Our feet are used a lot almost every day, which is why foot pain is fairly common. Luckily, there are already numerous ways to alleviate foot pain and make the feet feel more relaxed and less tense, and one of these methods is by getting a foot spa. What is a foot spa? And how can it help in reducing foot pain? To know more, here is a guide to foot spas and their benefits.
What is a Foot Spa?
A foot spa, as its name already suggests, is a spa for the feet. If you have been to a spa before, you will know that the therapists or masseuses in the spa would massage different areas of your body, and then you have the option of entering a sauna or a jacuzzi to heat up your body, which is supposed to make you feel calm and relaxed.
For a foot spa, those different processes are usually combined into just one process, as you will use a device or machine called a foot bath or foot spa that soaks your feet in warm water while also massaging the soles of your feet, which is where most of the pain is coming from. However, you can also get a regular foot spa from a therapist, and this type of foot therapy goes through the same processes as the full-body spa.
What are the Different Types of Foot Spas?
There are different types of foot spas that you can get for your feet, and each of these types has its own benefits or advantages. Here are the things you should know about these different types of foot spas.
- Heated Foot Spa – the most common type of foot spa that incorporates warm water for relaxation and to reduce soreness and inflammation. The heated foot spa may also have studs or nodes at the bottom of the device that can apply pressure on the soles of the feet as a form of massage.
- Massage Foot Spa – this type of foot spa not only has warm water but massage studs or pins at the bottom (and sometimes the sides) of the device. The studs and pins of the massage devices are moving to apply pressure on different areas of the feet, like the toes, heels, and arches.
- Portable Foot Spa – this foot spa can be brought everywhere because of its collapsible design that enables you to fold the device for better storage in cars or bags. Portable foot spas are usually battery-powered, so you don’t need to plug them into an electrical outlet for them to work.
What are the Benefits of Foot Spas?
Foot spas have uses that can truly benefit your feet in terms of healing and relaxation. Here are some of the best benefits of getting foot spas at home or in actual spas.
Reduces Foot Pain
The major benefit of foot spas is their ability to reduce pain in the feet. Massage foot spas are effective in alleviating foot pain through the use of gentle pressure applied on the skin and muscles of the feet. After a long day at work or school, you can try a massage foot spa at home so that the pain you are feeling in your feet will be reduced, and you will have a more relaxing time resting on the bed or sofa.
If you are suffering from foot pain due to an injury, you can check out our Guide to Selecting Foot Massagers for Plantar Fasciitis for more recommendations.
Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Because of how relaxed you will feel while getting a foot spa, it could be said that foot space can also reduce stress and anxiety. Whenever you are in a calm state, your body releases a chemical called serotonin, which is responsible for making our mindset more positive and uplifting.
In addition, the relaxed feeling you get during and after a foot spa can also make your mind much calmer, thus helping in reducing anxious and negative thoughts from building up and causing severe anxiety. Whenever you are feeling too stressed or anxious on particular days, you should get a foot spa to not only reduce foot pain but also to make you feel calmer and more relaxed.
Improves Sleep
What’s also great about foot spas is that they can also improve your sleep, which means that you can sleep faster and longer for a more satisfying rest. This benefit is possible through the calming and relaxing feeling that you will get through foot spas, as this feeling can then keep your mind at ease so that you wouldn’t have too many thoughts once you actually try to sleep.
Improves Blood Circulation
Whenever you are experiencing foot pain, the painful and sore muscles in your feet would need a constant supply of oxygen so that they can help better and faster. Oxygen is supplied by our blood, which travels through the blood vessels in different areas of our body.
Whenever we have poor blood circulation in the legs and feet, the pain that we feel in those areas would often last for a long time, as the blood cannot normally travel through the blood vessels and would not be able to give a constant supply of oxygen to the affected muscles. With a massage foot spa, the device will apply pressure to the blood vessels in the muscles, and this pressure can stimulate the blood vessels so that they can perform better than before.
And these are some of the details you should know about foot spas and their benefits. We hope that this simple guide has helped you decide whether or not a foot spa device is suitable for your needs at home. If you are feeling foot pain almost every day, then it would be best for you to have a foot spa device or machine so that you don’t have to suffer from the pain anymore after work, school, or exercise.