Healthy Feet With Foot Spa Bath

We visit the spa for professional results and to try the gizmos they use to treat every inch of our feet. You can have the same luxury treatment at home, using the next-best thing – the foot spa. The daily abuse our feet endure, sooner or later, leads to foot problems, most times painless and sometimes with painful and serious consequences. The damage to your feet isn’t irreversible. With the help of a foot spa bath, your tootsies will look and feel healthy again.

What is a Callus?

A Callus is a skin condition resulting from irritation, repeated friction, or constant pressure on the skin. If not nipped in the bud, the skin in the affected area becomes dry, hard, and thick compared to other parts of the body.

Callus may appear anywhere in the body, but it most often develops in the skin of the feet because of the repeated contact the skin has while walking. Certain underlying conditions too might lead to callus formation. Problems such as obesity, particular walking style, fallen arches, bone deformity, are just some of the reasons for the appearance of calluses on feet.

Unlike the Corn, callus doesn’t have a core and isn’t always painful. This is no reason to leave it be. Make no mistake, walking on a rough surface, stones, and uneven surface with callus on ball of foot, inside of the toes, and/or heel is really painful. Furthermore, untreated foot callus might cause burning pain and later develop into ulceration or infection.

Some people try to remove the hard layer of skin by trimming or cutting with the help of a knife or blade. Doing so, they are only inflicting more damage on the skin. There are other simpler, safer, and more effective ways of removing callus on the feet. A word to the wise: People with diabetes should never ever consider using a sharp-edged tool to treat callus.

How to remove calluses from feet safely, you ask? Here are some safe treatment options.

Soaking Your Feet to Soften Calluses

The ideal preventive and treatment option that you can take at-home is soaking your feet regularly. Resting your feet in a vessel with a moisturizing solution after a long day will provide the much-needed rest and relief to the tired feet. Furthermore, it’ll partially alleviate the pain of callus and help moisturize the tough, dry skin on the feet.

Prepare a foot soak in seconds by mixing a spoon of Epsom salt in a bowl of warm water. Soak your feet in this simple mixture. After a few minutes, the skin becomes soft due to the action of the warm water, and the Epsom salt will allow you to scrub clean the dead cells of the foot callus. For better results, get yourself a foot spa bath.

You don’t have to stick with the warm water + Epsom salt formula. There are other easy foot soak recipes that can be tried at home. To easily and effectively get rid of the dry callus skin, soak your feet in chamomile tea for 30 minutes. Alternatively, bathe the affected areas in a solution prepared with warm water and baking soda (3 spoons). The solution will not only facilitate removal of the dead cells, it’ll also heal the callus areas.

Another interesting at-home callus treatment involves preparing a foot mask. Soak a slice of bread in apple cider vinegar for 10 hours or however long it takes to make a mushy paste. Just before going to bed, apply the paste to the affected areas, and cover the feet with socks, bandage, or cellophane tape. Let the paste mixture work its magic overnight. In the morning, remove the mask and rinse the feet.

Scrubbing Your Feet to Help Remove Calluses

The only way you’ll be free of callus is by getting rid of the hard skin. After soaking the feet, the next logical step involves scrubbing the affected callus area with a foot file or pumice stone. If you’re pressed for time, forget about preparing a soak solution. You can scrub after a bath or shower. The important point to remember is that it’s easier to clear the dead cells of calluses if the skin is soft and wet.

The scrubbing technique you employ will determine how successful you are at removing the calluses. Scrub the affected skin vigorously in a circular direction. You’ll have to scrub longer to remove thick calluses. After scrubbing for a few seconds, dip the foot again in water, and scrub again. Keep the foot and the pumice stone wet by dipping into water often. Repeat the process till the affected area turns pink. Interestingly, walking barefoot on wet sand at the beach will have the same effect as scrubbing.

What Are the Benefits of Using a Foot Spa Bath?

After a long day, when you rest the feet in a basin, and the warm/cold water caresses your feet, relaxing the tired muscles, softening the hard skin, you can just feel all the tension and pain slipping away. You must be well aware of the importance of healthy feet, and beautiful feet will be the icing on the cake. You can achieve both by soaking your feet in a foot spa bath.

This simple looking gizmo offers several benefits. Here are some of them:

Keeps Your Feet Healthy

Take a moment and think of the service your feet have rendered you; the pressure and pain it has suffered for you. Now is the time to repay for its service – give your feet the much-needed care.

No, we are not talking about applying nail polish. Having healthy feet is quintessential for a healthy and productive life. One way to repair the damage it has suffered, improve its look and function, and make it more resilient is by giving a regular foot bath.

Soaking your feet in a foot spa bath can do wonders. It can solve several foot problems such as dry skin, foot callus, corn, flat feet, etc. Bear in mind that it’s a lot easier to scrub off the dead cells of callus if the skin is moist and soft.

Reduces Stress and Anxiety

A warm bath after a long, stressful day of work is just the right medicine to relax and de-stress the body. But, most people are too tired and exhausted to prepare their own bath or even take a shower. But a foot bath can be an equally effective way to achieve stress relief.

Numbers don’t lie. In the United States alone, nearly 40 million people are suffering from some type of anxiety disorder. If the anxiety problem isn’t too serious, most doctors recommend natural remedies and lifestyle changes, instead of prescribing medicines. Foot water massage and foot soak in a foot spa bath is perhaps the most natural way to relieve anxiety.

Improves Blood Circulation

Ever wondered why the underside of the foot (sole) is extremely sensitive to touch. That’s because the sole has a high concentration of nerves that are connected to various organs and areas of the body. Experts say the sole has as many as 200,000 nerve endings per foot. And, there are more sweat glands per square centimeter in the sole than in any other area.

