I just ran my second-fastest half marathon a few weeks ago at the Cherry City Half Marathon in Salem. It was my 78th half marathon, and one of my favorite things to do afterward is get a massage to just loosen things up.
I’m lucky enough that my wife is willing to help me work out my sore areas — either because she’s amazing and takes care of me (she is), or maybe deep down because she likes making me scream and squirm while she really gets into those super-tight calves…
But one place she will not massage me is my feet.
I don’t necessarily blame her. Most runners’ feet aren’t exactly the most attractive things in the world. But they’re also probably one of the areas that deserve some TLC. I mean, without happy feet, we wouldn’t be able to put in the miles like we love to. I already have a nice back-massaging table, but adding a foot massager seemed like something I needed to try.
The Basics
The Renpho Shiatsu Foot Massager is pretty simple in nature. Honestly, if you hadn’t looked at any of the pictures in this review and I asked you to picture a foot massager, I’m guessing about 90 percent of you would come up with roughly the same thing: a small device that both feet fit into that provides a massage. For millennials, this might even bring back memories of trying something similar at Sharper Image back in the day.
But while those old-school versions were pretty pedestrian, Renpho has added some technology to make the experience considerably more customizable. There are three different intensity levels for the kneading and massaging, along with three air-pressure levels that squeeze your feet in a way that is somewhat similar to the sensation of leg compression boots.
So rather than just having a bunch of massage balls randomly doing their thing at one intensity, you can adjust both the massage and compression components to get an experience that better suits what you want. And, importantly, you can turn those settings up or down without having to completely stop and rearrange your feet.
Put Your Feet Up
There’s an optional remote control that makes adjusting the settings even easier. That’s a nice touch because once your feet are comfortably tucked inside the massager, the last thing you really want to do is get up and start messing with buttons.
The massager also has an automatic shutoff, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally leaving it running forever. That might be a safety feature, or maybe Renpho just knows that once you get comfortable, you’re going to be tempted to keep it going for hours. Either way, it’s appreciated.
More Than Just Post-Run
I’ve definitely found value in using the foot massager after longer runs, but it has also become something I use simply because it feels good. In fact, it currently sits underneath my work desk. That means it has become a pretty useful way to decompress at the end of the day, especially when I’m sitting through back-to-back video calls. It’s not exactly the worst office accessory I’ve ever had.
There’s something nice about being able to give your feet a little attention while answering emails or listening to someone explain why you need to join yet another Zoom call.
The Bottom Line
Even if a foot massager isn’t on your list of wants or needs — and I know people like my wife who don’t even like having their feet touched — Renpho has a variety of other relaxation and health products that may be more your speed.
They offer things like calf massagers, massage guns, heating pads and compression products, so there’s plenty to look through depending on what you’re looking for.
For me, though, the foot massager has found a pretty comfortable spot in the rotation. After 78 half marathons, I’ve learned that taking care of the things that actually get you across the finish line is probably a pretty good idea. And apparently, sometimes that means putting your feet into a robot and letting it do the work.
