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The Ultimate Guide to Shiatsu Foot Massagers
Everything You Need to Know About Electric Shiatsu Foot Massagers
We know you’ve been eyeing them off…
Truth be told, we did too for a while before finally taking the plunge.
The concept of having an electric foot massager machine at home for on-demand, customizable massages can certainly seem too good to be true- So naturally, the hesitation factor can be understandable.
Many find themselves asking;
Are foot massagers just a passing fad?
Do they really work?
Will it end up being another one of those novelty gadgets we’ve got gathering dust in the garage, or cluttering up the kitchen drawers?
Just like you, the critical thinkers in us wanted to get the real low-down on foot massagers before investing in one, to see how it works and if they’re really worth it.
(See, you’re not the only one!)
That being said, the longer we’re immersed in the wonderful world of foot massage with its raving fans getting the word out about the plethora of life-changing benefits, the more apparent it’s becoming that there are really only two camps of people:
The folks who already own a foot massager… And the people who are looking for reasons to justify getting one!
If you’re still on the fence about getting a foot massager, with questions about how it works and what it can do for you… We think this should clear up any trepidation you have about jumping in with both feet:
How Does a Foot Massager Work?
So, back to the grassroots. How do electric foot massagers work exactly?
Foot massagers are a compact, portable machine that harnesses techniques used by professional masseuses to massage your feet.
They’re fully automated, so you don’t have to exert any effort, downward pressure, or manually move your feet over any massage surfaces to benefit. Simply sit back, slide your feet into the cradles, select your desired massage style, and let the machine do all the work.
Programmed sequences of pressure-sensitive massage rollers use kneading, rolling and pulsing patterns to massage your feet into a feeling of absolute bliss.
Regular use provides not just relaxation and pain relief to tired feet, but comes with a host of other health benefits the whole body will rejoice in.
The very best foot massagers such as the Slabway Spa Shiatsu Foot Massager combine intuitive technology in their design to mimic the human touch of a massage therapist, providing the most beneficial massage experience.
Keep in mind, you’ll want a shiatsu foot massager design that has:
- Customizable modes for kneading, pulsing and rolling
- Adjustable intensity settings
- Incorporated Shiatsu massage techniques
- Controlled by a handheld remote
Choosing a premium quality device is worth the investment, as the best foot massagers will have these intelligent design features that allow you to tailor the perfect pressure, and target specific areas where your feet need massaging the most.
Here’s some must-have features the Slabway Spa Shiatsu Foot Massager comes kitted out with, and the way it works as a game changer in your foot massage sessions:
Benefits of Massagers With Deep Kneading, Pulsing, and Rolling Actions
Kneading Techniques
You’ll most likely recognize kneading sensations from those Deep Tissue and Swedish-style massages you’ve had. Kneading massage focuses on applying squeezing pressure in a pattern that alternates between compression and release, much like a baker kneading dough.
Deep kneading actions stimulate lymphatic drainage, nerve activity, circulation and the reduction of inflammation.
Pulsing Techniques
Thai massage often utilizes this invigorating percussion technique.
Pulsing massage combines rhythmic tapping and hand-clapping actions that strategically strike pressure points with pleasant, light intensity.
Pulsing actions deeply penetrate tight muscle fibers, encourage fresh oxygenated blood flow to vessels, and kickstart healthy organ function.
Rolling Techniques
Rolling massage is best described as that “delicious-feeling” sensation.
You know the one! That gentle, wave-like pressure that melts tension and feels like it washes your body over anew with tingly lightness.
Physiologically, rolling massage encourages blood flow in your veins to direct back to the heart, which in turn supplies all your body’s cells with a fresh flow of oxygenated blood.
Apart from being deeply relaxing, rolling actions are effective at breaking up scar tissue, clearing lymphatic congestion, and encouraging toxins to be removed from sore joints and ligaments.
Benefits of Foot Massagers That Incorporate Shiatsu & Reflexology Methods
Combining the ancient arts of Shiatsu and Reflexology is a serious level-up when we’re talking luxury electric foot massager design features.
You’ll access important pressure points in your feet that powerfully promote whole-body relaxation, healing and targeted pain management.
Not every shiatsu foot massager is created equal however, so when you’re finding your perfect match, be sure to bring home the wisdom of these Eastern bodywork philosophies with a Shiatsu Foot Massager.
Shiatsu and reflexology foot massage provides the reciprocal health boost of corrected energy flow in your meridians, balanced reflexes, increased blood circulation, improved sleep cycles, a healthy nervous system to relieve pain, and stimulated organ function.
