The idea of restoration footwear is so, so tempting when you spend loads of time in your ft, whether or not you’re presently coaching for a race or always working a double. Downside is, so lots of the restoration sneakers on the market are literally restoration sandals, which makes them quite a bit much less engaging when it’s not 75 and sunny.
Enter: The Oofos Oocoozie Thermo Mule ($120, oofos.com), the latest providing from the footwear big 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 slightly, 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 “lively restoration” is having a second within the health world, restoration sneakers just like the Oocoozie mule aren’t only for athletes. Positive, runners, hikers, pickup basketball gamers, and individuals who play different sports activities may benefit from a comfortable, 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 stress and distributes forces extra evenly), put your heel and forefoot within the correct place for a extra pure gait, and maintain you extra steady as you stride. All of this, the corporate says, helps you get better extra rapidly after an extended, powerful day in your ft. Whereas that is sort of arduous to quantify, the American Podiatric Medical Affiliation awarded the corporate’s huge line of sneakers its seal of acceptance, which it offers to merchandise “discovered to help good foot well being.”
Christa Sgobba
Out of the field
Two issues instantly stood out to me: One, these sneakers are ridiculously gentle (which bodes effectively after a tough exercise whenever you wish to exert as little effort as attainable), and two, the ugly-cute vibe continues to be going sturdy. The mules look slightly 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 someway appear like they go together with nothing and every thing. 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 actually 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 saved me heat, although the design leaves the backs of your ankles uncovered.