Why you'll love it: The Belmint Shiatsu Foot Massager feels like a person massaging your feet, and the pressure is spot-on.
In testing out a number of foot massagers, I learned a lot about comfortable pressure. There's the kind of squeeze that leaves you groaning in relief, and there's the kind that leaves you limping. Of all the electronic foot massagers I tested out, Belmint's Shiatsu Foot Massager proved the best at causing only the former — as long as you learn what pressure setting best meets your personal needs.
Some massagers tickled and others prodded. This one felt like a massage and a hug, perhaps in part because you're sliding your feet into two snug, cloth-lined nooks. Nothing eyebrow-raising, like repeated jabs to the back of my sole, happened during the 15 minutes of the Shiatsu Foot Massager's timed session.
The heat made me feel like I was a melting puddle of Jell-O, and the massager never got too hot, even though my feet were sitting in compact, heated chambers for a quarter of an hour at a time. When I removed my feet from this massaging cocoon, it felt like a butterfly emerged.
What makes this electronic foot massager seriously great is the combined effect of kneading motions that differentiate between areas of your feet and overall pressure. While one roller hits that key relief point in the middle back of your heel, another set of rollers glides firmly from your arch over the balls of your feet, all with alternating pressure. Lastly, another set kneads and squeezes around your toes.
While all of this is taking place, the air pressure in both foot compartments constantly fluctuates. Sometimes, the compartments get tight around your feet for a deep squeeze and other times they loosen up. The combined squeezing and kneading sensation is swoon-worthy. When there's free space in the compartments, I usually like to flex my feet so I can partially control how deep the kneading nodes penetrate my muscles.
Heat can be turned off and on during a massage session. I usually like to start with it on to loosen up my muscles and turn it off midway, when I start getting warm.
It's not only the movement, pressure, and temperature of this massager that made me fall in love (yes, this is romance!). It's the fact that it leaves no part of your foot untouched. The nodes in this shiatsu massager correspond to the rise of your arches, the space between your toes, and your often-ignored heels, hitting all the key points on your foot. Many at-home foot massagers fail to reach every single one of these spots, or they just graze them.
Belmint's Shiatsu Massager gets in there to quell aches and alleviate stiffness you may not have even realized you had. If you get tired of the repetitive kneading, the massager offers two settings. One consists of constant, back and forth kneading. The other kneads in spurts and then pauses while applying increasingly more pressure to eat foot.
Pressure is adjustable on a scale of one to five. I find anything over two overwhelming. The lowest setting usually suffices, unless I'm particularly sore. Then I opt for two or maybe three. More than that and I would fear actual injury, but I have relatively slight feet and my job mostly consists of sitting at a desk. A day after a particularly long run is when I opt for the higher pressure settings, but I would advise anyone trying this massager for the first time to increase the pressure level with care.
Pay attention to what your feet are telling you. If something hurts more than a reasonable good hurt, stop the massage or decrease the pressure.
The Belmint Shiatsu Massager is also fairly compact. While you're not going to want to lug it with you to work, it's easy to stick under a table by your couch or in your closet between uses. The fact that it looks like a cute, miniature UFO doesn't hurt. It appears sleek and unobtrusive, but not clinical.
Since this is a heated massager that you stick your feet into, you do have to consider sweaty foot smell. Luckily, the cloth lining in this massager is washable. The only other downside is the lack of physical flexibility. You have to pretty much keep your feet put during the massage, which can be frustrating if you're used to more control over your massage. If you want a comprehensive massage in which you get to sit back and relax, this machine is for you.
Pros: Varies pressure and movement during session, sleek design, pays attention to all parts of your feet
Cons: You can't move your feet when using it, not immune to foot smell, clunky to move
Buy the Belmint Shiatsu Foot Massager Machine with Heat Function on Amazon for $144.99