The idea of restoration footwear is so, so tempting if you happen to spend plenty of time in your ft, whether or not you’re presently coaching for a race or continuously working a double. Drawback is, so lots of the restoration sneakers on the market are literally restoration sandals, which makes them rather a lot much less attractive when it’s not 75 and sunny.
Enter the Oofos Oocoozie Thermo Mule ($120, oofos.com), the latest providing from the footwear large that’s higher recognized for its feel-good flip-flops and slides. It guarantees the identical impact-blunting match as its summery sneakers, simply in a design that’s somewhat, uh, coozier. I’ve been carrying the identical beat-up pair of Ugg slippers as my post-run “restoration” sneakers for the previous 10 years, so I slipped on a pattern pair of those mules to seek out out if there’s a real profit to the actual deal.
Who these sneakers are for
Whereas “energetic restoration” is having a second within the health world, restoration sneakers just like the Oocoozie mule should not only for athletes. Certain, runners, hikers, pickup basketball gamers, and individuals who play different sports activities may gain advantage from a snug, supportive shoe, however so can of us with bodily demanding jobs (say, nurses or development employees) or issues with their ft, like plantar fasciitis.
That’s as a result of Oofos sneakers are designed to “cradle” your arches (which reduces strain and distributes forces extra evenly), put your heel and forefoot within the correct place for a extra pure gait, and maintain you extra secure as you stride. All of this, the corporate says, helps you get better extra shortly after an extended, robust day in your ft. Whereas that is type of exhausting to quantify, the American Podiatric Medical Affiliation awarded the corporate’s huge line of sneakers its seal of acceptance, which it provides to merchandise “discovered to assist good foot well being.”
Christa Sgobba
Out of the field
Two issues instantly stood out to me: One, these sneakers are ridiculously mild (which bodes properly after a tough exercise once you wish to exert as little effort as potential), and two, the ugly-cute vibe remains to be going robust. The mules look somewhat bit like a rubbish bag and a few marshmallows had a child: They’re black, puffy (made with their Primaloft insulation), shiny, and quilted, they usually really feel such as you’re not carrying a lot of something in any respect. They by some means appear like they go together with nothing and every part. Initially, I deliberate on solely carrying these round the home, however the first look intrigued me a lot—ought to they be this stylish?—that I knew I needed to take them out and about.
Match and really feel
A restoration shoe ought to really feel like stepping on a cloud, and I can report that the Oocoozie Thermo Mule definitely did. However not an amorphous one: There was a construction to the footbed that made my ft really feel actually supported and—dare I say it—cradled. The froth made for comfortable strides, and the insulation stored me heat, despite the fact that the design leaves the backs of your ankles uncovered.
