This bath is easy to carry with or without water, as the cleverly-designed splash guard transforms into a handle. It was also one of the easiest to clean. The textured bottom has enough space in between the bumps to maneuver a paper towel across it. Other baths didn’t have this spacing, so the towel got shredded as it glided over the texture. Be careful not to overfill this bath (or any of them), as a bit of water leaps out of it when the jets churn. If you have larger feet, the water will rise quite a bit even if you fill below the maximum line.

There are many factors to take into account when choosing a foot spa. Most importantly, of course, you'll want to know what features it offers. Different models may or may not include bubble jets, vibration, and the ability to heat up your water, or at least keep it at a consistent temperature. They may also offer magnetic therapy, infrared therapy and/or aromatherapy diffusers. Also, at the base of the unit, there may be base nodes or reflexology rollers for you to rub your soles on. A panel of four coworkers all loved this foot bath, with three of them giving it raves. One cited this bath as the most comfortable, saying the massage rollers actually scrubbed the bottom of her feet for a smoother feel. Beyond that, you'll be looking at settings. Can you switch individual features on and off, or just all of them at once? Are there any attachments, such as tools for doing a pedicure after your soak? Written by Jessica Kasparian, who has spent four years testing makeup, hair, and skin care products. Foot spas circulate warm water with vibration or jets to massage the feet, softening hardened dead skin in preparation for removal. Some have additional features like rolling massagers, vibrating massagers, or heaters to keep the water warmer for longer.

These sensors gauged how the baths retained heat throughout the 30 minutes (or longer) I was soaking my feet. If the bath had special features (heat, vibration, light, massage rollers), I slowly added in the settings, allowing each one a full 10 minutes to see if it affected the water temperature in the bath and to evaluate the experience subjectively. Noise As well as giving each one a subjective assessment to see if spoils relaxation, we also use a decibel metre to measure how noisy each foot spa is. Use mild cleaning liquids to clean it. We used Milton sterilising tablets. Avoid using solvents, abrasive cleaners and harsh detergents.

You don't get that problem, however, with the InvoSpa Shiatsu Foot Massager, because it's basically a dry foot spa. Rather than warm water and bubbles, it treats your feet with a combination of infrared therapy, air compression, and shiatsu kneading from two independent foot massagers.

At the least, a good spa will be relatively compact, or easy enough to move around the home. If you're after a bit more than a warm foot bath, there's more advanced models out there that will allow you to control the temperature, incorporate bubbles or even opt for a soothing massage. A foot spa is not only a great cosmetic must-have to keep at home for a bit of luxury, it's also worth investing in a good foot file for aftercare. Cosmetic or not, it's a good solution to consider if you suffer with aches and pains in your feet too. The foot spas we test offer options ranging from “no heat at all” to “temperatures up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit.” As the heat of the water is paramount to the benefits of a foot soak, I filled each bath with hot water from the office sink and then plopped three heat sensors inside. One went in the shallowest part of the bath, one in the deepest part, and one right underneath my big toe. Other than the foldaway HoMedics foot spa we tested, all foot spas are fairly bulky products, so may not be ideal for if you have limited storage space.