What do nerve endings have to do with health? When you use a foot spa bath to give a water massage to the sole, you’re actually undergoing reflexology treatment. Activating and reinvigorating the nerves in the sole will improve blood supply and energize the various parts of the body.

Obviously, the first in line to receive the lion’s share of the benefits would be our feet. Improved blood supply will relax our tired foot muscles and alleviate pain.

Helps You Sleep Better

Are you suffering from insomnia, experiencing sleep disturbances, or do you wake up tired? Soak your feet in a foot spa bath for 30 minutes before you sleep. The warm/cold water massage will relax the whole body and melt away the stress. This will not only help you sleep, but also have a longer REM sleep, which is important for good memory, critical thinking, and to feel refreshed in the morning.

Detoxifies the Body

No, we don’t completely get rid of the waste material accumulated in our body on a daily basis. Toxins are unwanted substances that build up over time and if not removed might affect the normal functioning of the body.

The use of foot spa baths can help you remove toxins from the body. As we mentioned before, our feet sweat excessively, more than other parts of the body, because there are more than 4000 sweat glands (2000 on each foot). Using warm water in the foot spa bath draws out the toxins through the sweat glands in our feet.

What Are the Best At-Home Foot Spa Baths?

After weeks of research, we have compiled a list of the best at-home foot spa baths. These gizmos are made by well-known brands and are quite popular with the ladies and gents alike.

Brookstone – Heated Aqua-Jet Foot Spa

Can there be a foot spa that has received the unanimous stamp of approval?

Challenge Accepted. We introduce the Heated Aqua-Jet Foot Spa from Brookstone, which has won the Best Foot Spa award from several review websites year after year. The foot spa doesn’t come with fancy lights, but it performs its basic – the most important – function remarkably well. The Heated Aqua-Jet Foot Spa guarantees a tranquil and peaceful experience to its users.

Click here to see reviews and prices for the Brookstone – Heated Aqua-Jet Foot Spa on Amazon.com

Pros

• Heats very well
• Solid construction and a durable foot spa
• Powerful jets force out the pain and stress from your feet

Cons

• Expensive
• Slightly heavy
• Can’t add your own oils and salts

Rating: 4.5/5

 

Kendal – Deep Foot and Leg Spa Bath

Why stop with the feet? With the Deep Foot and Leg Spa Bath from Kendal give some love to your legs too. The soothing warm water can reach up to the calves and the motorized rollers allow you to just relax and enjoy the spa treatment. The bath is big, but it’s very easy to move, drain, and clean.

Click here to see reviews and prices for the Kendal – Deep Foot and Leg Spa Bath on Amazon.com

Pros

• Motorized rollers
• Easy and safe drainage
• The user can control/adjust the temperature of the water
• Comes with herb holder
• Excellent reach; works up to the calf area

Cons

• Is a bit on the expensive side
• Weak water jets
• Heavy
• There is question over the durability of the foot roller

Ranking: 4/5

 

HoMedics – Foot Salon Pro Pedicure Spa

As its name suggests, this gizmo offers salon-like professional pedicure experience at home. To replicate the salon visit, the product comes with a complete pedicure set with 4 different heads. The HoMedics Foot Spa Bath offers the best value for money with its many features and attachments.

Click here to see reviews and prices for the HoMedics – Foot Salon Pro Pedicure Spa on Amazon.com

Pros

• Splash guard prevents spilling of water
• Pedicure center comes with four heads – massaging balls, brush, fine pumice stone, and coarse pumice stone
• Fairly priced
• Heats up water quickly and keep it warm for a long time
• Coarse rollers enhance the massage experience

Cons

• Vibrations and bubbles aren’t great
• Can’t turn on the heating without triggering the vibration or bubbles function
• Generates too much noise

Rating: 4.25/5

 

Conair – Foot Spa with Waterfall

Conair – A top-notch brand, has time and again, delivered mind-blowing experience with its range of foot spa baths. And, with the introduction of the Foot Spa with Waterfall, it has added oomph and glamour to the product. The Conair Foot Spa comes with plenty of exciting features such as Waterfall massage, maintains water temperature, bubbles massage, LED lights to calm the user and enhance the experience, and slip-proof stability for feet.

Click here to see reviews and prices for the Conair – Foot Spa with Waterfall on Amazon.com

Pros

• Two modes – high and low – bubbles massage
• Soothing blue light at the bottom to relax the user
• Single button operation to control Waterfall, bubbles, and light
• Roller massaging offers excellent pain relief
• Comes with 3 attachments – Soft-touch massager, foot scrubber, and pumice stone

Cons

• Generates too much noise
• Doesn’t heat the water
• Not suitable for people with big feet

Rating: 4/5

 

Ivation – Multifunction Foot Spa

Of course, there are plenty of other brands and models in the market. But, for a comprehensive foot care service, the Ivation Multifunction Foot Spa seems to be the best choice. With this foot bath at home, you can relax, de-stress, and relieve pain and do it as often you like.

Click here to see reviews and prices for the Ivation – Multifunction Foot Spa on Amazon.com

Pros

• Ideal for people with sensitive skin and diabetes
• Motorized rolling massage heads
• Easy heat adjustment
• Three pedicure attachments – brush, pumice stone, and larger node massage head
• Strategically placed acupressure nodes
• Timer to set and adjust spa sessions

Cons

• Lacks wheels for easy transportation
• Heavy

Ranking: 4/5

 

Final Thoughts

Soaking the feet in a basin of warm water with or without essential oils is fine for softening and moisturizing. But, to repair the damage that it has already endured, to alleviate pain, and treat problems such as foot callus and corn, you need a gizmo like foot spa bath. There are quite a few models, manufactured by both prominent brands and lesser-known companies. Nevertheless, your feet deserve the best. We have presented the best-rated foot baths that’ll keep your feet happy and healthy.