatment in the privacy of your own home!
Foot Massagers Cleaners Features
- Wet vs. Dry. This is a very individual preference you may have for Wet or Dry use. For a primarily wet home foot spa machine, choose from the SkyLand 2175 Foot Spa or the Emjoi UEFS-156. For Wet/Dry versatility, choose the Beurer FB20. For dry massage only, go with the SkyLand 2158 or the SkyLand Air Pressure.
- Shiatsu vs. Acupressure. Some electric massager models, like the SkyLand 2158 and the SkyLand Air Pressure do Shiatsu massage – a type of Japanese massage. Others, like the SkyLand 2175 Water Foot Spa and the Emjoi UEFS-156 give you foot reflexology like you would get in a typical massage spa. All these can help with Plantar fasciitis, heel pain, and bunions.
- Air Treatment. Whether wet or dry, many foot massagers offer air therapy to stimulate lymphatic drainage and intensify therapeutic benefits. For wet, check out bubble massage offered by the Beurer Bath or the Emjoi UEFS-156. And in the dry category, try the Skyland Air Pressure.
- High-Frequency Vibration. Indeed a treatment style in its own right, many foot massager machines such as the Beurer FB20, Emjoi UEFS-156, and SkyLand Foot Spa 2175 combine vibration with reflexology massage to further enhance the effects of the feet massage.
- Heat Therapy. Another good plantar fasciitis treatment, The Beurer FB20 and Emjoi UEFS-156 will heat up the water in your foot spa to help you with those stubborn bunions and heel spurs while giving you the toastiest of tootsies. By contrast, the Skyland Air Pressure will treat your heel pain using hot air.
- Infrared. Definitely a specialty add-on, some foot massagers such as the Beurer FB20 use an Infrared Emitter to release muscle tension, and treat ankle pain, pain from flat feet, and plantar fasciitis.
- Skin Exfoliation. To really take the pedicure aspect of your foot massage to the next level, some models like the Beurer FB20 offer a foot scraping, skin exfoliation function to treat your foot corns and calluses.
- Size. Before ordering, those with large feet are recommended to check the dimensions of the model in which they are interested to make sure your feet will fit inside the home massager. Or you can choose a model such as the SkyLand 2158 which is open on both sides, giving the best massage to all foot sizes and shapes.