Discover more on the powers of pressure-point stimulation, when Shiatsu and Reflexology come together as the ultimate therapeutic treatment in our guide.
How Often Should You Get a Foot Massage?
Before owning a shiatsu foot massager machine, we’d previously need to factor in scheduling an appointment at a foot spa or masseuse, as our guide to determine how often we’d get to enjoy the benefits.
Some excellent news for our feet? Those once-prohibitive time constraints and budget concerns suddenly vanish when you own a shiatsu foot massager machine in your home!
With on-demand, accessible foot massage available at the push of a button; now we can indulge, soothe, heal, restore and boost our health with a replenishing foot massage every single day.
What Are the Benefits of a Shiatsu Foot Massager?
We were about as intrigued as you are at this point… If you’re thinking these foot massage gadgets sound like the things dreams are made of; let us tell you, we’re only just getting started.
But don’t worry, we promise not to leave a single hot-stone unturned.
Now we’ve got a basic understanding of how these things work, let’s take a look at the whole-body benefits you’ve got in store when you treat your feet to a daily massage from one of these miracle workers that keep your feet and whole body glowing with health.
How does a shiatsu foot massager love us back? Let me count each way…
12. Improves Blood Circulation
Are your feet always freezing? Perhaps you’re fighting a battle with varicose veins?
Many people suffer from unpleasant burning sensations, pain or numbness due to nerve damage, or are managing diabetes or hypertension.
But then, some of us aren’t really aware of an issue, but notice that wounds on our legs and feet take an alarmingly long time to heal.
What these problems and many more toe-related woes boil down to is poor circulation in our feet. Our increasingly busy lives lead to longer periods of sitting down and less time for proper exercise, coupled with some less-than-perfect unhealthy habits we indulge in.
So, how do we get the blood flowing to our most precious assets, that carry us around everywhere we go? Daily sessions with your Shiatsu Foot Massager machine.
Regular foot massage significantly boosts blood flow to your lower extremities, ensuring that sufficient nutrients and oxygen are carried down to our feet and toes to keep the tissue, muscles and cells healthy.
Research shows that just 10 minutes per day improves circulation, enough to step into your healthiest, most resilient feet, and fend off problematic foot conditions.
11. Prevents Major Ankle & Foot Injuries
Gym junkies, joggers, and sporty “soles”: You’ll want to listen up to this game changer for your next outward bound.
Did you know that regular foot massage can strengthen the intricate muscle networks in our feet, ankles and toes, increase flexibility in the ligaments, and limber up all the moving parts to prevent strains, sprains and tears? You heard it here first.
Come out the gate strong with supple muscles, fend off potential injuries and pain, whilst also encouraging speedy recovery for sore muscles and joints if you do happen to take a tumble.
10. Prevents & Lowers High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure can occur as we age, or also be due to stress or genetics. Left untreated, it can mean devastating damage to our heart and other vital organs, so getting it under control is of critical importance.
Many wouldn’t immediately associate foot massage with a notable reduction in blood pressure, or prevention in it being elevated in the first place.
Yet the foot reflexology massage methods combined with the stress-relieving factor of a regular shiatsu foot massager session have been proven in studies to help relieve high blood pressure and hypertension.
9. Reduces Heel & Bunion Pain
Oh no, my bunions! Besides the not-so-pretty appearance of these pesky, bony bumps protruding out of your feet, those who suffer with these unwelcome menaces know how painful a day of walking around on bunions can be.
Our heels can also take a beating with their daily tasks of walking us around, causing plantar fasciitis to flare up. But there’s a shining light for painful feet, in the form of shiatsu foot massagers.
High-tech shiatsu foot massagers like this Spa Shiatsu design target all the afflicted pain areas, massaging the bottom soles and the sides of the feet, from the heels right to the toes.
Tight muscles melt away that cause tension, and repetitively strained tendons in the heels are relieved through this relaxation of the muscle fibers. Through regular stimulation and targeted muscle relaxation, foot pains become a distant memory.
8. Reduces Swelling & Lowers Effects of Edema in Pregnant Women
Swollen feet and foot pain are both unpleasant things to live with, and even more so during pregnancy when yet another thing on your body hurting is the last thing you need.
Fluid retention (or edema) in the feet as well as the ankles is a common complaint during the last trimester of pregnancy, as women’s bodies produce and hold onto additional fluids in order to support their growing baby.
This, unfortunately, can wreak havoc on outer extremities, causing foot pain and discomfort.
The perfect gift for that mama-to-be in your life? She’ll love a shiatsu foot massager with heat.
Daily massage disperses fluid retention collecting in her toes, feet as well as ankles, will help relieve pain from swelling, and manages that puffy feeling every mother can relate to; so she can feel more like she’s glowing and less like she’s ready to burst!
7. Promotes Relaxation & Positive Mental Health
It’s no secret that restoring our sense of inner balance and a positive outlook hinges around a regular and intentional self care routine.
While many people turn to massage as a deliberate relaxation method during tense times, it turns out that the psychological effects of massage run deeper than simply chilling our frazzled nerves out.
Shiatsu and reflexology foot massages release endorphins that serve as our body’s natural happy hormones. These uplift our mood, with their effects lasting long beyond the end of the massage.
Reflexology methods also suppress cortisol, the stress hormones that amplify pain signals and catapult us into a fight or flight state.
Combine these effects together every day, for a mental health boost that truly uplifts the mind, body and soul.
6. It’s Good for Your Sex Life
The tactile, stress-relieving foot massage experience puts even the most uptight among us into a sensual mood.
And who would have known that our feet hold so many reflexology points that heighten libido and spark imagination, to stand in as the perfect accomplice to your intimacy enhancement!
Starting pleasurable sensations from the feet up is a powerful way to connect with our partners in relaxation and lighthearted enjoyment, paving the way to erogenous zone arousal and ramping up the passion.
What better way to surprise and delight your partner than with a stimulating and sexy shiatsu foot massage. Meanwhile, your hands will be free to tantalize the rest of their body in some immersive foreplay outside the box!
5. Helps to Manage Headaches and Migraines
The soles of our feet are a densely packed network of reflexology pressure points, many of which relate directly to specific areas of the head.
Studies have revealed noteworthy results among headache and migraine sufferers who employ regular Shiatsu foot massage techniques, allowing them to access these reciprocal relief points.
Kneading massage around the toes has been proven to reduce the duration, frequency and intensity of a migraine, along with effectively reducing stress that can help prevent headaches from striking in the first place.
4. Alleviates Symptoms of PMS and Menopause
Hormonal changes that occur in the days leading up to and during our menstrual cycles have a field day on emotions, stress levels and our general wellbeing.
Anxiety, insomnia, tension and fatigue are the short order of PMS symptoms, topped off by period pains and cramps that can be uncomfortable at best, and debilitating at their worst.
Menopause doubles down on tumultuous hormonal fluctuations, adding in hot flashes and depression to the PMS troubles, and enduring over a prolonged time frame.
Reflexology and shiatsu foot massagers come to the rescue for hormonal imbalances. Key pressure points in the bottom soles of the feet are stimulated, alleviating unpleasant symptoms of PMS and providing support throughout menopause.
3. Relief from Arthritis
Finding relief from the swelling, pains, stiffness and joint inflammation of arthritis can be a daily challenge, especially when the feet and ankles are involved.
Fluid retention can gather around the lower extremities, causing swollen feet and ankles that feel stiff and tender to the touch. Arthritis can also make people more prone to plantar fasciitis.
Regular sessions in an electric foot massager promote lymphatic drainage and blood circulation. This helps pains in arthritic joints by balancing the body’s inflammatory response, which can help relieve swelling by effectively metabolizing the toxins created by the afflicted areas.
2. Improves Posture and Reduces Lower Back Pain
Lower back pains can indeed be caused by poor posture and feet that aren’t functioning at their full potential.
As we’ve evolved, our feet have become underutilized and susceptible to plantar fasciitis, as we sit for long periods and almost always wear shoes.
The intricate networks of muscles that connect the feet to everything above it become tight. This tension travels upward, causing aches in our lower back and slouched posture that links to acute lower back pain.
So how do we prevent poor posture and back pain? Start with the feet for surprising relief!
Reflexology points running along the inside edge of the foot, from the side of the big toe back to the base of the heel actually correspond to the spine.
The Spa Shiatsu Foot Massager effectively stimulates these reflex points on the inner edge of the foot, relaxing tight muscles that cause lower back pain, and helping your posture improve.
1. Effective Neuropathy Management
Peripheral neuropathy causes nerve damage in the feet, and can be caused by a variety of chronic conditions such as diabetes.
Sufferers experience numbness, tingling, muscle weakness and shooting pains in the feet and lower legs due to nerve messages traveling back and forth from the brain becoming interrupted.
Regular electric foot massager sessions have proven to be an effective home care for peripheral neuropathy foot pain.
The muscle manipulation and pressure they provide stimulates the nerves on the soles of the feet, encouraging healthy nerve endings and alleviating painful and unpleasant neuropathy symptoms.
Do Foot Massagers Work for Plantar?
Electric foot massagers have been proven to be a highly beneficial tool for treating plantar fasciitis and flat feet, effectively relieving pain in the heels and arch areas thanks to their targeted pulsing percussion massage functions.
Deep kneading massage with heat in the arch and along the bottom soles of the feet help keep ligaments lubricated, reduce painful inflammation and help build healthy fascia connective tissue, to prevent plantar fasciitis and relieve pain from flat feet.
Can You Use a Foot Massager Too Much?
Foot massage sessions every day are incredibly beneficial and therapeutic. As a general rule; if it feels great to your foot muscles, it’s probably doing you a world of good!
Of course, if you’re managing chronic foot pains due to other conditions, it’s recommended that you discuss your foot massage frequency and intensity with your doctor.
Foot massage may be uncomfortable for some people with advanced peripheral neuropathy, so be aware of using your massager with heat.
Intense kneading may also exacerbate acute circulation problems, so be sure to check with your health care provider to ensure regular foot massage is a good fit on your journey toward exceptional health.
Which is the Best Foot Massager?
There are a lot of electric foot massagers out there to choose from, so zeroing in on the perfect design for your specific needs can be a dizzying affair.
So, if you’ve been going in circles trying to find your perfect match for the ultimate at-home foot relieving therapy, you can finally end your search right here.
The Best Foot Massager For an At-Home Shiatsu Massage:
Get ready to put your best foot forward with the Slabway Spa Shiatsu Foot Massager.
This state-of-the-art foot massager machine with heat has an impressive resume of intelligent design features.
You’ll wonder how your feet ever managed without all these tricked-out details…
Ability to Customize Experience with Programmed Modes
A good masseuse always asks how you like it, and we didn’t see why a foot massager machine shouldn’t do the same!
Slabway lets you call the shots with a tailored massage. Either set it to auto, or mix and match the options to find your bliss:
- Set to Auto & choose between 4 pre-programmed modes
- Customize a toe, arch or heel focus to zone in on tension
- Select your most relaxing speed; high, medium or low
- Switch up the direction between clockwise or counterclockwise rotation
- Choose heat for tension-relieving deep tissue massage
Incorporates Shiatsu Massage & Reflexology
Specially designed massage rollers harness the ancient bodywork therapies of Shiatsu and Reflexology:
- Targeted pressure accesses meridian pressure points
- Reflexology techniques unveil full-body benefits
- Mimics the soothing, firm touch of a masseuse’s hands.
Easy to Use & Maintain
A good masseuse always asks how you like it… And we didn’t see why a foot massager machine shouldn’t do the same!
- Easy-to-navigate control panel
- Large buttons with easy to read lettering
- Simply wipe with a soft cotton cloth to clean
Durable, Compact & Portable
Its compact design allows for effortless storage and travel once your massage is complete:
- Lightweight and compact
- Easy-to-grab side holds to move it around easily
- Low profile for compact storage when not in use
- Plug it in anywhere to take massage to the office, by your bed, and even when you travel
Massage Multiple Areas with Specific Targeting
Specially designed to massage hard to reach pressure points and target every area:
- Massage arch, heel & toes, plus the sides of your feet
- Kneading, rolling and pulsing actions access key areas
- Targeted rollers stimulate blood circulation and tailor pressure accordingly
Remote Control
Sit back and enjoy customizations at the push of a button, no more awkward bending over. Remote controls:
- Power
- Massage program mode
- Massage Roller Speed
- Direction of massage roller rotation
- Heated massage nodules
- Tailored adjustment settings
- Select Massager with heat
Serving More Than a “Sole” Purpose
We must admit, we were pretty surprised when we first learned of all these unexpected benefits the body gains from regular shiatsu foot massager sessions!
Obviously, the relaxation factor is the immediate thought that springs to mind when most people think about a good foot rub… But knowing all these reciprocal health and wellbeing boosters we can tap into really sealed the deal for us.
For the same price as just a couple of visits to a foot spa, you can have your very own shiatsu foot massager machine in your home and enjoy unlimited, on-demand foot massages just how you like them; 7 days a week, 24 hours a day; for years to come.
While it may be a small initial investment, the value provided by this kind of foot massage heaven (without begging your significant other for a foot rub or having to return the favor afterward, mind you!) is priceless, in our opinion…
